Designing a Geometric Pattern Collection in Procreate

Playful Geometry Mini Collection by Larissa Yeung Fung

I was planning for my 5-Day Pattern Challenge designing 5 geometric patterns, and it just dawned on me that I could plan the 5 patterns as a mini collection. So I went ahead with this idea and produced the above designs. I am going to share with you my design process for the collection in this blog post.

Brief Introduction of a Pattern Collection

First things first, let’s talk about what makes a pattern collection.

A pattern collection allows you to tell a cohesive story through a number of prints, typically 8 to 12 patterns. A collection of 4 to 6 patterns is a mini collection. The patterns within a collection are different from each other but also closely linked together thematically.

In general, a pattern collection consists of hero prints, coordinate prints, and blender prints. Hero prints are the centerpieces of the whole collection full of elaborate details, representing the essence of your storytelling in the collection. Coordinate prints support the storytelling in hero prints but do not overshadow them. Blender prints are the simplest designs within the collection. They tie the entire collection together by blending in and create visual balance for the collection.

Playful Geometry Mini Collection by Larissa Yeung Fung | Collection Breakdown

In my opinion, the two blender prints in this collection are way too complex. Blenders are supposed to be simple enough to go well with the heros and the coordinates, but not to compete with them or add chaos to them. That’s something I need to keep in mind when designing my future collections.

Brainstorming & Ideation

I went on Pinterest to source inspiration for this collection and put together the following mood board with two of my own patterns included. I wanted the collection to be hand drawn and textured, a style I’ve been working on for a few years. I was planning to use lines, dots, strokes, and shapes to build my entire collection.

Moodboarding for Playful Geometry Mini Collection by Larissa Yeung Fung

After organizing my thoughts on the above sources of inspiration, I’ve made the following sketches with the hero print, the coordinates, and the blenders clearly outlined. They were a bit different from my final designs, which is normal, as we tend to improve upon our last ideas as our creative process progresses.

Playful Geometry Mini Collection by Larissa Yeung Fung | Sketches

Designing the Patterns

With the sketches ready, I can dive right into designing all 5 patterns within this collection.

I designed the hero print as a half drop repeat pattern. Please see below the video for my design process:

I designed the two coordinates as half brick repeat patterns. Please see below the videos for my design process:

Lastly, I designed the two blenders as full drop repeat patterns. Please see below the videos for my design process:

Resources

In the videos above, I have demonstrated how to make full drop, half drop, and half brick patterns in Procreate using the pattern templates accordingly. I have attached the full drop, half drop, and half brick pattern templates below so you can use them to design your patterns right away (files open in Procreate):

In these pattern templates, all the selections have been set up for you according to the full drop, half drop, and half brick formats. You can use them to design your pattern and flip the selections accordingly as you go.

I have also attached below the color palette I used for my designs if you want to use the same color palette (file opens in Procreate):

I hope you will have fun doing this pattern challenge!

Happy creating!