What’s a conversational, you ask? A conversational is a novelty print that features recognisable objects such as animals, sunglasses, dinosaurs and paper aeroplanes – anything you can imagine. Besides being fun to dream up, here’s three great reasons to get started on a conversational print!
1. They’re on trend
While conversationals used to be the realm of sleep and childrens’ wear, designers have been showing them on the runway with a fresh, cool-girl vibe.
Designers like Gucci, MSGM and Prabal Gurung all showed swoon-worthy convos in their Pre-Fall 19 collections, and designers such Stella McCartney, Victoria-Victoria Beckham, and Vivetta often feature quirky but ultra desirable convos.
Prabal Gurung Pre-Fall 2019 Background: Longina Phillips Designs
2. It will give your design portfolio extra depth and diversity
When putting together your design portfolio it’s great to show a variety of your skills and print types, and what better way to mix things up than with a fun and chic conversational? A convo or two tucked into your design portfolio can show off your understanding of trend, sense of colour and a bit of your personality too! Just as their name suggests, a conversational print can get you talking about your design process and personal style in what may otherwise be a stressful interview too!
MGSM PreFall 2019; Background: Longina Phillips Designs
3. You’re tired of painting florals
It happens to all of us. Sometimes you just can’t bear to start on another floral or paisley design, especially if they’re trending and you feel like it’s all you’ve been doing. Dreaming up a conversational is a fun way to break the cycle as you get to explore different ideas and possibilities for your print. With conversationals the quirkier the better!
Victoria Victoria Beckham Pre-Fall 2019; Background: Longina Phillips Designs
Convos also work really well when you experiment with different illustration and rendering styles such a naive linework, loose marker illustrations or bold colour block images.
Breaking out the markers or crayons is a great way to get out of a floral coma if only for a few hours. And who doesn’t like drawing cats wearing sunglasses?
