Spoonflower has announced the themes for its May 2019 Design Challenge.
Read the press release below.
Announcing May’s Design Challenge Themes
Playmats | Entries due by April 23
Playmats are a great way to keep little ones entertained at home or on-the-go—just add toy cars, stuffed animals or play food! This is your chance to dream up a creative activity mat that will engage toddler or preschool children’s imaginations. You can set your design as a center repeat for this challenge, just make sure your entry is set to one yard (42” x 36”) and fills the entire space. Need some inspiration? Spoonflower designer and maker Anda shows you how it’s done with this tutorial from The Spoonflower Quick-Sew Project Book
Entries will be previewed at the one yard size: 42” x 36”. Submissions close April 23 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins April 25. Winners will be announced May 2. See official rules.
Small-Scale Summer | Entries due by April 30
Sunshine, beaches, flip flops, pool floats. The hottest time of the year is just around the corner here in North America, and we’re getting in the mood with all things summer fun! Create a small-scale design that evokes all your favorite things about summer. Use your creativity and come up with a summer fun ditsy or small print that would look fabulous on a swimsuit or summer tote!
New to ditsy prints? The definition of a ditsy print in regards to surface design is a small scale, scattered, non-directional surface pattern. It should not be a linear pattern nor should it be large scale.
Entries will be previewed at the swatch size: 8” x 8”. Submissions close April 30 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins May 2. Winners will be announced May 9. See official rules.
Shibori | Entries due by May 7
Did you know the Japanese resist-dyeing technique of shibori dates all the way back to the 8th century? In this fiber art process, fabric is folded, stitched, twisted and then submerged into an indigo dye bath. The distinct blue patterns are unique to each piece of dyed fabric and we can’t wait to see the one-of-a-kind shibori-inspired designs in this week’s challenge. For even more inspiration, see how designer The Playful Crow is taking her shibori from dyed to digital or consider using shibori-inspired digital brushes in programs like Illustrator® and Photoshop®.
Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21” x 18”. Submissions close May 7 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins May 9. Winners will be announced May 16. See official rules.
Abstract Minimalism | Entries due by May 14
Clean, modern and free from realistic representation—these are just some words to describe the Abstract Minimalist Design Challenge. Whether you go figurative in your approach or dabble with pure abstraction, one thing is for sure—your use of minimal color, shape, line or form will be your ticket to creating a successful repeating pattern.
Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21” x 18”. Submissions close May 14 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins May 16. Winners will be announced May 23. See official rules.
Fitness | Entries due by May 21
Get ready to flex your design muscles because we’re hitting the gym this week to celebrate all things fitness! Over the years, fitness has seen a transformation that’s included everything from jazzercise to jungle gyms. When designing this week, keep in mind the athletes who might be using your design for projects like their next Performance Piqué racing top or a pair of Sport Lycra yoga pants. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box – we hear animals doing yoga are now trending in the Marketplace!
Entries will be previewed at the fat quarter size: 21” x 18”. Submissions close May 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Voting begins May 23. Winners will be announced May 30. See official rules.
Link: https://blog.spoonflower.com/2019/04/announcing-mays-design-challenge-themes-2/
