Surface pattern design is a broad category that includes textile design and print and pattern design for all sorts of applications, from dishware to packaging to office supplies. If you’ve been listening to the SFF podcast for long, you know how important niching down is for finding freelance clients. But in such a diverse specialty, figuring out what to focus on can be a big challenge!
In this episode, I walk surface pattern designer Rachelle Fields through choosing the niche she wants to focus on. Then we go on to talk about pricing, and what to include in a textile design contract so both you and your client walk away happy.
Rachelle Fields is a surface pattern designer living in Washington state. She grew up in Alaska, studied art in California and moved to Seattle 8 years ago. She worked for Tommy Bahama as a Cad/textile designer, and currently works at a company that does a lot of outsourced design for Starbucks and Disney. She recently relocated to Spokane so her husband can go to medical school, and still works remotely for the same company.