How to become a Textile Designer
Atextile designeris a person who creates designs for various textiles including knitted, woven or printed production methods. They can work in various industries such as apparel, furniture, interior designing and automotive while most textile designers restrict themselves to a specific industry where they specialize and harness their designing skills. The present textile industry is highly competitive as well as lucrative, which makes it difficult for a textile designer to make a name for him or herself without adequate experience, craft and qualifications. Therefore, this article shall discuss the requirements to become a textile designer and the method of achieving professional status in the field.
What are the abilities required by a textile designer?
Any textile designer should have an artistic talent as well as a talent to be creative. They should be able to draw the heart’s desire without having problems of expressing what they really imagine. At the same time, the textile designer needs to be competent when it comes to matching colors, recognizing and selecting textures, pay attention to detail, etc. They should also possess a sound knowledge with regard to certain material types, how they behave, the properties of certain dyes, various production processes as well as regarding the novel technologies available in the industry. Lastly, but not least, a textile designer should also be able to assess the trends in textile designing while maintaining an open mind towards creativity and being bold.
What is thebasic requirementtowards becoming a textile designer?
Professional qualifications pertaining to textile designing is not mandatory for being a textile designer although having higher qualifications would be advantageous when it comes to high profile positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, textile designing does not require formal education although many basic and professional training programs have emerged in relation to this field.
However, industry experts point out that having a Bachelor’s degree in textile design would be the ideal platform for a person interested in launching a career in textile designing. At the same time, they also point out that it is not necessary for a person entering the textile-designing field to have a Bachelor’s degree in textile designing but those who are in possession of a degree in Fashion design and Fine arts could also progress within this profession. In addition, having a higher national diploma in a similar field can also propel a career in textile designing while the same is true for those who have experience pertaining to working in a similar capacity.
How should a person begin working in the industry?
The best way to start working in the industry is to seek internship during the time of training or soon afterwards. This can give vital experience to the person intending to become a textile designer and often, those who embark on an internship in a reputed organization or with an expert textile designer should receive job offers if they perform well and work dedicatedly during the internship. At first, there may not be offers relating to textile-designer positions but there would be offers related to the production line, which falls following the initial design process. However, for those with enough qualifications, junior textile designer positions may be forthcoming without much of a hassle.
What is the use of a portfolio when becoming a textile designer?
From the time of starting internship, it is necessary for a trainee or even for an experienced textile designer to maintain a portfolio of his or her work. These can include material evidence and photographs of creations as well as certifications and accolades received. Many organizations and clients would want to see such a portfolio before recruiting a person to undertake their design tasks.
How toexpanda carrier in textile designing?
There are two methods of expanding a career in textile designing and these are the postgraduate qualifications or obtaining industry recognition. Ideally, both these aspects should go hand in hand although a talented designer with enough experience can go a long way even without having professional or postgraduate qualifications.
