My blog guest: Gloria Urech, a talented pattern designer.

Hello! lots of thanks for visiting me!

I have a great guest to share with you today. I am very happy to have interviewed to this talented designer from my country Spain. Although, she is living in UK now.

She is a friendly, cheerful, and very positive woman, which it is delighting to talk to her. I love her patterns and style. She is the owner of Gukuuki studio!I hope you enjoy this interview.

J.G   Did you feel you wanted to be a designer since you were a child? Did you have a strong vocation for it? 

I was always drawing since I was very little, first portraits and later some landscapes.  Then I went to Arts School and I studied Graphic Design because I like to communicate visually. From there on, I evolve as a “Designer” becoming more interested in patterns and the use of those for the Home Design Market (Bed linen & Wallpaper especially).

J.G  Tell us something about your background. Are you a self taught designer? Have you done any course about patterns?

I constantly like to learn new things. My background is in Branding & Graphic Design. Although life took me to opportunities to study a master in Fashion Photography, which lead me to work for the English brand Pepe Jeans London in, where I become a Senior Print Designer over the years and therefore, learn how to create patterns for Fashion textiles. After leaving Pepe Jeans, I become a freelancer, in continuous search for new techniques and ways to improve my methods. While being in Pepe Jeans we used to have courses for Tex-Design tool twice a year. Also early this year I took an online course:  “Reign Repeats: Create Perfect Repeat Patterns in Illustrator” in SKILLSHARE with Majo Bautista V as a fantastic teacher. I learn a lot from her.

                                                                                        Gukuuki studio.Patterns

J.G  How long how you been designing patterns?

I have been designing patterns since 2005 when I started in Pepe Jeans London as a Textile designer.

J.G How would you describe your style? Which colours do you like most?

I really like to design Florals and Paisleys. My style then could fall into the categories of Florals, Bold, Modern and Graphical. I like bright, bold and positive colours, Orange Tangerine is my favorite along with sunny bright yellow.

J.G What inspires you to create your designs?

My inspiration source is from all around us, especially the Nature. I also like Japanese and Scandinavian styles. A colour palette can also bring some designs out.

J.G Do you usually paint by hand? How is your creative process?

Yes, mainly I start by hand drawn, sketching in notebooks mainly, so I can keep a record and also kind of portable library. Later I scan the images and trace them in Illustrator, which is the tool I use mainly to create patterns. Sometimes I also use photoshop for more intricate and textured designs.

J.G You are promoting your work abroad, Could you tell us the reason for it?

Yes, I like to think BIG and POSITIVE. Success is a frame of mine for me. You have to keep on the hard work however, always with a positive mind you earn more things back. Working for different countries makes you to be more open to try new things, new challenges, and I like that.

J.G Do you license your work? Which brands do you work with?

I started licensing this year for KEKACASE and there are a couple more of licensing opportunities on the way. I also work as a freelancer for a great company in Spain, Uno de 50, feeling so fortunate.

We also are present in Society6 with a big range of products: http://society6.com/Gukuuki

J.G Could you tell us the worst and the best for you about being a freelance designer?

The worst for me is working alone. I like to work with creative people around, so this year I joined a FBK group of Surface Designers that is very supportive and challenging.  The best is the flexibility that you get from it and that you can be anywhere.

J.G Do you think it is necessary to promote your work using the social media?. Could you give us some tips and tell some of the best sites to do it?

Nowadays most of the promotion is within the social media because is the way we live in, facebook, Pinterest, twitter and blogs are good tools to start with. I also use Linkedin, to promote my work in my network. Mouth to mouth have always work for me too, and getting into competitions to get yourself known it helps too, like it happened to me this year winning the Kleenex contest to design a Limited Edition Kleenex box (with my orange Ikat floral).

It would be nice to discover something about you daily life. How is a week day for you?

Busy! I tried to work with a calendar and add the events and deadlines to meet in that month or week. We used to do it at Pepe Jeans and I think it really work, otherwise you procrastinate things and feel overwhelmed some others. In a normal basis, I work 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday. However, sometimes if a project takes more time, I also work some hours on weekends. Being a freelancer you have to be flexible.

A weekday for me is getting up early, 7 am, get ready, have breakfast and sit in my desk at around 8:00 am. Check some emails, add the events/deadlines in my desktop calendar so I can see it often. Contact some companies and do work until midday. Then stop for some lunch, perhaps also have a brisk walk nearby or a small nap and then come back to work until 5 or 6pm. Leave my desk, cook some dinner, eat, watch some TV or read a book, magazine or blogs, and go to sleep.

J.G What are your plans for the future? Any dreams to fulfill?

Gloria-  My plans are to continue working and creating new opportunities for licensing, collaborations and freelancing, continue learning and sharing knowledge with creative people and my business dream is to make GUKUUKI not only a studio that provides services of Surface, Print and Branding Design but also to become a successful brand label that donate part of the sales to educate women and children in the world.

How great it was to talk to Gloria and know her a bit better!I am really happy she acepted my blog invitation!You can contact her here, 

http://www.gukuuki.co.uk/

http://www.kekacase.com/designer-cases/gloria-urech.html

https://www.facebook.com/GukuukiStudio