A Creative Director’s Notes on Pattern Systems
Pattern Licensing, Surface Pattern Design, and Building a Sustainable Illustration Practice
This post explains why I’m documenting this work publicly—and how I approach pattern design from a Creative Director’s perspective.
If you start researching surface pattern design online, you’ll notice a pattern almost immediately.
Expensive courses.
Waitlists.
Sales funnels disguised as inspiration.
And websites that—ironically—feel like no one with actual UX experience has ever looked at them.
I don’t say that to be snarky. I say it as someone with more than 25 years in design, whose career has evolved from designer to art director, senior designer, UX/UI designer, Director of Experience, and now Creative Director of my own studio—spending that time reviewing portfolios, building design systems, hiring illustrators, and helping brands create work that actually scales.
My foundation is in illustration. I studied illustration at SCAD, and while my career expanded to include brand systems, UX/UI, and creative leadership, illustration has always been part of my work—one of many hats I’ve worn as projects and roles demanded it.
I’m not new to illustration.
I’m not new to pattern thinking.
I am choosing to go deeper—and to document it publicly.
And that’s what this series is about.
I’m Not Learning Illustration. I’m Translating It.
I’ve been drawing, illustrating, and building visual systems for years—across branding, digital products, editorial work, and destination storytelling. I studied illustration at SCAD, and while my career expanded into UX, brand systems, and creative leadership, illustration has always been part of my process—whether it was the primary focus or one of many roles I was carrying. Pattern design isn’t a pivot so much as a refinement: a way to extend illustration into repeatable systems that can live across surfaces, products, and environments.
What is new is being more intentional about:
Pattern structure
Licensing contexts
Portfolio presentation
How this work is perceived by Creative Directors and agencies
That lens matters—because it changes the questions you ask.
Instead of “How do I make this trendy?” I’m asking “How does this system hold up?”
The Gap I Kept Running Into
As I explored the surface pattern world more deeply, I kept noticing a few things that felt… off.
Most resources assume everyone wants the same outcome
Education is often locked behind expensive courses
There’s little discussion of professional design standards
Very few people talk about what Creative Directors actually look for
Adobe Fresco is often treated as “less serious” than it deserves
Vector thinking is rarely discussed—even though many commercial applications still require it
That last point matters more than people realize.
In professional settings—branding, packaging, environmental graphics, large-scale print—vector-based workflows still matter. Raster tools are powerful, expressive, and valid (I use them constantly), but understanding when and why vector structure is important is part of being a working designer.
That nuance is often missing.
Why Adobe Fresco Works for Me
I work in Adobe Fresco because it fits how I think.
It allows me to draw naturally, build illustration systems fluidly, and move between expressive sketching and controlled refinement. It’s not about the tool being “better”—it’s about it being appropriate for my process.
From there, I make deliberate decisions:
What stays raster
What gets rebuilt or refined in vector
What’s meant to be expressive vs scalable
What’s portfolio-ready vs production-ready
That distinction is rarely talked about—but it’s critical if you want your work to live beyond a single platform.
Patterns as Systems, Not Side Hustles
One thing my UX and design systems background has taught me is this:
Strong work isn’t about individual pieces. It’s about how they function together.
I don’t think of patterns as one-off repeats. I think of them as:
Part of a broader illustration system
Flexible enough to support multiple applications
Designed with scale, variation, and longevity in mind
That mindset comes directly from years of building interfaces, brand systems, and modular design frameworks.
And it fundamentally changes how you design patterns.
Why I’m Writing This Publicly
I’m not documenting this work to position myself as an expert with all the answers.
I’m documenting it because:
I value process over polish
I believe professional design thinking belongs in this space
I want to show what it actually looks like to build pattern systems thoughtfully
I want to create a resource that isn’t locked behind a paywall
This is slow work. Intentional work. Sometimes messy work.
And that’s okay.
What This Series Is (and Isn’t)
This series is:
A working Creative Director’s perspective on pattern design
Honest documentation of decisions, tradeoffs, and learning
Focused on systems, structure, and real-world application
This series is not:
A course
A shortcut
A promise of passive income
A one-size-fits-all roadmap
Take what’s useful. Leave the rest.
What’s Coming Next
In upcoming posts, I’ll be writing about some of these topics, including:
How thinking about the viewer’s experience shapes repeat design decisions
Why I work between Adobe Fresco and Illustrator—and why scalable, layered vector files still matter
What Creative Directors like me actually look for in pattern portfolios
Why website portfolio structure, hierarchy, and navigation matter as much as the work itself
How I track interest and outreach without chasing vanity metrics
If that sounds useful, I’m glad you’re here.
Up next in the series:
Why Most Pattern Portfolios Fail Before the Work Is Seen, exploring how pattern portfolios are filtered, evaluated, and championed inside agency environments.
About This Series
Notes from a Creative Director Designing Patterns
This series documents my ongoing pattern and illustration practice through the lens of a Creative Director and UX/UI designer with 25+ years of professional experience.
Rather than teaching a prescribed method or selling a course, the focus is on process, systems thinking, and real-world application—how illustration and pattern design function within branding, licensing, and professional creative environments.
This is not a beginner tutorial series or a hustle playbook. It’s a working record of building pattern systems with intention, clarity, and long-term use in mind.
If you’re interested in thoughtful design, scalable illustration, and process-driven creative work, you’re in the right place.