Surface Pattern Design Portfolio

Below are a selection of Design Projects including business and University briefs, commissions and freelance work. I am open to collaborations, new commissions and playful, creative projects. Feel free to get in touch through email. I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Sophie Downes is a small, creative business. As a ‘Scribbler, Sewer and Storyteller’ I have a passion for storytelling through design and creating playful, light-hearted illustrations. My mission is to improve and celebrate the ‘happiness’ of my customers, subtly through print, colour and positive affirmations.

‘I Spy’

… A florist, a cheesemonger, a bakery and a vegetable shop.

Playing with the unpredictability and irregular finds of this game, I aimed to celebrate the chaotic charm of this childlike pastime through a collection of conversational, heavily embellished and digitally printed textiles.

Playing with conversational design for children's clothing. A series of hand painted illustrations and motifs, digitised and edited into novelty repeat patterns. Experimenting with mark-making. Please note: I do not own the rights to original imagery. Visualisations only.

Showcasing surface pattern designs within a women's clothing and accessory context. Scale and pattern placement were key focuses to these bold and playful visuals. Please note: I do not own the rights to original imagery. Visualisations only.

First range of Sophie Downes Accessories. Digital and hand painted illustrations printed onto organic cotton and then constructed using a domestic sewing machine. Organic and hand made.

Commissioned to design a series of hand painted and digitised surface patterns for a large scale, lifestyle, garden product. Currently being traded in the UK. Copyright of Tidytown Ltd. All rights reseved.

‘Meet Bella’ involved playing ‘I Spy’ with my little sister and creating the objects we spied together through small paper collages. This resulted in a large collection of collaged mundane household objects, toys and flowers. Following these collages, I illustrated a picture book, recapping our lockdown activities.

Children’s storybooks, with their imaginative illustrations and use of rhythm and rhyme, were the triggers to my embroidery-focused collection. Keeping the idea of ‘PLAY’ central to my designs, colour and shape remained an important factor to my work.  

A selection of personalised illustrations sold as prints and gifts through 'SophieDownesStudio' on Etsy.