Fashion Design and Illustration course, incorporating key components from our fashion design courses and fashion illustration courses. However, in keeping with our other fashion design courses online, this is a practical project based course for those who have creative flair and an interest in Fashion, as well as a desire to produce original work and make a personal statement.
This course represents the first level of our fashion designer qualifications. Our online fashion design and illustration course enable students to work to given briefs, and encourages students to develop conceptual, analytical and problem solving skills.
Activities include:
- designing for fashion on the figure using figure templates
- creating ‘specification’ drawings
- illustrating fabrics and garments in variety of ways in a range of media
- exploring fashion trends and predictions
- undertaking market research
- learning about fabrics and trims
- researching the history of fashion
- creating mood boards
Students who successfully complete this course may choose to study at a more advanced level.
Fashion designers produce clothes, accessories and shoes. Some create expensive one-off pieces while others work in a team to create a whole range of mass-produced fashions. Many also specialise in certain areas of design such as sportswear.
Typically fashion designers work for designer labels, for clothing manufacturers or as part of in-house design teams for retail chains. Competition for jobs is intense with the heaviest concentration for designers being in London and its surrounding area.
Usually Fashion designers begin their career after taking an HNC/HND or a degree in fashion. There are various courses to consider, some of which include a general foundation in fashion design, while others focus on manufacturing and clothing technology. The majority of training is typically done on the job, while working alongside and learning skills from more senior designers.
Salaries may range from around £13,000 to around £60,000 a year.
Illustrator tend to work in an environment that is more commercial than that of an artist and successful illustrators are expected to develop ideas and produce original visual images for a wide range of products.
Most illustrators specialise in a particular style but there are various common stages in their approach to their work, including:
- discussing client needs and identifying a target audience for the work
- agreeing the brief and contract with the client
- developing visual ideas that suit the brief
- seeking client approval for ideas with rough visuals - this stage may involve reworking ideas and sketches
- using drawing, sketching, painting and photographic skills to produce illustrations.
Basically, anywhere that prints or provides illustrations can provide a potential source of employment for a commercial illustrator as everything from greeting cards to packaging, educational and children’s books to magazines and advertising publications, provides sources of employment.
Some companies that require ongoing illustration work will employ one or more illustrators in-house on a contractual basis. Typically these are companies that require specialist illustrations, such as technical drawings and diagrams or book jacket illustrations usually produced in the “house style”
Increasingly, companies require candidates with a qualification in Illustration or Design. This may be due to the fact that many illustration courses will teach students to work in a variety of media.
However, many companies choose to source illustrative work through freelancers and this remains the most common form of employment for most illustrators. Freelance work will involve working to a client brief, usually as part of a larger team, and will certainly mean working to deadlines and within a set budget.
Salaries for employed illustrators working full time may range from around £14,000 to £40,000 per annum. Self-employed illustrators are paid a variable rate according to experience for each project or illustration.
Textile designers create designs for knitted, printed and woven textiles, with many designs often featuring repeated patterns. These designs can include textiles for clothing and accessories, fabrics and furnishings and printed, paper- based products.
Textile Designers must accurately understand and interpret the ideas and requirements of their customers. They must take into account how the textile will be used and therefore which properties it will be required to have before progressing on to produce design ideas, sketches and samples for presentation to customers.
Employers include companies that produce clothing, soft furnishing and other textile-based products, design studios and consultancies. People wishing to be employed are usually required to undertake relevant paid or unpaid work experience and develop a list of contracts in the industry. Many Textile designers do, however, work freelance.
There are no formal requirements to becoming a textile designer. Typically people enter through one of two routes. Some start out as a machinist or cutter and then move on to textile designer. More commonly they enter into the career after completing a relevant HNC/HND or degree in design, however postgraduate qualifications are also available. A portfolio in design work is expected by course admissions tutors and employers.
Most training is carried out on the job with designers able to attend short courses to update computing, technical and creative skills. Non-graduates can also work towards NVQ Level 3 in Design or the City & Guilds Certificate in Design and Crafts at Level 3.
Salaries usually range from around £13,000 to £40,000 a year.
Looking and Recording: Illustrate
In this activity, we would like you to select the most appropriate media and technique and create a larger drawing of the printed or patterned garment that you explored in activity four.
This drawing could be in your sketchbook or on a loose sheet of paper, however, it should be no smaller than A3 in size. Depending on the samples you did for activity 4, you may wish to use a sheet of coloured paper for this drawing. You will also need a selection of the media that you used in activities 1 and 2.
Once again, if the garment you choose has some interesting details, make sure you arrange it in such a way that you can see these details clearly.
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