Behind the design: Folk Doves

Nadia Taylor is one of Rex London’s in-house designers and is the brains behind our new spring 2018 range, Folk Doves. Folk Doves is a Scandinavian folk-inspired print which mixes stylish floral and wildlife motifs. Here she explains what went into bringing this gorgeous design to life. 

Nadia Taylor. Photo by Antonia Attwood. 

“I was given the job of designing a pattern to go on a small oval trinket tray, so I came up with a little loop of flowers, with a bird in the middle. I wanted to keep the design really simple and stylish. 

The development of the design for the trinket tray.

The final product. Folk Doves oval trinket tray, £5.95

I am influenced by the shapes and forms found in nature and wildlife. Scandinavian and folk designs are also a big inspiration and I wanted to capture this design aesthetic.

Early Folk Doves sketches by Nadia. 

This design then developed as I adapted it for different products and shapes. I really like the way that the stems of the flowers can be straight or curved, and I can make the design fit naturally into any format. This can be seen on the matches - I especially like the way the pattern fits onto the long match box, around the type, and also in a lovely straight line on the back of the box. 

Packaging design for the luxury safety matches, available for £4.95

I also think the weekend bags, wash bags, and make-up bags look great. The colours and printing have come out beautifully, and they are so useful!

Folk Doves weekend bag, £29.95

Folk Doves make-up bag, £7.95

Folk Doves wash bag, £12.95
 
I like the flow of the repeat patten and I think the spacing and balance of flat colour and empty space works well. The shades of blue and green, and the pattern has a natural and zen feeling to it. I chose the word ‘folk’ to evoke the Scandinavian and folk-style of the design. To me, doves are a classic bird icon, representing peace and joy. Hopefully this design evokes the same feeling!”

If you love this design story as much as we do, make sure you take a look at the full Folk Doves range.