One Theme, Many Designs: The Magic of a Coordinating Collection
Last week, we had some fun exploring all the wonderful design possibilities that come from choosing a theme.
We used Halloween as our example because there are so many delightful things to draw.
Pumpkins, bats, ghosts, witches, black cats, candy corn, skeletons… the list goes on and on!
But here's something interesting.
What if you didn't stop at just one pattern?
What if you took that original idea and created several designs that looked beautiful together?
That's when you begin exploring the wonderful world of coordinating pattern collections.
And it's one of my favorite things about surface pattern design.
What Is a Pattern Collection, Anyway?
When you first start creating repeating patterns, it's natural to focus on making one design at a time.
You have an idea, you draw your motifs, you experiment with the arrangement, and eventually you have a finished pattern.
And that's exciting!
But imagine walking into a fabric store and seeing several fabrics displayed together.
One might have big, beautiful flowers.
Another might feature smaller leaves.
A third might be a simple stripe or a tiny geometric print.
Even though the patterns are different, they look like they belong together.
They share something.
Maybe it's the colors. Maybe it's the artistic style. Maybe it's the theme.
Often, it's a combination of all three.
That's the basic idea behind a coordinating collection.
The designs are different, but they speak the same visual language.
And Halloween is a wonderfully fun way to explore that idea.
Let's Imagine a Halloween Collection
Let's say you've created a playful repeating pattern filled with little black cats.
Perhaps some are sitting, some are stretching, and others are walking with their tails held high.
You've placed them on a soft purple background with tiny stars scattered between them.
It's a fun pattern all by itself.
But now imagine adding two more designs.
Design #1: The Black Cats
This is your first pattern, filled with expressive little cats, stars, and perhaps a crescent moon or two.
It's the pattern that first catches your eye.
Design #2: Stars and Moons
For your second design, you decide to use a few of the smaller motifs from your original pattern.
You create a simple arrangement of stars and crescent moons.
Maybe the background is cream instead of purple.
The design is different, but it still feels connected to the first one.
Design #3: A Simple Stripe
For the third design, you create a stripe using the same purple, cream, and perhaps a touch of mustard yellow.
There are no cats or moons in this design at all!
And that's perfectly fine.
The shared colors help it coordinate with the other two patterns.
Now imagine seeing all three designs side by side.
Instead of three unrelated pieces of artwork, you've started to create a little family of patterns.
Isn't that fun?
Color Is One of the Things That Brings Everything Together
One of the easiest ways to begin thinking about coordinating designs is through color.
Let's return to those Halloween patterns.
We might choose a palette of:
Deep purple
Warm orange
Mustard yellow
Soft cream
We don't have to use every color in every design.
In fact, it can be more interesting when we don't.
Perhaps the black cat pattern has a deep purple background.
The stars and moons pattern has a cream background.
And the stripe combines orange, mustard yellow, and purple.
Even though each pattern looks different, those shared colors help them feel connected.
This is one of the reasons I love experimenting with color in Illustrator.
You can explore different combinations and see how the feeling of a design changes.
And when you're working with several related designs, those color choices become part of the story you're telling.
Not Every Pattern Needs to Be the Star
Here's another interesting idea.
Imagine that every design in your collection is equally busy.
One has lots of black cats.
Another has pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and witches.
And a third has candy corn, skeletons, spiderwebs, and lettering.
They might all be wonderful designs individually.
But put them together, and there's an awful lot going on!
Sometimes the simplest design is exactly what the others need.
A small dot pattern.
A stripe.
A scattering of tiny stars.
Or a repeating arrangement of one little motif.
These simpler patterns can give the more detailed designs some breathing room.
Think about decorating a room.
You might love a bold patterned wallpaper, but you probably wouldn't want every single surface competing for attention.
The same general idea applies when you're considering how patterns might work together.
Some designs naturally attract more attention, while others play a quieter supporting role.
And those quieter patterns can be just as lovely.
Your Original Doodles Can Have More Than One Life
One of the things I find so satisfying about creating coordinating designs is that you don't necessarily have to start over every time.
Remember those little stars we scattered around the black cats?
They might become the starting point for another pattern.
Or perhaps a small moon that was just a supporting detail in your first design becomes the main motif in your second.
An idea that seemed insignificant in one design might turn out to be exactly what you need somewhere else.
I love that!
It changes the way you look at your artwork.
Instead of thinking that every doodle has one purpose, you begin seeing possibilities.
And sometimes the smallest details offer the most interesting surprises.
Here's How I Explored Halloween Patterns
A few years ago, I created a series of Halloween-inspired repeating patterns in Adobe Illustrator.
I experimented with black cats, bats, ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons, witches, candy, and quite a few other motifs.
Some of the patterns used bold orange backgrounds.
Others featured shades of purple, cream, and mustard yellow.
Looking at them together, you can begin to see how certain motifs and colors might be grouped to create smaller, more cohesive collections.
And that's an important distinction.
A group of patterns sharing a theme isn't automatically a coordinated collection.
They might all be Halloween designs, but some may work better together than others.
The fun is in looking at what you've created and discovering which designs have a natural relationship.
I've included a link to one of my Halloween design videos so you can see how a pattern comes together.
Watch my Halloween pattern design process on Instagram
As you watch, think about which elements might inspire another design.
Perhaps it's a color you particularly like.
Or a small motif that could stand on its own.
Or even a simple background pattern that could become a lovely coordinate.
There are so many possibilities.
Collections Don't Have to Be Complicated
Now, if you're just beginning your creative journey, I don't want you to feel that you suddenly have to create ten patterns instead of one!
Absolutely not.
Learning to create a repeating pattern is an accomplishment all by itself.
And there's no reason to rush past that.
But I do think it's exciting to understand where your creativity might lead.
You can begin to see how one idea could grow into several related designs.
And you can start noticing collections when you see them in fabric stores, on wallpaper, in home furnishings, or even on wrapping paper.
Look at how the colors repeat.
Notice which designs are bold and which are quieter.
See whether the motifs feel connected.
You don't have to know all the technical details of designing a professional collection to begin developing your eye.
Sometimes just noticing how patterns work together is a wonderful place to start.
A Little Creative Exercise for You
Remember the five motifs I invited you to doodle last week?
Let's take that idea one small step further.
Imagine you've created a repeating pattern using one of those motifs.
Now ask yourself:
What two other patterns might look lovely alongside it?
If your first design features pumpkins, perhaps you could imagine a simple leaf pattern and a little orange-and-cream stripe.
If you've drawn black cats, maybe a scattering of stars and a small dot pattern would coordinate beautifully.
You don't even have to create those additional patterns right now.
Just sketch the possibilities or write down your ideas.
And think about which colors might connect all three.
That's your creative invitation this week.
One theme.
Three related ideas.
And a whole new way of looking at the possibilities hiding inside your doodles.
Because your creativity doesn't have to stop with one finished design.
Sometimes that's just the beginning.
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
