Hey Reader!
Happy Thursday aka Eduletter day!
I’ve been looking through the responses I got when you fill in that small survey form and I can see that even though to me it feels like all I do is talk about how you can create a cohesive pattern collection, but there’s still lots of confusion around this topic.
You know you need a collection, but more often than not, it comes as an afterthought.
Say you've designed five gorgeous patterns. Each one is beautiful on its own. You've spent hours getting the florals just right, the colors perfectly balanced, the repeats seamless. But when you line them up side-by-side as a "collection," it feels… off.
They don't look like they belong together…
In fact they kinda look like five random designs you grabbed from Pinterest and slapped next to each other.
One pattern screams for attention while another whispers. Some feel modern and clean, others feel vintage and detailed. And you can't tell if this is a cohesive collection or just a confused mess.
I know because I spent my first year creating "collections" that were actually just random patterns I happened to make in the same month. I'd use the same color palette and call it a day, wondering why nobody wanted to license them.
Turns out, using the same shade of teal in five completely different styles doesn't make a collection. It makes a headache.
So today, I'm sharing two insights that finally helped me understand what cohesion actually means. And spoiler: you don't need to redesign everything from scratch.
Shall we?
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Miriam’s Woodland Animal Holiday Pattern:
- Storybook Charm Meets Holiday Cheer: With cozy woodland creatures like bears and chickens tucked into a festive forest, this design feels like a warm holiday tale in textile form.
- Playful Detail with Depth: The layered trees, twinkling lights, and wrapped gifts keep the eye dancing—perfect for curious little minds or nostalgic grown-ups.
- Great for Kids Holiday Pajamas or Nursery Holiday Bedding: Especially those December photo ops that make the yearly card!
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Merritt Baynes’ Mini Christmas Collection:
- Folk Art Freshness: That central mirrored tree layout and charming symmetry give the design a folk-inspired feel with modern energy.
- Festive but Flexible: It’s a Christmas pattern that doesn’t scream Santa, making it a smart pick for brands wanting seasonal flair without clichés.
- Great for Gift Wrap or Winter Wallpaper: Ideal for boutique holiday products or cozy interior accents.
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Melissa Donne’s Pink Gingham Snowflake Pattern:
- Retro Christmas with a Twist: The pink gingham background and stylized snowflakes bring a fresh, feminine energy to holiday motifs.
- Joyfully Nontraditional: For those who want Christmas vibes without the green-and-red rut, this is a whole sleigh ride of delight.
- Great for Holiday Stationery or Tween Girl Apparel: Think notebook covers, cozy flannel pajamas, or seasonal fabric bundles.
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What makes a collection look and feel cohesive?
After years of creating pattern collections (and making plenty of "what was I thinking?" mistakes along the way), I finally cracked what makes some collections feel like a professional designer made them while others feel like a Pinterest board threw up.
And no, using the same color palette won't save you. Trust me, I tried.
Tip #1: Stop trying to make everything "match" (cohesion isn't about identical twins).
The biggest misconception I see?
Designers thinking cohesive means using the same motifs in different arrangements. You know, like taking your floral and making it smaller for Pattern 2, rotating it for Pattern 3, adding dots to it for Pattern 4.
Congratulations, you've just created four versions of the same pattern.
Real cohesion is about patterns that feel like they belong to the same FAMILY, not clones of each other.
Think about siblings. They share DNA but have completely different personalities. One's loud and outgoing, another's quiet and thoughtful, but you can still tell they're related.
Your pattern collection needs to work the same way.
A delicate watercolor floral will never feel cohesive next to a bold geometric, even if they share the exact same color palette. The drawing styles are fighting each other. One is soft and organic, the other is sharp and structured.
You're asking your viewer's brain to process two completely different visual languages at once, and it just... doesn't work.
So what should you do instead?
Stop trying to make everything identical and start making everything RELATED.
Your patterns should be able to stand alone (they're each strong enough to work independently), but when you put them together, they strengthen each other.
Like a good friend group. Everyone's got their own vibe, but somehow you all just fit.
Start with a 4-pattern mini-collection where each pattern plays a different role.
You don't need 15 patterns to call something a collection. You need 4 versatile ones that work together like a team.
The 4-Pattern Framework:
Pattern #1: Your Hero
This is your showstopper. Complex, detailed, busy in the best way. The pattern that makes someone stop scrolling. Think: an intricate floral with multiple motifs, lots of visual interest, the star of the show.
Pattern #2: Your Coordinate (Secondary)
Medium density. Interesting enough to stand on its own, but calmer than the hero. It complements without competing. Maybe it's the same florals but in a simpler arrangement, or a different motif from your collection that's less busy.
Pattern #3: Your Filler
This one adds variety without overwhelming. Could be a smaller-scale version of your theme, or a supporting motif (like leaves if your hero is flowers). Still clearly part of the family, but plays a supporting role.
Pattern #4: Your Blender
Super simple. Dots, stripes, tonal textures, small geometrics. This is what ties everything together and gives the eye somewhere to rest. Most designers skip this one, then wonder why their collection feels exhausting to look at.
And to made this work, you need to assign roles BEFORE you start designing.
Don’t try to force four complex patterns to work together. Build a team where everyone has a job.
That’s what it takes to make your feel collection intentional, instead of accidental.
Tip #2: The 3 invisible threads that make patterns feel related (even when they're totally different).
After looking at hundreds of collections (both mine and from other designers), I noticed something.
The ones that WORKED all had three specific threads running through them. Once I learned to spot these, I could tell within seconds whether a collection would sell or flop.
Thread #1: Motif DNA (Your Underlying Drawing Style)
Every pattern in your collection needs to speak the same visual language.
Ask yourself: Is my style organic and hand-drawn, or clean and geometric? Are my motifs simple and bold, or detailed and intricate?
Mixing these in one collection creates instant disconnect.
For example, if you're making a floral collection, keep ALL your florals loose and painterly OR keep them ALL clean and graphic. Not both. Not "well, this rose is painterly but this daisy is geometric."
Your viewer's eye shouldn't have to switch gears between patterns.
Thread #2: Visual Weight and Scale Relationships
Every collection needs a hero (complex and busy), a secondary (medium density), a blender (simple and restful) and a filler.
If all your patterns compete for attention, the collection feels chaotic. Like everyone at the dinner table is talking at the same volume and nobody's listening.
If they're all too quiet, the collection feels boring. Like a dinner party where everyone's whispering.
Think of it like a conversation: one person leads, others support, and someone's there to just nod along and keep things flowing.
Your patterns need to play these different roles, and the scales need to balance each other out. A super detailed hero needs a really simple blender to give the eye a place to rest.
Thread #3: Color Temperature and Value (Beyond Just "Using the Same Palette")
This one trips people up because they think, "I used the same five colors, so it's cohesive!"
But colors have temperature (warm vs. cool) and value (light vs. dark), and if these don't align, your collection will feel off.
A peachy-pink and a blue-pink might both be "pink," but they won't play nice together because one reads warm and the other reads cool.
Same with value. If three of your patterns are mostly light and airy, but one is dark and moody, that outlier is going to stick out like someone wearing a ballgown to a backyard BBQ.
Test this: Does your collection have a recognizable "color mood"? Can you describe it in a few words? (Warm and earthy? Cool and fresh? Soft and muted?)
If you can't, your color temperatures are probably fighting each other.
So how do you actually use these three threads?
Pull up your current collection right now. Seriously, go grab those 3-4 patterns you've been working on.
Look at them side-by-side and ask:
- Motif DNA: Do they all share the same drawing style? (Organic or geometric? Simple or complex? Hand-drawn or precise?)
- Visual Weight: Do I have a mix of busy, medium, and simple patterns? Or are they all competing at the same level?
- Color Mood: When I squint at these patterns, do they share the same temperature and value range?
If you can answer yes to all three, your collection works.
If one of these threads is broken, you've found the exact thing to fix. And usually it's faster to tweak ONE pattern than to start over.
Most of the time, the fix is changing colors or simplifying one pattern, not redrawing everything.
Okay, this Procreate feature has saved me SO many times when I'm stuck on colors for a collection.
You know that moment when you've got your main colors figured out, but you need just one or two more coordinating colors to round things out?
And you're sitting there, spinning the color wheel, trying random shades, hoping something clicks? (Just me? Doubt it.)
The "Harmony Mode" Shortcut for Instant Coordinating Colors
Procreate has a built-in color harmony generator, and most people have no idea it exists.
How it works:
- Tap your color circle (top right corner)
- At the bottom, you'll see tabs: Disc, Classic, Harmony, Value, Palettes
- Tap Harmony
- Now select one of the colors from your existing palette
- Procreate will show you FIVE different harmony options at the top: Complementary, Split Complementary, Analogous, Triadic, Tetradic
Each option gives you mathematically coordinating colors based on color theory. You don't have to guess.
When I use this:
When I've got my hero colors locked in (maybe a dusty rose and a sage green), but I need a third accent color that won't fight with what I already have.
I'll tap one of my existing colors, switch to Harmony mode, and cycle through the options. Usually Analogous or Split Complementary gives me exactly what I need.
Takes about 30 seconds, and the colors are guaranteed to coordinate because they're based on actual color relationships, not just "this looks kinda okay?"
💡Pro tip: Once you find a color you like from the harmony wheel, add it to your palette immediately so you don't lose it. Tap and hold the color, then drag it into an empty slot in your current palette.
Now you've got a full set of coordinating colors without the guesswork.
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That's a wrap!
From understanding that cohesion isn't about matching (it's about being related) to using those three invisible threads to actually BUILD that cohesion, you now have a framework for creating collections that look intentional instead of accidental.
And that Harmony Mode trick? Bookmark this email. You'll use it more than you think.
Got a collection you're working on right now?
Hit reply and tell me which thread you're struggling with most. I read every response (sometimes while drinking coffee at weird hours, but I read them!).
| 💟 How did you like this week’s Eduletter? |
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See you next week!
