Below you’ll find our schedule of events for the upcoming months. All events are included in a monthly or annual TDL membership. Other events, courses, and studio design opportunities will be added, as needed.
While all our courses and tutorials are available anytime, our group-study events are special. They offer a time when we come together as a community to have all of us work through one course. Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
August 31: Goals Reset Workshop with an exclusive presentation by licensing agent, Melissa Schulz. Includes access to WGSN Insight
The events that have occurred this year have thrown many of us off our planned track for the year. Goals have shifted, priorities have changed, many of us are now balancing extra responsibilities. This week is a time for us to come together as a community and look forward towards the rest of 2020. Despite these unexpected changes, what can we do to move our business or creative practice forward?
September 14: Art of Portfolio Curation Group-Study
Is your portfolio a constant source of worry? Are you worried you are showing too much work? Not enough work? Or the wrong work all together? It doesn’t have to be this way. Get your new portfolio published and perfected before the new year with our Art of Portfolio Curation Group-Study.
In the Art of Portfolio Curation, you’ll overcome the worry and overwhelm that develops when creating a portfolio. You’ll bring ease to the portfolio development process and learn a system that you can use to decide what to show, where to show it, and how to best organize your work to make your portfolio more accessible to buyers. The course includes seven lessons:
- Lesson One: Your Creative Process
- Lesson Two: Visual Identity
- Lesson Three: Curating Your Portfolio
- Lesson Four: Putting It All Together
- Lesson Five: Deciding What to Share and Where to Share It
- Lesson Six: Choosing a Theme
- Lesson Seven: Searching for Gaps
September 28: Collaboration Group-Study
In this group-study you will learn the importance of working alongside other designers whether they be peers or clients, how to handle conflicts when they arise and how collaboration will enrich your design process. You will identify your strengths and what challenges you when working with others, and practice your new-found skills giving you the confidence to put them into action.
October 12: Sellable Sketch Group-Study. Includes access to WGSN Home or Fashion
Bring clarity and focus to your collection development process. Take the guesswork out of what to design each season by picking appropriate trends for your target market while staying true to your own artistic style. Our most popular course! By the end of this course you will thoroughly understand:
- What elements lead to a successful print collection
- The importance of staying true to your artistic style
- How to pick appropriate trends and inspiration sources for your target market
- How to develop a print from sketch to digital file in both Illustrator and Photoshop
November 2: Print Studio Workgroup
Designers who have a professional online portfolio developed—and who are ready to work with print studios and agents—are invited to join us for this four-week journey. We meet once a week during this time and explore this process:
- Researching studios in the marketplace
- Making small updates to their website
- Preparing marketing materials
- Reaching out to print studios for representation
November 9: Ultimate Guide to Repeats Group-Study
If you roll your eyes when you think of creating repeats, you’re not alone! There is nothing worse than staring at the result of your repeat project and still thinking that it is not as good as it could be. And often, working on repeats takes more time than we logically thought it should.
We do have to understand repeats, though, because more agents and studios are requiring seamless repeats. If you want their business, you need to be fearless in finding ways to make high quality repeats in less time and with more confidence.
In the Ultimate Guide to Repeats you’ll have access to a toolbox of techniques and guidelines to follow for creating professional repeats that agents, studios, and clients are looking for in today’s market.
November 16: Marketing Workshop. Includes access to WGSN Insight
In this two-week workshop we’ll explore a new marketing topic pulled from WGSN’s library of reports. Designers will take actionable steps to apply lessons learned to grow their business and advance their career. Live weekly chats will be held to provide feedback, insight, and guidance through the process.
December 7: Goals Group-Study
In this Group-Study you’ll clarify what you hope to achieve in 2021 and create an action plan that is broken down into quarterly tasks to get you there. At the end of this course, you will feel focused and in control—ready for this upcoming year!
You’ll know exactly what steps to take and how you can use The Textile Design Lab to achieve the goals you’ve laid out before you.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all in the Lab! ~Michelle
