Design process, research and fashion illustration
The design process
A SEC project starts from a brief naming the client, occasion, budget and constraints. Research is primary (shop visits, interviews, own photographs, fabric swatches) and secondary (trend reports, archives, books). A mood board communicates atmosphere, not a shopping list; a colour story limits the palette; a fabric board records handle, weight, cost and care. Design development should show variation and selection - thumbnail sketches, then refined designs.
Elements and principles
Use line, shape, colour, texture and pattern with balance, rhythm, proportion, emphasis and unity. Annotation should explain decisions in technical language: 'bias-cut linen for drape', 'contrast topstitching to echo the sports trend'.
Illustration
Fashion figures are elongated, commonly nine heads tall, with a small head, long legs and a defined pose; garment details must stay accurate. Technical flats are drawn to scale, front and back, with seams, darts, topstitching, fastenings and trims, without shading. Media include marker, watercolour, gouache, collage and CAD; consistency of style matters more than a 'pretty' drawing.
Worked example: a resort capsule for a linen shirt - research shows a breathable, creasing fabric; the palette is limited to three colours; six designs are developed; the chosen shirt is drawn as a flat with camp collar, patch pocket and side vents, then costed.
Traps: presenting research without analysis; illustrations that hide construction; flats with no back view; mood boards that are only images with no link to the brief.