A textile designer makes patterns and designs for fabric right from the scratch. They usually work in the fashion industry or interior design fields and the designs would appear on clothing, wall covering upholstery and so on.
Becoming a Textile Designer
Textile designers begin their careers with internships and entry-level assistant jobs. If you are interested in Fabric design training, The Print School offers various courses and training programmes. Getting the print design on the fabric is not an easy task and without proper training from The Print School, it is not possible to design the fabrics with accuracy and knowledge.
However, you could follow the steps provided below to become a textile designer.
- Pursue training: Get a bachelor’s degree in textile and fashion design or fine arts to learn design techniques like colour theory, screen printing, and block printing and surface design. If you get trained in graphic design, you could learn how to use design software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
- Complete an internship: Gain valuable experience as an intern when you are in the training program. Internships offer an opportunity to figure out the specialised focus.
- Find an entry-level job: An internship could help.to land your first job as an assistant to an established designer or in an entry-level position at a design firm. The entry-level assistant jobs provide insight into the field as well as networking opportunities.
Tips to Become a Textile Designer
Successful textile designers have food knowledge about the textile industry and are continually learning about new skills and fabrics. Take a look at some of the tips that could help you pursue a career in textile design.
- Research on different types of textiles. It is important to understand the construction of weaves and handmade or machine-made fabrics, how some dyes and designs look on material and how they would look over time. You also need to learn about various design techniques and which ones work the best on particular fabrics.
- Build a portfolio of work. You can create a digital and physical portfolio to showcase the design work and different styles. The portfolio could include illustrations, sketches, physical mock-ups and notes on the context and design techniques. Explain the design choices and thought processes to your clients. Collaboration with fashion design students or professional fashion designers could use the textiles in the clothing. It means applying the fabric designs to fashion designs that help clients visualise the work.
- Making connections with tiger designers is also essential. It helps you find work opportunities in textile design. You could get to know the other designers in the training program and join professional organisations like the Textile Society of America that shares networking events and job opportunities. Print design on fabric, The Print School.
- Continue learning new skills. Keep the designing skills up to date by learning new printing and fabric design techniques. You can take online courses in textile design or digital design to keep the creations fresh and gain a competitive edge in the field. You could also gain a higher degree if you wish to learn extensive skills and practice fabric designing all by yourself or to gain more experience in the field.
