Print and Pattern Geometric. Review.

Print and Pattern Geometric

By Bowie Style

Laurence King Publishing 2015

Paperback £19.95

ISBN-978-1-780674148

Star rating: ****

Today I am featuring a mega-dose of design inspiration – Print and Pattern Geometric – the latest compendium of themed print designs from Bowie Style, a.k.a. Marie Perkins of http://printpattern.blogspot.co.uk/.You don’t have to be a design pro to appreciate the wonders within the covers of this title. If you are a weekend crafter needing some direction for a project colourway – find it here. Perhaps you are looking to liven up the look of your projects – new shapes, new arrangements. Print and Pattern Geometric has plenty of ideas to give direction.

No doubt when you hear the word “geometrics” you conjure up visions of severe, hard-edged shapes and bright, unforgiving colours. Well, this title will certainly shake things up for you. Here, the “geometrics” umbrella covers swirls and pinwheels, grids and dots, stars and ogees. The designs – and colourways – are influenced by current trends – hexagons (big in scrapbooking), and tribal and ethnic influences, such as Aztec and Native American, and Scandi (also big in scrapbooking).

The book is a collection of designs from a global selections of the best and brightest surface pattern designers. There are pics of the patterns themselves as well as prints applied to end products, such as notebooks, giftwrap, and textiles. So you don’t view the designs in a vacuum, the designs are accompanied by capsule bios of the designers featuring lifestyle details and sources of influence (design heroes)!

This book is energy-charged. The pages sing. Expect the unexpected, such as Nolita Chevrons by Khristian A Howell. Here, sharp chevrons are tamed with lace edges and lots of dots. There are designs with watercolour effects, and doodle-like designs. From here on in, “geometrics” has a wider brief.

Plus features of the book include quality paper and careful crediting of designs. The designer’s name is given bottom-of-page, making the book ideal for browsing. Flip – then zoom in on what catches your eye.

Other titles in the Print & Pattern series include Print & Pattern, Print & Pattern 2,and Print & Pattern Kids.