How to sell more on Spoonflower by using patterns you've already created!
If you’re keen to maximise your chances of selling on Spoonflower, or looking to give your portfolio a little boost, this post might be just what you’re looking for…
I realised quite early on in my Spoonflower journey that the more patterns I uploaded, the more chance I had of selling something.
However, when you’re just starting out, or even when you’re further along with your surface pattern journey, the thought of 'filling up' your Spoonflower shop can be very daunting, espeically when it takes so long to create just one pattern!
The one limiting factor for all of us is TIME.
There are only so many patterns you can make in the time you have available to you.
That’s why it’s so important to maximise your efforts when you create.
If you have spent a long time on one pattern, there are some relatively simple things you can do to that pattern to turn it into other unique patterns that you can upload to your Spoonflower shop or portfolio.
Creating one design in multiple variations has a number of benefits:
It saves you the time of having to start new patterns from scratch
Your modified patterns have the ability to reach new and different audiences
You can maximise your chances of selling on your POD sites by having more patterns for customers to choose from
You probably wouldn't want to do each of these 6 variations for each pattern you create (and they won't all work for every pattern!) but knowing a few different ways to edit a pattern opens your options for maximising the time you've already spent.
So now you're convinced about the benefit of this approach, here are 6 ways you can change a pattern to make a new one!
Change the colour
Providing you have designed in a way that allows for these edits, changing a colourway is the first place to go to give your design a new look.
This can instantly change the whole feel of a pattern and reach a whole new audience.
If you’re unsure about how to create or come up with new palettes, I have a post that will help you with that!
Change the texture
Changing the background or foreground texture can be another way to change the feel of the pattern.
Choose some brushes to create an overlay texture to add depth. You can find some free texture brushes here to help you get started with this one.
Even a very subtle texture, as you can see here in the close up below, can add a new dimension to a design.
Change the scale
Changing the scale in Procreate is very easy but needs to be done with caution! As it is a raster program you can never scale up a pattern as it will lose its quality and look fuzzy.
However, you can easily scale down. Providing different scales in your Spoonflower shop is really helpful to customers who are all purchasing your pattern for varying reasons.
Make it monochrome
It can be easy to overlook the humble monochrome!
But if you change your pattern to be all one colour or gradients of the same colour it can again reach a whole new audience and you can use trending colours to maximise the chances of your pattern being snapped up.
You can also change a hero pattern into a monochrome and use it as a secondary pattern in a collection!
Change the background from dark to light
Changing the background of your pattern from dark to light (or the other way around) can lift your motifs and diversify the use of the pattern. Some printing companies can only manage light backgrounds so having the option of both is often very helpful.
Add new filler elements
Filler elements are the unsung heros of many patterns and changing these can make the pattern look totally different.
You could also add them or take them out to see what a change it makes!
By using these simple techniques you can maximise your creative output and ensure you have a constant supply of new and interesting patterns to share on social media and add to your POD shops.
If you’re designing in Procreate and unsure how to create a pattern in a way that allows you to make these kind of edits, I have you covered!
In my Procreate Patterns Class we go through the design process step by step, making sure you design in a way that will allow you to easily change the colours, add textures and make any kind of changes later on.
This will significantly impact your output and allow you to start populating your Spoonflower shop and portfolio!
Let me kow in the comments if you've found this post helpful or if you have any other great ideas for how to maximise your efforts by editing a pattern you've already created!
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