How a Chicago digital textile design studio is creating new ways for designers to work with color.

By Lynn Bronson

From coral-patterned wall coverings to op art sneakers, The Patternbase has become a go-to destination for those seeking the freshest patterns in a kaleidoscope of colors. The Chicago-based textile design studio specializes in hand-illustrated, painted and digitally rendered pattern design for the apparel and interior design industries. Co-founders Kristi O’Meara and Audrey Victoria Keiffer share their story, their inspirations and their take on the brave new world of digital color. (Their forthcoming book, Patternbase: Over 550 Contemporary Textile and Surface Designs, will be released by Thames & Hudson Publishing in June 2015 and is available for pre-order at www.thepatternbase.com.)

STIR: So how did The Patternbase begin?
Kristi O’Meara: It started as a Tumblr blog in 2011, right after I moved to Chicago. It was initially set up to be a blog of collected patterns for personal inspiration, but after a couple of months, the blog quickly gained a large following, and I realized people were really interested in what I was doing. So I built a website, conducted interviews with textile artists and fashion designers, and focused all my energy on learning about the textile and fabric design industries. I explored this collective interest in patterns that seemed to be emerging.

After seeing the success of the pattern archive, I knew I wanted to see a version of The Patternbase in physical form, and decided to produce a book, focused on how a creative digital aesthetic has emerged as a defining characteristic of the surface and pattern design industry. About midway through laying out the book project, I realized it was too large to undertake on my own, so I invited Audrey to join me. Now we are going to open a gallery space in Chicago. We will invite artists and designers who work with patterns to come in to share and sell their work.

STIR: How has digital technology opened up color possibilities?
Audrey Victoria Keiffer: Digital printing is such a good way to experiment with different media and color palettes. We start out by hand-painting or drawing many of our designs. After they’re scanned and we work with them digitally, a new series of colors appears. We can experiment with shape, blending and collage using digital techniques.

KO: When we first started to work digitally, we mainly focused on how to create designs that would work as technical repeats. We’ve learned a lot from experimentation with different layers, compositions and colors. Over the last three or four years, multiple online platforms provide emerging designers with access to digital printing services for fabric, garments and household items. These platforms have allowed us to test our designs on digital mockups and experiment with the way colors affect our designs when used on physical products. Working digitally has also taught us a lot about the difference between CMYK and RGB, the ways colors are rendered differently through different kinds of printers, and how color translates from the screen to print.

STIR: Where do you find inspiration?
AVK: I look to avant-garde interior design and textile design. I like bold prints, brush strokes and lots of texture. I am really into the Memphis group right now. They’re a design collective of furniture and textile designers who were active in the 1970s and 1980s. They’ve made a big comeback in the fashion industry. They used a lot of contrasting colors and futuristic patterns, and drew inspiration from pop art and art deco. Their work was very subversive and against the prevailing design aesthetic of that time.

KO: I come from a painting background, and find that much of my inspiration comes from contemporary and modern artwork. Josef Albers is still one of my biggest inspirations. I learn a lot from studying his paintings and how colors are perceived and how they change when grouped or placed next to other colors.

STIR: What materials do you work with most?
AVK: I love to paint with watercolors and then scan them into the computer and work with them digitally. Sometimes I paint on canvas, then photograph it and use the image in Illustrator or Photoshop to adapt it. Acrylic paint scanned in can result in some very cool textural effects. We use all kinds of materials and methods, and these are just a few.

KO: I tend to start with ink or pencil drawing first. Then I move on to painting on canvas. Afterward, I scan the images into the computer and edit them within Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

STIR: Tell us about some recent projects.
KO: We’ve just finished a collaboration with a custom wallpaper company called DesignYourWall. We’ve provided them with about two dozen designs, which they translate into a variety of wall coverings that customers can view and purchase on their website.

AVK: We’re also working to launch our first physical clothing collection this spring. We work with a company called Print All Over Me, and will create a beach collection with some of our most vibrant prints. It will include women’s and men’s swimwear, oversized linen beach towels and chiffon kimono-inspired wraps.

STIR: What are your personal favorite color schemes?
KO: There’s lot of turquoise and green that surrounds me in my life and my artwork. I tend to be drawn to bold, graphic patterns that allow you to see the hand in the work — geometric prints, brushstrokes especially.

AVK: I love the color red. It’s my power color. I have a giant piece of red lace on my desk, and usually have some red-inspired lip color on at all times.