WHO THIS IS FOR
Designers whose sketchbook is either overflowing or completely empty, with no in between, and who want a steadier relationship with the part of the job that isn't supposed to be schedulable but somehow still has deadlines.
WHAT'S INSIDE
• Deck 11, Seasonal Collection Planning, 40 cards
• Deck 16, Mood and Trend Research, 40 cards
• Deck 17, Sketchbook and Ideation, 40 cards
• Deck 18, Creative Block, 40 cards
• Deck 19, Typography Pro Expansion, 42 cards
• Plus Deck 21 When You're Stuck, 40 cards
PLUS 3 playbooks:
The Working in Collections Playbook
The Finding Yourself in a Crowded Marketplace Playbook, and
The Design & Timing for Licensing/Buyouts Playbook
WHY THIS MATTERS
Collections don't assemble themselves the week before a deadline, and inspiration boards only earn their keep if you know how to turn a mood into an actual design direction. These five decks cover the planning, research, and idea generation work that happens well before a single motif gets drawn, plus what to do when the well runs dry.
WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH
A repeatable process for planning a seasonal collection, sharper trend research habits, and a set of concrete moves for creative block that don't involve staring at a blank canvas hoping it blinks first.
WORKING IN COLLECTIONS PLAYBOOK
• Collection structure frameworks including hero, coordinate, blender, and functional pattern roles
• Color system strategies that create cohesion without boring repetition
• Design language principles for maintaining consistency across multiple patterns
• Scale variation tactics that make collections adaptable across product types
• Commercial viability checklists so you know when a collection is ready to pitch
• Channel specific adaptation strategies for licensing, Etsy, and direct client work
• Case studies breaking down strong versus weak collections with clear explanations
• Collection coordination checklists and strategic planning worksheets
FINDING YOUR PLACE IN A CROWDED MARKETPLACE PLAYBOOK
● Describe your market position in specific, buyer-facing terms without hedging or qualifying it to death
● Identify which product categories and buyer types are the best commercial match for your current work
● Make portfolio curation decisions based on strategic criteria rather than personal preferences.
● Enter pricing conversations with the grounding that comes from knowing exactly why you are the right choice
● Recognize when your positioning is creating noise and know precisely how to clean it up
● Understand the market well enough to reposition deliberately when the time comes, rather than reactively when it is already overdue
None of this requires you to become a different kind of designer. It requires you to think clearly about the commercial context your work exists in and to make deliberate decisions about how you show up in it.
DESIGN & TIMING BY MARKET FOR LICENSING & BUYOUTS PLAYBOOK
✓ Part 1: Fashion and Apparel, including Women's Wear, Men's Wear, Kids' Wear, and Accessories
✓ Part 2: Fabric and Textile Arts, including Fabric and Textiles and Quilting Fabric
✓ Part 3: Home and Living, including Bedding and Bath, Home Decor and Interiors, Kitchenware and Tableware, Pets, and Wallpaper
✓ Part 4: Paper, Stationery and Publishing, including Arts and Crafts, Gifts and Novelties, Greeting Cards and Gift Wrap, Journals and Planners, Publishing, and Stationery and Office
✓ Part 5: Packaging and Product
✓ Part 6: Lifestyle and Specialty Markets, including Auto and Travel, Health and Wellness, Public Spaces and Installations, Sports and Outdoors, and Tech and Gadgets
Every chapter includes a twelve-month action plan with specific monthly tasks, a landscape planning table you can use as a year-at-a-glance reference, and guidance on when to design, when to pitch, and when to follow up.
6 DECKS OF PRINT-YOUR-OWN REFERENCE CARDS
3 PLAYBOOKS
REGULARLY PRICED AT $79, FOR BLACK FRIDAY IT'S ONLY $57.