Interview: Marie Perkins from Print & Pattern

We are delighted to share on the blog today, an interview with Marie Perkins surface pattern designer, author and blogger extraordinaire. Marie, aka ‘Bowie Style’, is a true mover and shaker in the world of surface pattern design. Her design blog ‘Print & Pattern’ has become the definitive go-to site for the industry – it has been a global success for Marie and attracts an audience of industry leaders, practitioners, retailers, creatives, students and graduates, all seeking pattern inspiration from around the world.

We spoke to Marie about her latest book – Print & Pattern: Geometric (which features several ABSPD graduates!) and her delightful curated collection of children’s prints ‘Woodland Friends’, both published by Laurence King. The Geometric book is a must have addition to any surface pattern designer’s collection, featuring over 300 pages of gorgeous pages of inspiration from all over the world, that you will want to return to over and over again. ‘Woodland Friends’ is a beautiful collection of 20 high-quality pull-out prints, that all fit in a standard picture frame. A perfect gift to turn any child’s bedroom into a magical world of forest dwellers.

– Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest book ‘Print & Pattern Geometric’?

Geometrics have been a real trend, with triangles appearing on everything from notebooks to curtains so it seemed a great time to be focusing on the theme.

– How do you define what characterises a geometric design?

Generally it would be defined as a design made from the mathematical shapes found in geometry: i.e. circle, triangle, square, etc. For the purposes of the book I expanded it out beyond the standard geometry to include stripes, dashes, dots, swirls, etc. We feature prints and patterns made from all manner of abstract shapes with styles from Aztec to Mid Century Modern.

– With so many designers and images around to choose from, how did you go about narrowing down your selection for the book?

I started with a wish list and curated all the images together that stood out to me for their originality or excellence. Then it was a question of inviting all the artists and hoping they would say yes. After that stage I did an open call for entries to see what came in from P&P readers.

– Can you tell us about the timescale for creating this book? How long did it take you from conception through to being published?

Book publishing is incredibly slow and it can be over a year in production. I first made a mock up geo book to propose the idea to Laurence King in April 2013 and once they had approved the concept I started work in August 2013. The final manuscript was handed over at the end of January 2014. By April we had all the page layouts done and by July all the proofreading. From then it goes into production and finally arrived in stores for January 2015.

– You have previous books have been incredibly popular, did you ever imagine you would become an author as well as a successful blogger and designer?

Not at all. I was approached by Laurence King out of the blue in 2008 and although I had never produced a book before I was really keen to have a go as there had never been a book solely focusing surface pattern design before.

– Where did your love of pattern originate?

It began with ceramics in the 1990’s – I had studied Graphic Design and Illustration and I was really into colour and type, but after getting into pottery I began hand painting fruits, flowers, and patterns onto ceramics. When I got my first flat I was really keen on interior design and textiles – discovering Designers Guild had a real effect and from then on I was hooked on pattern.

– ‘Woodland Friends’ is a beautiful collection of 20 pull-out prints which you have also just had published. Where did the inspiration behind this collection come?

Laurence King had decided to do a book of children’s prints and thankfully they thought I would be a good person to organise it. I suggested two themes that I felt were popular at the time and one of those was Woodland Forrest. I thought this was a wide enough subject to be able to create lots of different prints.

– How did you go about the selection process for this book?

I looked around to see which artists had been creating really lovely children’s designs. Using the Print & Pattern blog and Pinterest, I was able to make a selection of potential artists.
I then with made a mood board to show the kind of looks and styles I was after and wrote a brief which I sent to five hand picked artists. We needed designs that would work for babies and slightly older children, and we needed sets that would work together and also mix and match in the book as a whole.

– Do you feel you have a particular design aesthetic and if so, how would you describe what kinds of designs you are drawn to?

I am drawn to flat graphics, bold colours and Scandinavian style. Simple designs such as those by Orla Kiely really appeal to me and also folky designs like those by Sanna Annukka for Marimekko.

– Do you have a current favourite building or city that inspires you?

Architecture is a real passion of mine and I love anything Georgian or classical. As architectural design this is something very different from my pattern work. I use it when I need time off from surface pattern – looking at a beautiful building is ideal to give your eyes a rest from all the colourful P&P. I am lucky enough to live near two world-class Architectural cities – Oxford and Bath.

– What is your creative space like?

I have a studio in a converted garage, which is full of design books, pens, paper, paints, etc. The walls are lined with my greetings card ideas and the cupboard full of fabric pieces. It is nice to look out over the garden in summer and I have a digital radio and a retro record player in a suitcase so I can have music or chat on in the background whenever I fancy. I also work on a laptop so I can blog from anywhere.

– If you were a pattern, what kind of pattern would you be and why?

Probably a children’s print as a lot of my own designs are quite juvenile.

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‘Print & Pattern: Geometric’ can be purchased here