When I first started designing, this was something that I
struggled with. It was a time when then the traditional top-down triangle shawl
was all the rage, Ravelry was still a pretty new thing, and there was a sea of
new designers just like me giving knit design a try. As my desire to make knit
design my full-time job grew, so did my efforts to develop my own style. Here
are some things that I've considered over the years that have helped me to
develop a style all my own:
- Design what you love to knit. So obvious, and it’s such an easy way to start developing your own style as a designer. My designs look like my designs because it’s what I like to make, simple as that!
- It’s all in the details. When I’m writing a shawl pattern, there are two things I know I want to include: pattern notes on how to adjust the size of the shawl, and written instructions for the charts. My customers know that they can reliably find these things when I release a new shawl pattern, and it’s what keeps many of them coming back. For another designer, it might be the number of sizes in a sweater pattern or having a link to a video tutorial. By being consistent with what you like to include in your patterns, it helps set you apart from other designers and have a style all your own.
- And speaking of style…you need a style sheet. When I first started designing, I had a very hard time trying to get the wording and formatting just right in my patterns. How am I going to explain finishing off a hat? What do I want italicized? At the beginning, I’ll admit, these things were not consistent from pattern to pattern. Then I created a style sheet. This helps me keep the wording and format the same in all my patterns. My patterns all have that “Jen Lucas Designs style” because they all follow my style sheet. :)
There are so many things to contemplate when creating your
own style as a designer. If you’re a designer, I’d love to know what else you consider
when it comes to your style!
