Our final winner of the Make it in Design brief is Caroline Smith. Her use of bold brush strokes created a simple but effective design, and we love her use of clashing colours. We asked her a few questions about her process.
1) How long have you been designing for?
For as long as I can remember, I went to Glasgow school of Art when I left high school and I graduated with an Honours degree in Graphic Communication. The jobs were few and far between in Scotland and I decided to regroup and get my portfolio back on track. I started working in the local hospital as a support nurse for an income while also working on my portfolio. Today I still combine both roles and thoroughly enjoy my passion for creating and designing. Make it in design have inspired me and given me the knowledge and confidence to progress and enhance my skills with my ultimate aim of being a full time designer. It’s been great and exciting but it’s been a soul searching experience to find my style.
2) What artist or movement has inspired your work?
This is a hard question for me, I find inspiration everywhere, and I am always on Pinterest and Instagram and take inspiration from Illustrator - Dylan Mierzwinski and designer - Kitty McCall. Whilst at Art school I had a keen interest in painters like Mark Rothko
and Wassily Kandinsky; they were they were fascinating artists and each brought their own inspiring aspects to my designs. I think designing is very intuitive and sometimes it’s not an influence by someone or something but a feeling you get when you are creating.
3) What was your process when designing for the brief?
It started when I decided to do the 100 day pattern challenge during the module. It was hard for me to create everyday due to other commitments and with this very quick and free way of working I designed on little 4x4 inch squares and I made marks. I also practiced illustrating people and generally putting pen on paper, so I knew when this brief came up I had a piece in this collection of work that would fit. In turn, it has been the catalyst for many other projects I would like to do. It is for me the best way to work, it is a way of getting ideas on paper and fine tune from there.
4) What advice could you give to an emerging artist, based on your experience?
I would say, keep going, don’t give up. It is a long process and it takes time to learn the programmes, and the best way of working for yourself. I would say I am still learning, every day another skill share tutorial or YouTube video assists with my knowledge and skills. Another important part is to put yourself out there, presenting your work and be confident with it. Your hard work and determination will pay off eventually. It is also important to gain valuable advice from other experienced designers in different groups on social media which has been a vital resource to me. Every day you can learn something new and this is what I love about design and creating.
5) Where can we find your work?
My website will hopefully be live fairly soon, however, most of my work and other parts of my creative journey are on my Instagram page @kate_isla, also Facebook kate&isla and Pinterest kate&isla design.
You can find Caroline's cushions for sale on our Make it in Design page on the website.
