“I’m seeing a lot of harlequin patterns”: Graphic designer Jilly Richards talks design trends

Jilly, thanks for making time. Can you give us a potted history of your career to date?
I started off my career at Superdry in Cheltenham as an assistant designer and quickly progressed to designer. I covered all of the women’s soft separates and was lucky enough to be named one of Drapers’ 30 under 30 in 2014.

After seven years I decided to make a bold move and begin freelancing. I worked with some fantastic brands such as Smiley World on fashion graphics, the launch of womenswear brand Sosander and some new starter brands and suppliers. I was then offered a senior position at cosmetic and gifting brand agency SLG, where I made the switch to packaging and beauty design.

After five years at SLG and a baby in tow, as a family we made the bold move to relocate to Edinburgh – so I picked up freelancing where I left off, covering all areas of consumer goods, beauty, home, gift, party, food, fashion… Everything that comes my way!

Trends are a key part of the licensing industry and the fashion sector. How do you keep on top of trends?
I just think being really aware helps – getting a feeling for which brands and labels are key leaders and listening to what’s buzzing around online. I constantly absorb what’s being shown online and in the shops. That helps to steer direction of trends and outlines which ones are here to stay, and which are making their way out. Working across multiple products categories helps too, as so many influences span across many of them, so I can get a well rounded picture.

Some of the design projects you have undertaken have been developed for a specific retailer. When working with retailers, are there particular challenges you have to take into account?
Getting my own personal design, the brand and the retailer to agree and land on the perfect design can sometimes be a bumpy road. I’ve had experiences where I’ve designed a cosmetic range – and the brand loved it – but the retailer already has another range going onto shelf that shared a similar aesthetic. It had the potential to split sales, so a complete redesign had to be done. This doesn’t happen all that often, and usually only on trend led design as opposed to unique brand aesthetics.

Based on your experience of the sector, what advice would you give to a personality brand in regard to design and product development?
I’ve had mixed experiences with this. and it does depend on the end goal. Without naming any names, I’ve had some great experiences where a client has loved the range I’ve designed, but I’ve had others that couldn’t make a decision… The mood board I’d created reflected their key looks, colours, patterns, brands and so on, but they wanted to go ‘off piste’ and create their own unique range. That can be great, but many customers buy into a celebrity range to have a piece of their icon, so it really does need to reflect their public persona.

Returning to trends, is there a trend you’ve observed recently in design that you would highlight and share?
With Frozen 3 on the way, I’m seeing lots of crystals, silver, gems and everything Ice Queen emerging. I think this will have an influence this winter across fashion party looks, accessories and beauty/packaging. In contrast, I’m seeing a lot of harlequin and chequered style patterns and graphics, incorporating the four suits of cards… A sense of gambling or mystery, with influences from Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, that I think will cover all areas of fashion, packaging and beauty.

As a freelancer, are there key lessons you have learnt in regards to new business development?
I’m definitely still learning. I try to develop personal relationships with people, and not just for business purposes. I like meeting people and creating a relationship, and this in turn helps to keep them coming back to me and enables me to check in with them when needed. I’ve been lucky enough to be recommended for some roles that have stuck too, but generating new clients can be tricky. I’m getting stuck in to Linked In and trying to get my name out there – fingers crossed!

Having seen a lot of them other the years, what makes a good style guide?
This is probably the designer in me talking, but good, neat drawing – not too many products rammed on a page. I’ve seen a lot of examples where the sketches have been so messy, with graphics just slapped on that don’t look authentic. I take a lot of pride in my work and want to deliver the best sketches possible for my client to be able to sell more.

Finally, do you have a favourite licensed product of the moment?
I’m a little bit Hello Kitty obsessed, and we have just had a Miniso store open here in Edinburgh. They have a gorgeous little Hello Kitty hand basket which I have from my daughter’s toy kitchen, and beautiful little bento boxes for her snacks – they’re just so cute!