Meet our guest pattern designer: Saara Suvela

Once a year we meet fresh designer talents in our portfolio reviews. This way we keep an eye on what is happening in the pattern design field in Finland. We have a high-quality design education system and way more skilled and well-trained pattern designers than we can help or serve. This year we have invited four guest designers to work with us. Their patterns are available in our pattern library and the designs follow us in exhibitions and customer meetings. Here is a small interview with one of them, Saara Suvela.

Saara Suvela – a designer of modern and classical florals

Who are you and where do you come from?

I’m Saara, a person who gets excited about creative things easily! I originally come from a small village in southern Finland, but I ended up living in the Helsinki area through twists and turns after job opportunities.

What is your education?

I am a designer by training (higher degree from University of Applied Sciences). My day job is ship design, more specifically the design of ship interior areas. As a counterbalance to the technical design work, I do pattern design, where I can use my creativity in the form of colors and textures.

Describe yourself as a designer

As a designer, I love different surfaces, i.e. structures, and the look of handprints. My favorite subjects are flowers, plants, and landscapes. When I was young, I thought I couldn’t be taken seriously, as a real artist, because I just wanted to draw flowers. I have found my purpose in expressing myself with flowers in pattern design.

Who is your role model?

I like to read biographies and interviews of Finnish designers and their journey to the status where they are now. I am inspired, for example, by the pioneering stories of Vuokko Nurmesniemi and Anu Pentik.

What are you inspired by?

I am inspired by many things: colors, color combinations, different structures, and moods. I like coincidences, i.e. strokes and traces created by accident. The design process itself is inspiring. The best feeling of a successful design process is a feeling of surprise.

What would be your dream pattern design project?

I would like to see my designs in cosmetic packaging or shop windows.

Where are your patterns published in products?

My designs have ended up on the covers of annual planners in the USA and as store banners, tote bags, and pouches in Japan.

What are your wishes for the future professionally and/or otherwise in your life?

I hope that I can carry out the interesting opportunities that open up in front of me in the design field. Versatility is appealing to me and keeps me motivated in my work. I still want to explore and develop my creative work and developing my unique brand is an interesting and ongoing design process.

What is your favorite pattern from your patterns in Patternfrom Agency’s pattern library?

My favorite pattern in Patternsfrom Agency’s pattern library is “Ginger Torch” from the “Sweet Dreams” pattern family. The “Ginger Torch” is a simple, 2-color pattern, but still attractive and versatile, for example in interior design. Its spirit can be modified with different color combinations. The flowers were originally drawn by hand with a felt-tip pen on paper, so the final pattern also shows a free drawing mark. I hope “Ginger Torch” finds its customers and gets to please as many as possible!