Customers Spotlight: The Paws // Helping streets dogs on the island of Bali - Bandanas now available at Nordstrom

What a world this would be if we didn’t have people caring for the planet and animals like this brand does. The Paws raises funds for pups in need. It all started when Libby moved to Bali and saw the large number of dogs living in the streets of this Island most will consider to be a paradise. It wasn’t the paradise we know for lots of these furry friends living on the island though.

She created a collection of dog accessories and matching hair accessories for all dog moms in order to raise money and take care to these beautiful neglected creatures. With every purchase a big chunk will go to medical aid, surgeries, medicine. There’s still so much to do in so many countries but small acts like these are inspiring. For others to start doing the same, stop neglecting your surroundings and start acting. Libby has saved, nurtured and brought life to those dogs in need. So we can only give her as much as a spotlight as possible to support what she’s doing. Curious to read more and see what she’s up to? Her Instagram feed is filled with the most hopeful messages and breath taking images of rescue dogs.

If you have a dog or have a friend with a furry companion you can also support this cause by purchasing one of her beautiful pieces. All products are handmade in Bali. Let this brand inspire you to take action too. You know the drill. You don’t have to spend anything to show support. Just visit her Instagram follow and like their posts. Small acts of kindness is all we need.

Licensing print designs
Libby has been licensing our designs to print all fabrics used for her collection. Her textiles are made in Bali, so are the hand-made accessories. If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

The Lookbook: The Cozy Winter Collection - New Trends Fabric Collection & Surface Designs

Every summer we work on new Christmas & Seasonal designs. They’re always planned 6 months ahead of time so our customers have enough time to license designs and plan their production. This year we didn’t make just one collection but three Christmas collections. The Cozy Winter collection is created for our younger audience. It’s a mix of whimsical winter elements, animals, and botanicals. 

Typical Christmas & Winter themes are covered again this year and for this Cozy collection we selected a neutral palette with a pop of lilac and a hint of vintage. Lilac has been the trending color of the year. And it matches the red and greens of the more traditional palette very wel. The more orange and rust colors give the collection a touch of Seventies. Terracotta is here to stay a little longer too.

We’d love to see these prints being licensed. And can’t wait who’s first to license one of these prints. Pattern designs are now available for single use or, if you’d like to launch a consistent batch of products, you can also license the entire collection at once.

New in the licensing business?
If you own a company and need print designs for your products you can license our designs. Licensing will get you the rights to our artwork to produce your own products and use our print designs. Licensing starts at €124.

We’ve also put some more info about licensing on our blog earlier this year, so if you’d like to read more about that and check out if licensing could be something for you read the blog post. We made an easy step-by-step about what you need to keep in mind before licensing print designs. You can also visit our website for more info or send us an email and we’ll find an A to your Q. All prints shown here are available for licensing. And they are all available on fabric in our Spoonflower shop too!


Wanna be kept in the loop and get exclusive designs right into your mailbox? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. You’ll get all new print designs right into your inbox. And of course, we’ll keep you informed about what we’re working on.

Finished Work: Rainbows & Sprinkles Sportswear & Kids Organic Fashion

A few years ago we got in touch with Lucy for the first time. She just set up her small business selling bold printed fashion pieces for kids. She licensed our designs and turned them into the cutest baby rompers, harem pants for toddlers and leggings for older kids.

As the years have gone by her business grew rapidly and she expanded her collection with mum-wear to make twinning those cute prints possible. Now she has a full range of sportswear and kids fashion pieces available. Colourful prints, whimsical themes, the dare’s to be different and her brand has developed into a unique one-of-a-kind business carrying tons of Little Smilemakers pattern designs. Lucy stays off the beaten track and her collection can stand the waves of the trend.

Did you know her leggings are our go-to chill & netflix pieces? And they are perfect for the gym too. I personally wear them for every work-out. Smooth fabric, breathable and fun. And, very important, squat proof! For all of you that lead and active life and are not afraid to stand out from the crowd; check out her bold prints. She also has some overlap in prints throughout her collection if you’d like your little one to match your outfit too.

Okay, I have to admit. Rainbows & Sprinkles must be one of our fave brands to work for. We love how Lucy makes our designs come to life. And we have the freedom to create truly unique pieces time after time. So if you’s a big fan of our print designs; you don’t get to find more prints of ours somewhere else for sure!

Licensing print designs
Lucy has been licening our designs mostly non-exclusively for years. Some designs she has in her collection are also sold to other branches. She used the digital files for her own production process. If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

MEYADEY // This is the new Autumn/Winter Collection 2021 and we’re in love!

Every season we create a batch of exclusive surface pattern designs for Meyadey. The prints we make are made a year in advance and it’s always exciting to finally see the result. After each launch we get to see so many images of kids wearing our designs and we wanted to show you the new AW21 collection that was launched a couple of weeks ago.

This new collection contains some colorful whimsical kids designs. We try to create iconic prints that spark joy and trigger those little one’s imagination. We love bending the gender rules and thrive to create a collection that’s completely gender neutral. Selling cars on dresses and pinks for boys too. We had so much fun working on these! Hope you enjoy them too.

This AW collection is the last collection made with single designs. From now on we are working on releasing prints around a theme. Together with the Meyadey Marketing Team we sat down and created a new concept to launch new collections. We wanted to create a consistent style of designs, with elements that are connected in style and medium. We also adapted a limited color palette for this new range of designs and can’t wait to show you the new re-styled surface patterns we’re come up with. This new concept was finalized this spring so we’ll have to wait a little longer before we can show you those new designs. Stay tuned!

Licensing print designs for your business too
If you’re in need of some print designs for your brand I am sure we can help you too. With over 20.000 ready-made print designs you can license non-exclusive designs to keep your costs low. If exclusive designs are important to your brand we can schedule in custom projects too. Just send us a message and we’ll tell you all about using our designs for your business too.

Costomer Spotlight: Goodness Gracious Beeswax Foodwraps

We love a sustainable alternative for plastic. Obviously. Here in The Netherlands we still have some giant steps to take. And after this week’s floods we are seeing first hand what the impact is of ignoring the planet we live on. That’s why we love featuring our conscious customers first. Customers who set the example and do things differently. Meet Goodness Gracious, a small handmade business based in Singapore, creating beautiful beeswax foodwraps.

These Goodness Gracious Bees wax wraps are a great alternative to single use plastics in your kitchen. Should we spell out the win? They are functional, durable, easy to clean, and a whole lot prettier than plastic too! I personally love to wrap my cheese in these. Cheese looking like little presents? Yes please! All you need is a piece of cotton, some bees wax with a Youtube tutorial on the side to create these yourself. A great project to do with kids during a rainy summer holiday afternoon. Such an easy & fun DIY project!

But if you’re anything like me. I’m the convenient kinda gal. Don’t see myself soaking fabrics on my kitchen table anytime soon…. You probably won’t be making them yourself any time soon either. Goodness Gracious has a wonderful collection of beeswax wraps you can order online. So there’s absolutely no excuse to not switch to this wonderful alternative. Here in The Netherlands it’s pretty hard to find some cute wraps so this small business sure is a breathe of fresh air! There are lots of cute Little Smilemakers Studio prints available. So if you’re curious and love wrapping your food in some cute and fancy, take a look in the Goodness Gracious website and try some pieces.

Licensing print designs
All fabrics used for these beeswax wraps are purchased on Spoonflower eco cotton fabric. You can purchase our fabrics or, if you'd like to start your own production and use our designs: All our designs are available for licensing. If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

Happy International Women's Day

It's International Woman's Day today and we wanted to add a little something to our blog honoring women. We get to work with so many trailblazers, progressive and inspiring women all over the globe. And we want to show a little appreciation to all our sisters out there! 

There's still a lot we need to stand up for. And with the elections coming up end of March we want to speak up and share our thoughts on woman's rights. We've been lucky growing up in a country like The netherlands where being a woman is not life threatening. We are generally safe and we are privileged. We still have our battles to fight. But we want to send out a message to all woman who are not as priviledged. Born in a country where they are supressed. By others, by religion. By their government. Their boss. Struggling to be who they are. We see you. We accept you. We love you. And we support you. In any shape or form. Together we stand strong. Women support women.

The Lookbook: Sweet Dreams Collection - New Fabric Trend & Surface Designs available for licensing

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in The Netherlands. Gray all day! I know, it's still loading. Hoping for snow! Anyway... we've decided this was a great time to create some snuggly dreamy designs to brighten up those dark winter days. Prints that are perfect for blankies, PJs, nursery items and home decor. As we're staying in even more (is that possible this year though?) we wanted to add some serene colors and sweet themes to our new Surface Pattern Collection.  

Winter is here. And during these harsh cold days we have ahead it would be nice to add some softness to our lives right? We create some earthy toned, dreamy designs. All inspird by our dreams. With moons, stars, and we made some minimals of course. Some nightly Llamas are included. Inspired by our dreams and with a touch of boho. All prints shown here are available for licensing. And they are all available on fabric in our Spoonflower shop too!

Wanna license print designs for your business? Please send us a message. We’ve also put some more info about licensing on our blog earlier this year, so if you’d like to read more about that and check out if licensing could be something for you read the blog post. We made an easy step-by-step about what you need to keep in mind before licensing print designs. Any questions? We’re happy to help. Just reach out!

Wanna be kept in the loop and get exclusive designs right into your mailbox? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. You’ll get all new print designs right into your inbox. And of course, we’ll keep you informed about what we’re working on.

Finished work: Mjolk nursery textiles

We are excited to show you one of the new prints we’ve created for Mjolk Russia. Mjolk specializes in neutral baby nursery items such as rompers and hats. They also create textiles for your little ones crib and all other types of nursery textiles and accessories you can name. We’ve been working with this company for a couple of years now.

We even worked on their logo when they decided to rebrand a couple of years back. This year we’ve created 12 designs for their winter and summer collections. And this image was just too cute not to post. The Little Home print was an already excisting design we tweaked a little for Mjolk. The print was licensed for non-exclusive usage and is also available on fabric in our Spoonflower shop. It's a fun neutral with simplistic icon-style illustrations. Perfect for the minimalist baby nursery.

Next season another batch of 5 Little Smilemakers prints will be launched so if you’re in the Russian area you’re up for a treat. There will be some cute little sheep, florals and some other abstracts. Aaaaah we're teasing. They'll be coming soom. You can follow Mjolk on insta and keep in the loop about when all new prints will be launched.

Licensing print designs
If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

Finished work: New nappy designs for The Bebe Hive

A couple of years ago we set up a new signature brand collection for Bambino Mio, a nappy brand based in the UK. We also worked for Milovia, and a couple of nappy brands in the US and here in The Netherlands. Now we have another player on our list of clients. All the way in New Zealand.

Over the years we’ve seen our nappy clients buy our bright colorful prints. Those turned into more eco conscious themes; leaves, jungle animals. After that more muted colors were licensed out and now we’re happy to see our boho prints have been selling like mad for nursery items. Over the years the demand in design has changed. In 10 years we’ve seen the demand for bright and bold going to neutral and earthy. Seeing these trend waves take shape en seeing our designs evolve as brand evolve is awesome to witness!

We love Carli’s eye for soft delicate design and we’re happy to see our newest surface designs in her new collection. She turned them into cloth diapers, muslin wraps, wet bags and swim nappies, and a bunch of other accessories. Her product range is affordable & kind to the earth keeping cloth diapering easy and accessible to new parents. It’s lovely to see small businesses grow and take part in the process. Lets see where we’ll be a year from now.

Curious to see our newest prints for The Bebe Hive? Check the collection on the website or follow their Instagram to have a first look and keep in the loop about new launches.

Licensing print designs
If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

Finished work: New Rainbows & Sprinkles leggings for fitness, running, climbing and Netflix & chill

For a couple of years we’ve been working together with Lucy who’s the owner of Rainbows & Sprinkles, based in the UK. This year I’ve also been working from the home and asked her to send me some of the new pieces she licensed. A package arrived this months with a bunch of fun leggings.

Have you been working from home too? I bet you are also wearing a lot more leggings than high heals this year right? When Covid kicked in we move the studio and we’ve been working from home ever since. So no need to dress up for a meeting. I catch myself in leggings all day every day, I have to admit, it’s pretty comfy. I am used to working from home, but this year we all needed some more comfy pieces in our closet. These leggings are great to chill in but as a boulder girl I also took them to the climbing gym. Finding proper leggings can be so hard. Especially to work out in; not many are squat proof! I am such a fan of these, they are thick enough to not be see-though in extreme stretch situations. And soft enough to wear on the sofa for some chill and Netflix. But they are also very breathable. Is that a word? They are great for a sweaty, more intense work out too. So this time I am showing you our leopard print. But there are many more to choose from. Check the Rainbows & Sprinkles website for all prints & sizes and, did you know you can also get these prints in baby, toddles and kids clothes? Happy matching!

Licensing print designs
If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

New logo Design // Wildeye // Creating a visual identity and a coherent branding

We just finished up a new logo project. And we want to take the opportunity to show you what we made but also give you some insight about the process of designing a logo. Or, create a coherent visual branding. Since Little Smilemakers Studio started we mainly focussed on creating surface pattern designs. But every now and then we love to create a logo for fellow entrepreneurs and creatives. And since we notice a logo is always a struggle, we wanted to give you 5 tips to get this process started and make it a smooth one. Hopefully this will give you some insight.

I am a big fan of hiring the right peep for the job instead of choosing cheap or quantity over quality. And when I stared my business I didn’t have to worry about the logo, branding and other graphic elements; I could do these all myself. I studied graphic design and worked in the industry for a couple of years before starting my own business, and back in the day I made a bunch of logos. I think my style was already the same mix of minimal quirky as it is right now. But since I have worked with so many new businesses on their logo. I do have a broad experience you might be able to learn something about my experiences.

1 // A logo as a reflection of both you and your business
What is a logo? And what should a logo do for you? Logo’s in business can be a way to catch a quick glimpse of what you’re doing. They usually contain a small visual element, mixed with text. You can also create a full typographic logo of course and skip the illustration. Or go non-text. That's all up to you. An illustration might be a fun way to hide a message. A strong visual speaks louder than any text. A good example it the Nike logo. But if you are not as 'famous' yet. Text might come in handy.

The first question you’d like to ask yourself is simple, who am I? If you start a small business this is a great way to start showing the world what you are doing. Who are you? What is your style? Do you enjoy new trends? Or are you more a contemporary style kind of girl? Do you love a rainbow of colors or would you choose a crisp black and white over color? Try to implement all of you into your business and logo. If you are working with a skilled designer they will filter any color doubt or color mayhem overkill to create something professional.

2 // Make a list
What used to be very helpful for me as a designer to start the logo design process, and I still ask this to new clients when I start custom projects on surface pattern designs: lists. Make a list of the things you really don’t like. Colors you have, fonts that make you go iek. Making a list of what doesn’t work is a great way to tackle any drafts that would never work for you personally. This makes the process a whole lot easier, faster and more cost-effective.

3 // How to find a pro
Ask yourself what is important for you and your business? Does your logo have to tell a story? Consider thinking about your branding and marketing, should your logo be a main visual for this? If you are running a product-based business the product is usually the thing to sell. But a logo can be the start of an entirely new branding strategy and visual language. if you want to set up your business as a whole, considering hiring a designer that knows about marketing and positioning. Look out for the way they present their logo designs: is it just a logo, or do they have advertising, folders, web included in their portfolio? If they have a range of graphical elements and they are coherent: this might be your designer to plan your visual strategy with. They most likely have thought about how to implement your logo and style into more than just the right corner of your website. They’ve done research on you and your customer, have the insight and knowledge how to use image, type & color for your target group. Look for the logo designers that hide a message in the logo, or tell a story.

4 // Logo on a budget
I understand most businesses that start out might not have the resources to splurge on too pricy things. Oh I sure didn’t when I started out. But I did do my research and set up a financial plan in order to have a little bit of an idea of how much I would spend the first year: webdesign, software, fonts. Don’t be too quick to save on a logo though. I do want you to consider saving up a little, even if you don’t have much cash, there’s always a way to not buy that pair of jeans or skip some lattes to save up for the future. Your business is worth it. Because outsourcing a logo is one of the best investments to building your future for you and your company. There are a lot of ways to create something. Even if you are on a tight budget. You can use an app like Canva to create something yourself, or put your job on the 99designs website and let designers pitch designs to you. But if you are willing to look beyond the logo, let a pro handle your visuals. Just to have an idea about the costs; our logo design process is around €1200. Including of course the logo design process, implementing the design on 4 graphical elements and building a branding language to use for your socials etc. This strategy is presented in a report. You can call it a little branding manual.

5 // Definite don’ts
Make sure to tackle these rookie mistakes. If you are creating a logo yourself keep in mind the legals! If you are using stock vectors: most stock websites don’t allow logos to be made from their images. So make sure your ‘images’ used to create your logo are originals and ask permission to use these for your design. Stay away from the competitor, and don’t copy something because you just like it. Don’t be ugly! The grass is not greener on the other side. Do your own work and trust your own way to success. Don’t just copy. Up until today, I have to explain this to my clients too when they tell me ‘we want a print design like this.’ If you like to copy something that’s already there, use an illustration or font: ask the original creator for permission. Be chic! You don’t want your logo to say: I stole this but please trust my business anyway. Trust is everything.

Finished Work: Meyadey // Eco-conscious kids fashion // Fall 2020

There have been so many new collections coming out these past weeks. And this must be one of our fave projects to work on. meyadey is a sister brand of Swedish eco-conscious kids fashion brand Maxomorra. Ever season there are new drops. And this week the new fall collection dropped. Due to Covid there was a tiny bit of a delay but the first three prints were finally released and in stores this week.

For Meyadey we create all print designs. Most of the designs are exclusively made. But since out handwriting suits the brand, we also create new prints from somewhat older illustrations. These three designs however are exclusives, made for meyadey. We start the design process a year in advance. Producing a conscious brand is not about speed, we take our time to sit doan and discuss what is important and with every collection we want to launch fun, whimsical designs in colorful palettes. These three prints are the first three of the cooler season. There are 9 more designs to go. And we can't wait to show you the rest! These new itams are now available in stores all over the world. So if you see something you like, there's a retailer in your area too.

Licensing print designs
We licensed these three prints exclusively to Meyadey. But we also license our designs non-exclusively for clients on a budget. If you'd like to know more about our licensing structures we have several different options. Want to use some of our designs on your products too? If you'd like to find out all there is to know about licensing, visit our website for all info. If you'd like to chat please fill out the contact form and lets discuss what we can do for your brand too.

The Lookbook: The Juice Collection - New Trends Fabric Collection & Surface Designs

With October just one more day away it is time to say goodbye to summer. We have created some warm farmers' market inspired designs. With autumn fruits, abstract flowers and botanical elements. 

With the transition to the cooler winter months we love to hold on to the warmth just a little longer. We created a series of warm seventies inspired palettes. Just to give a hint of Indian Summer. We love starting the design process for seasonal prints a few months ahead. These designs were already made a couple of months ago in the heat of the summer. During these hot summer days it's so much fun to focus on the cooler season already. That's how we get excited for the cooler weather to come: watching all those prints licensed and pop up in beautyful autumn collections made by our customers. All prints shown here are available for licensing. And they are all available on fabric in our Spoonflower shop too!

Wanna license print designs for your business? Please send us a message. We’ve also put some more info about licensing on our blog earlier this year, so if you’d like to read more about that and check out if licensing could be something for you read the blog post. We made an easy step-by-step about what you need to keep in mind before licensing print designs. Any questions? We’re happy to help. Just reach out!

Wanna be kept in the loop and get exclusive designs right into your mailbox? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. You’ll get all new print designs right into your inbox. And of course, we’ll keep you informed about what we’re working on.

Finished Work: Pawsome Paws Boutique // Pet Accessories // Fall launch 2020

When summer is coming to an end it is time to show you the newest fall products that are launched. For Pawsome Paws Boutique we’ve been licensing a bunch of new fabric designs. Some flowers, leaves, rainbows and giraffes.

For this fall collection we mostly used gender neutral colors. Sophie wanted to make the collection as versatile as possible and she has chosen to use a bunch of neutral colored designs for this fall collection that can be used for boys & girls. Mustard, Blue and gray and she release another giraffe print so now there’s a his and hers. We are super excited to see how these prints turned out. We love seeing them on poop bags and harnesses and the best thing in the world: those furry pups wearing them. We can't get enough of these customer images.
We licensed these four prints with a non-exclusive license. These designs are still available in our Spoonflower fabric shop and for other types of businesses who'd love to use them for their products. See something you like? Want to use some of our designs on your products too? If you'd like to find out all there is to know about licensing, visit our website for all info. If you'd like to chat please fill out the contact form and lets discuss what we can do for your brand too.

The Lookbook: Romantic Garden - New Trends Fabric Collection & Surface Designs

Oooooh how I love a daily walk and be surrounded by the seasons. With a change of season comes a new collection with botanicals of course. We finished up this new Garden Romance Lookbook just before fall kicks in. We have some flowers, leaves and a moody neutral palette based on the changing colors of nature. 

Every year we make a new nature inspired collection. We work with small businesses all over the world and we wanted to create a mix that was moody fall-ish. But with print designs that are also suitable for other seasons and locations all over the world. With warm neutrals and cool blues, reflecting the Scandinavian landscapes on September Indian Summer nights. All prints are now available for licensing. And they are all available on fabric in our Spoonflower shop now!

Wanna license print designs for your business? Please send us a message. We’ve also put some more info about licensing on our blog earlier this year, so if you’d like to read more about that and check out if licensing could be something for you read the blog post. We made an easy step-by-step about what you need to keep in mind before licensing print designs. Any questions? We’re happy to help. Just reach out!

Wanna be kept in the loop and get exclusive designs right into your mailbox? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. You’ll get all new print designs right into your inbox. And of course, we’ll keep you informed about what we’re working on.

How to create a logo for your business // 5 tips for new business owners // love your branding

written by Maaike Boot / Founder Little Smilemakers Studio
Since Little Smilemakers Studio started we mainly focussed on creating surface pattern designs. But every now and then we love to create a logo for fellow entrepreneurs and creatives. And since we notice a logo is always a struggle, we wanted to give you 5 tips to get this process started and make it a smooth one. Hopefully this will give you some insight.

I am a big fan of hiring the right peep for the job instead of choosing cheap or quantity over quality. And when I stared my business I didn’t have to worry about the logo, branding and other graphic elements; I could do these all myself. I studied graphic design and worked in the industry for a couple of years before starting my own business, and back in the day I made a bunch of logos. I think my style was already the same mix of minimal quirky as it is right now. But since I have worked with so many new businesses on their logo. I do have a broad experience you might be able to learn something about my experiences.

1 // A logo as a reflection of both you and your business
What is a logo? And what should a logo do for you? Logo’s in business can be a way to catch a quick glimpse of what you’re doing. They usually contain a small visual element, mixed with text. You can also create a full typographic logo of course and skip the illustration. Or go non-text. That's all up to you. An illustration might be a fun way to hide a message. A strong visual speaks louder than any text. A good example it the Nike logo. But if you are not as 'famous' yet. Text might come in handy.
The first question you’d like to ask yourself is simple, who am I? If you start a small business this is a great way to start showing the world what you are doing. Who are you? What is your style? Do you enjoy new trends? Or are you more a contemporary style kind of girl? Do you love a rainbow of colors or would you choose a crisp black and white over color? Try to implement all of you into your business and logo. If you are working with a skilled designer they will filter any color doubt or color mayhem overkill to create something professional.

2 // Make a list
What used to be very helpful for me as a designer to start the logo design process, and I still ask this to new clients when I start custom projects on surface pattern designs: lists. Make a list of the things you really don’t like. Colors you have, fonts that make you go iek. Making a list of what doesn’t work is a great way to tackle any drafts that would never work for you personally. This makes the process a whole lot easier, faster and more cost-effective.

3 // How to find a pro
Ask yourself what is important for you and your business? Does your logo have to tell a story? Consider thinking about your branding and marketing, should your logo be a main visual for this? If you are running a product-based business the product is usually the thing to sell. But a logo can be the start of an entirely new branding strategy and visual language. if you want to set up your business as a whole, considering hiring a designer that knows about marketing and positioning. Look out for the way they present their logo designs: is it just a logo, or do they have advertising, folders, web included in their portfolio? If they have a range of graphical elements and they are coherent: this might be your designer to plan your visual strategy with. They most likely have thought about how to implement your logo and style into more than just the right corner of your website. They’ve done research on you and your customer, have the insight and knowledge how to use image, type & color for your target group. Look for the logo designers that hide a message in the logo, or tell a story.



4 // Logo on a budget
I understand most businesses that start out might not have the resources to splurge on too pricy things. Oh I sure didn’t when I started out. But I did do my research and set up a financial plan in order to have a little bit of an idea of how much I would spend the first year: webdesign, software, fonts. Don’t be too quick to save on a logo though. I do want you to consider saving up a little, even if you don’t have much cash, there’s always a way to not buy that pair of jeans or skip some lattes to save up for the future. Your business is worth it. Because outsourcing a logo is one of the best investments to building your future for you and your company. There are a lot of ways to create something. Even if you are on a tight budget. You can use an app like Canva to create something yourself, or put your job on the 99designs website and let designers pitch designs to you. But if you are willing to look beyond the logo, let a pro handle your visuals. Just to have an idea about the costs; our logo design process is around €1200. Including of course the logo design process, implementing the design on 4 graphical elements and building a branding language to use for your socials etc. This strategy is presented in a report. You can call it a little branding manual.

5 // Definite don’ts
Make sure to tackle these rookie mistakes. If you are creating a logo yourself keep in mind the legals! If you are using stock vectors: most stock websites don’t allow logos to be made from their images. So make sure your ‘images’ used to create your logo are originals and ask permission to use these for your design. Stay away from the competitor, and don’t copy something because you just like it. Don’t be ugly! The grass is not greener on the other side. Do your own work and trust your own way to success. Don’t just copy. Up until today, I have to explain this to my clients too when they tell me ‘we want a print design like this.’ If you like to copy something that’s already there, use an illustration or font: ask the original creator for permission. Be chic! You don’t want your logo to say: I stole this but please trust my business anyway. Trust is everything.

All you need to know about licensing print designs // A little talk about the basics of art licensing, creating a steady visual output and creating a coherent print collection

We’re already a couple of weeks into the new year and as we are finishing up some awesome new projects we made a bunch of custom designs for, it is time to plan and schedule our new exclusive design mailing. Last year we’ve welcomed over 30 new clients, and we’ve seen an increase in exclusive design buyers. With this little talk we hope to give you some insight into what we do and maybe it helps you a little figuring our how licensing print design works and what works for you and your business.


The market is getting more and more saturated so finding unique designs and using exclusive surface pattern designs is getting more and more important. Using unique designs for your brand is so very valuable for the credibility of your product towards customers. It makes you stand out from the crowd, build trust and it lifts your product. We are passionate about creating not only a print design, but also creating a steady signature look. Reflecting the values and strenghts of every single business we work with. We love working with small businesses and trying to find a solution for various budgets. Design is our passion. You'll see.


Licensing artwork for your business
We have two different types of standard licensing available. If you are in need of on-trend surface pattern designs for your company and you are on a budget we have a great amount of ready-made print available in our non-exclusive library. All designs we create that are not licensed exclusively are added to this continuously growing database. At the moment we’re releasing this blog post we have over 14000 designs available for licensing. You can find our current rates for licensing non-exclusive designs on our website. This is a great option if you’re on a budget or starting out and want to test the waters and find your own unique signature design series. The non-exclusive license comes with a standard duration for production usage of 24 months. And even though we license our designs non-exclusively we avoid licensing to competing businesses. A pretty sweet deal.

Our second licensing option is going full exclusive. This one is a little more pricey. But we always tell our customers this investment always pays back generously. A unique design is key for commercial products and selling on large scale. Most of our non-exclusive licensees grow into this license after a little while. We create new exclusive collections every season and send them out into the world in our exclusive mailing which you can also sign up for by joining our list on the website. These designs are available exclusively for a limited amount of time.


Yes you can hire us for custom projects!
We also take on custom projects. We’ve been working together with kids fashion brands for clothing, shoes, swimwear. Woman’s fashion and accessory brands. We create exclusive designs for online pet supplies and accessories. You name it, we’ve done it. The first step we take is determining what our clients wishes are. What their values are. Their target and ideal customer. Together we work on finding this unique one-of-a-kind voice for their business. For some businesses we create very minimal designs, abstracts with a Scandinavian touch in moody palettes. But we also create whimsical prints, full of fantasy and illustrations in bright popping colors for our clients that need a more playful tone in their designs. What we think is most important for our clients is finding that unique voice and translating that voice into print designs. Creating a strong one-of-a-kind coherent collection.

If you are looking for some guidance and are not yet sure how to find your way in using print designs on products we can make things a lot clearer for you. With our global client base we are always researching trends and markets all over the world, so we have a pretty good insight into what works, what doesn’t work and what trends will be coming next. Because your target’s market is constantly changing we offer free trend reports on our website to give you a general overview and give some basic insight about trends that are key for selling print-based products; how they work, if and when they are applicable to your product and what’s coming next. You can find them in our tools section and download the trend report pdf files for free. Every business is unique and so is every collab we have. We’d love to give some guidance and assist you in creating that perfect print collection.

Ready to know more? Check our website for more licensing info. Download our free trend reports. And sign up to our newsletter and receive new designs directly into your inbox and if you have any questions, please fill out the contact form so we can help you!

Finished Work: Seaflower Swim bikini designs

 

We're stuck in a heatwave here in The Netherlands. So this would be a perfect time to add some tropical vibes to the blog for now. Seaflower swim has launched their new swimwear collection this summer. Our cheetah spots have been one of our major sellers on fabric this year and we love seeing this print used on their two-piece bikinis.

We love a clever design and this brand has created a collection of reversible bikinis. All handmade. So when you have a pair, you actually buy two. Cute right? All right, this will be a short piece, it is so hot here in the studio so it's time to plan an escape and find some AC. Enjoy the waves. Have a great summer! If you'd like to find out all there is to know about licensing, visit our website for all info. If you'd like to chat please fill out the contact form and lets discuss what we can do for your brand too.

New Collab: Alice + Ames

 

A quick New Collab post before the weekend hits! We are super excited to show you this amazing result of a new collab we took on with a new kids clothing brand.

For their new summer collection we have licensed some of our exclusive designs to Alice + Ames. A US based fashion company that specializes in girlswear. Their items are comfy and stylish, with a hint of Scandi. For the new season we made a collection of fruit prints and this citrus print was one of our favorites. We licensed these oranges back in spring together with some other designs. We love how Alice + Ames turned our print into this airy sun dress. This breezy piece sure makes our design come to life! If you'd like to find out all there is to know about licensing, visit our website for all info. If you'd like to chat please fill out the contact form and lets discuss what we can do for your brand too.

New Work: Sova Learning - Logo Collection

As you might know already our studio doesn’t only make print designs. We do mainly create print designs but we started our making corporate folders, flyers, magazines and branding strategies including logo designs. We love making logos. It’s still something that gets me personally very excited when a logo job comes in. I love thinking about all the design solutions on graphic items. Finding a voice to reflect a business in just one image. Connecting the image with typography.

We’ve been working for Sova Learning for a little while now and we’ve made a series of designs, both logos, and other graphic items, for this company that focusses on educational tools for teachers and children. With those two target groups in mind, and all the various products Sova offers, we wanted to create a versatile logo that could be extended easily when the company would grow. Time to post a little pieces about this series of logo designs.

The Visual
As a metaphor the owl is seen as a wise creature and we loved the fact it’s popped up in various storybooks. We used this symbol as the main visual for the Sova Learning brand. But the main brand has more under its wing. We created a primary logo, and from there we created two visual images for Sova’s Podcast series and Genius Journals. For the Podcast series, Sova Tales, we made a minimalist microphone and placed this shape in front of the owl. The shape is created from three simple elements. For the Genius Journals logo we wanted to avoid drawing attention away from the name, the Genius Journals have been around for a while and we wanted to make sure the typography was easy to read. So we place the small shape reflecting the journals on top ow the owls head. This way both secondary logos have their own little icon within the logo.

The Colors
We wanted to keep the colors light and bright. For the main Sova Learning logo we choose a smart blue that is both fresh and joyful, but also toned down enough to reflect both target groups.
Orange is the color of communication, for the Podcast logo orange seemed the perfect fit. We choose a muted shade that gives the logo a tad more sophistication avoiding cheap bright color shades. For the third logo we wanted to add a greenish shade to balance out the palette. A neutral tone that's versatile and chique.

More info
We love working for Karen, who runs the Sova Learning company. She’s a creative by heart and is rapidly growing here business. if you’re interested to know more about Karen and her business, visit her website. If you’re interested in having a logo made by our studio you can just send us a quick message. We’d love to hear from you.