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.


We've been on the art licensing market for almost 13 years now and I dare to say we probably have the largest portfolio of ready-made designs available. 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, builds trust and it lifts your product. We are passionate about creating not only a print design, but also creating a steady signature look that suits your brand. 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 30.000 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!

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.