A History of Print Design

Posted by Mallory Ottariano

History and Evolution of Prints:

Bizarre prints, wacky color combinations and intricate patterns - the visuals of our fabrics are what set Youer apart. Every single fabric print is designed by me, Mallory, and each one is inspired by something in the natural world like color, texture, pattern, and emotion. Designing prints is incredibly fun and I use a combination of digital illustration, photography and sketching to create the finished print. Here’s a fun history of the prints I’ve designed over the years.

Here’s one of the first prints I drew:

And here’s one I just finished up last week!

I made my first ever textile print in 2017 because I was looking for fabrics I wasn’t finding. I thought it would be super cool to have fabrics designed just for my brand, but when I priced out commissioning artists to make them I realized I didn’t have the budget. But I did have the desire to teach myself design software on Youtube! So I got to work, and realllllyyy wished i had paid attention more in art school when we learned the Adobe programs. It’s been pretty cool to look back at how things started and how complex my style has become since. I used to sketch most things on paper, then scan them into Illustrator and add color. But now, nearly everything is done on my ipad - it’s faster and easy to travel with, but I still like working with the fun sketchy quality of a paper and pen.

When designing a pattern I always start with a color pallet and inspiration. (Show an image of a color palette) Then I start designing, adding in colors and digital shapes. Once my design is done I import everything into my computer and make repeating patterns in illustrator. And the final step is printing it on fabric! Here’s a little video of how that process unfolds.

You’re not going to find any boring stripes, polka dots, or prints that look like your grandma’s wallpaper here. For real. I think that stuff is super boring and you can find it anywhere. Here you’ll find layered florals, the bottom of the forest floor, the way river rocks look under babbling whitewater, what it feels like to be stuck inside a snow squall.

Here are a couple of your favorites from the years.

‘Race To The Top’ -this is our best selling print of ALL TIME and we just brought it back for another appearance on Treasure Dresses last week. It’s been on nearly every product we make.