Fashion Design and Illustration

This course leads to a City & Guilds level 2 Award. For students who are considering studying fashion design courses and fashion illustration courses, our online course is a flexible and affordable option.

Fashion design courses online enable students to develop fashion design and illustration skills through the use of a broad range of media and techniques delivered via a personal online studio. Students achieve fashion designer qualifications as they learn to design on the figure for fashion, undertake research and explore fashion illustration techniques through a series of practical activities.



IDI’s Fashion design and Illustration course is a practical, project based programme of study which is made up of three stages: Looking and Recording, Development and finally, Outcome. Students work to a given set of briefs and are encouraged to develop conceptual, analytical and problem solving skills. Briefs become increasingly more demanding as the course progresses.

The  Fashion Design Illustration course introduces drawing, illustration and mark making techniques. Students go on to develop these skills before undertaking three projects which include creating a portfolio of designs for children, both male and female; creating a portfolio of fashion designs for women for an autumn/winter collection to include daywear, casual wear and evening wear, and creating a portfolio of fashion designs for men and women for a spring/summer collection to include day wear, outerwear, causal wear, nightwear and holiday wear.

Throughout each project students consider accessories such as hats, scarves, gloves, shawls, bags, footwear and jewellery as appropriate. Throughout this process they create an accompanying portfolio of work which includes fashion illustration samples, drawings, market research and fashion mood boards. We offer an online fashion design and illustration course UK wide, and for International students.

During this course students can expect to do the following:

• investigate fashion trends and predictions
• work to a given brief
• produce focused market research
• researching colour trends
• research fabrics, trims and accessories
• create mood boards
• compile original visual research in the form of drawings, mark making, sketchbook work and photographs
• learn to illustrate fashion designs, fabrics and accessories using a range of techniques, media and approaches
• create original fashion design ideas on the figure
• develop, evaluate and select design ideas
• producing final design ideas and specification drawings with fabric samples

This course is suitable 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. Those who complete this course successfully, are well placed to advance to a more demanding level of study such as a fashion design diploma.

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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: Womenswear Design

The first activity in this section was about getting used to drawing figures using a template. Now it's time to consider garments. Before you start to draw your own design ideas you will need to get used to 'dressing' your figures.

As you progress through the course you will become more adept at drawing the way different garments and fabrics fit and hang or drape from the body. Here you are going to explore how to depict a selection of garments that fit in different ways.

For this activity we would like you to choose existing fashion garments to draw. This is to allow you to get used to drawing garments on figures without having to problem solve your own design ideas at the same time.

Try to find garments that are not too complicated to begin with. Mail order catalogues are excellent for this purpose, as you can usually see all of the garment details. You can also select images from newspapers, magazines or websites. The garments that you select can form the start of a collection of cuttings or fashion 'tear sheets' which you should update on a regular basis.

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