My name is Emily Joynton. As an Illustration Practice MFA grad student, I participated in a variety of different workshops facilitated by my program. Last spring, one of those workshops focused on patternmaking and it was led by Amy Voloshin and Leanne Biank of Printfresh. Before the workshop, I was not sure how much I would enjoy making patterns or learning about the industry, but Amy and Leanne led an informative and enjoyable session. I found making patterns to be challenging but also a lot of fun, so after our critique I asked Amy and Leanne if Printfresh offered any paid internships over the summer. They enthusiastically confirmed that they do, and a few days later I sent in my formal application. Just a few weeks later, I was officially accepted as one of the summer interns.
Printfresh is a textile design company, meaning that they
have an in-house team of designers who are constantly creating new patterns to
coincide with predicted trends (mostly geared toward the women’s and junior’s
markets). Printfresh also prints samples of each of the designs so as to give
clients a tangible example of the print. As an intern, I spent half of my days
in production where I learned how to print, label, and archive these original
prints. While this side of the internship was not as exciting as the actual
designing, it helped me have a much better understanding of how the company
functions as a whole, how all the moving parts culminate in client visits,
general sales, and trade shows. Being in production was a great test of patience
(we had numerous technical difficulties with the printers themselves) but overall a good experience in what
felt like the “behind the scenes” work of a textile design company.
The other half of my days was spent working in design. I was
partnered with a really great junior’s designer named Esther who mentored me on
everything from making patterns to more efficient use of Photoshop. She led me
through each step of creating a pattern, working through the project sheets of
each new trend. Each “trend” for a designer is a group of 4 patterns, so I
would help Esther by creating the final pattern in the trend group, or creating
motifs that she could later layout herself into a completed pattern. I also
helped her do market research and find reference images for new motifs to
incorporate into new patterns. Esther also helped me think as a designer for
the junior’s market and what that meant in terms of what kind of motifs we used,
what colors worked best, etc. We had an excellent personal and professional
dynamic – working with her was a wonderful experience.
During my time at Printfresh, several of my patterns
actually sold! This was really exciting news that spoke to the great mentorship
I had from Esther and how I was learning to create marketable prints. I was
also asked to help with the Premiere Vision trade show in New York. That was a
thrilling experience to see the sales in motion and be in the center of the
activity that is a major trade show. These are just a few examples of how
Printfresh allowed me to see all sides of the business and have very
well-rounded experience even in such a short amount of time.
Working with Printfresh was a great experience all around.
Based on my internship, I would consider applying to work at Printfresh as a
full-time designer when I graduate in May. It’s very exciting to become aware
of opportunities like this, where I am able to put my skills as an illustrator
into fun and important paid work.
