Welcome to ‘10 QUESTIONS for…’ a series of 10 interviews with 10 designers from around the globe, where I get to share with you their answers to 10 important and interesting questions related to their artistic career in the Surface Pattern Design industry. I hope you find these interviews informative, fun, creative and inspiring.
This week’s ‘10 Questions for…’ interview is with Carole of @Maggiemagoodesigns.
It’s time to grab your favourite cuppa, sit back and enjoy the read. This is the fourth interview in this series of ‘10 Questions for…’ Surface Pattern Designer interviews.
Carole of MaggieMagoo Designs is a surface pattern designer living and working in Leeds in the UK.
Under the MaggieMagoo brand, Carole designs a wide variety of beautiful products that she sells online, at craft markets and fairs, and through independent shops around the world.
Carole started out studying for a degree in surface pattern design and printed textiles at Leeds College of Art, then worked for Hallmark Cards as a greetings card designer for almost 20 years.
She is inspired by nature, folk art and everything vintage. Plants, flowers and insect are a dominant feature in her beautiful designs.
I’ve been a big fan of Carole’s work for quite a few years. I love the retro, graphic, and folk art style that her work portrays. It’s joyful, colourful, detailed, bold, fun and very, very pretty. I love Carole’s work so much that I even have one of her flower filled initials - the letter ‘J’ as a small print and an enamel black bird on my own studio wall.
Meadow Grey and Pink. Image and artwork copyright MaggieMagoo Designs.
Q1. How long have you been actively pursuing or have established a career in art/design/art licensing/or producing your own product?
Carole: After completing a degree in surface pattern design I worked as an in-house greetings card designer for 19 years. In 2016 I began feeling like I needed to do something creative just for me, so I started MMD with a small range of products. I ran this alongside my day job, slowly developing my product range & gaining experience, until the end of 2019 when I decided leave my job & go freelance. I design & sell my own products online, through independent shops & at live events. The pandemic has made me think about where I want to take my business in the future & I’m now dipping my toes into the world of licensing.
Q2. What are your favourite tools of the trade?
Carole: My Mac, Adobe Illustrator & my iPad. I also love collaging & doodling, but don’t do this as often as I’d like, though I’m a big hoarder of papers, pencils and pens. So it’s all ready & waiting for when I find the time..
Q3. What are some time saving tips you use in your workflow when designing?
Carole: I’ve started drawing on my iPad quite a lot & love to use airdrop for sending files backwards & forwards instantly between my Mac, iPad & phone (this is great for posting on Instagram). I mostly work in Adobe Illustrator & love that I can change colours instantly & repeatedly!
Keep Going greeting card. Image and artwork copyright MaggieMagoo Designs
Q4. Who are your design idols, past or present and why? You can name 3. :)
Carole: 1. I love mid century design, Josef Franck is one of my all time favourites. His use of colour & pattern is incredible. I was lucky enough to visit the Svenskt Tenn shop in Sweden where his work is still sold, it was a textile designers heaven!
2. Nathalie Lete’s work is fabulous, so quirky & unique. She’s collaborated with so many companies I’d love to work with too.
3. I also love Romanian illustrator Heliana Adalgiza paintings. She works under the name Aitch & paints moody, surreal people and animals, surrounded by beautiful flowers..
Q5. What’s your favourite colour palette?
Carole: It’s impossible for me to choose! I love all the colours, especially if I can put them on a dark background. If I absolutely have to choose, I’d go for ultramarine blue.
Q6. How do you deal with rejection if a pitch you made to a client with your latest work doesn’t get picked up?
Carole: It can be very disappointing, but I try to remind myself there can be so many factors behind a decision that doesn’t go in my favour & it’s not personal. Plus it’s not necessarily a no forever, it’s just a no this time. Another thing – I never throw any work away. Designs can always be recoloured & amended, or, shown to the right client, perfect as they are.
Or how do you deal with mistakes if a creative project doesn’t go as well as you hoped for?
I try to not panic (doesn’t always work!) and I try to learn from the experience. For instance I took on an embroidery job for a magazine & very quickly realized that I can’t sew quickly enough to make it worth my while, I completed the work, but now I know those types of jobs aren’t for me.
Q7. What’s your proudest design achievement in your career to-date?
Carole: I think it’s lots of little things to be honest. Designing products that are now stocked all over the world is something I’m really proud of. It was a brilliant feeling to launch my own website & newsletter. Having my greetings cards & notebooks featured in Uppercase magazine was a nice moment too.
Close up of the insects that Carole loves to include in her artwork. Image and artwork copyright MaggieMagoo Designs
Q8. How do you find clients to show your work too and how much does knowing your design aesthetic and ability impact on who you approach?
Carole: I’ve been very lucky in that most businesses I’ve worked with have found me. I’m planning on being more proactive this year and reaching out to companies I’d like to work with. I have a folder on Instagram where I save businesses I’d like to work with. I’ll research each company to see if I think we’re a good fit before approaching them.
Q9. What is a typical and honest day in the life of @maggiemagoodesigns look like?
Carole: Coffee first, always. Most days there’s a trip to the Post Office combined with walking my dog Maggie (yes the company is named after her!). Then it could be any number of things, emails, packing wholesale & online orders, ordering stock, applying for events, approaching potential stockists, working on social media, a bit of photography, working on freelance briefs, designing new ranges (my favourite thing to do), admin (my least favourite thing). Every day is different & that’s what keeps it interesting.!
Gorgeous pin badges. Image and artwork copyright MaggieMagoo Designs
Q10. What are the top 2 things you wish you knew when starting out in your career, or what would be 2 pieces of advice you would share with new designers to the industry?
Carole: 1. There’s probably going to be a lot of rejection, don’t get disheartened, the main thing is, keep going. You don’t know what’s around the corner…
2. Build up your social media & post regularly. Lots of my opportunities have come via Instagram. You never know who might see your work & reach out to you.
Find out more about Carole and MaggieMagoo Designs and follow her here:
https://www.maggiemagoodesigns.com/
https://www.instagram.com/maggiemagoodesigns/
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/maggiemagoodesigns
https://www.facebook.com/Maggiemagoo-Designs-1408541272798575
Thanks for your time answering the ‘10 Questions for…’ Carole. I love hearing how varied your day is and I agree that designing new ranges would be a favourite thing to do! I totally agree about not throwing any old artwork away too. It’s amazing how we can look at older art and see new things or new potential in it. I look forward to seeing more gorgeous products developed from your studio in the future.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Next week we’re heading to London!