What inspired
you to be a designer?
I’ve always been creative from a
very early age and studied and specialized in art and design. During university
I carried out many work placements and I was very lucky to go straight into
design employment after graduating, it really is the only career that I know. I
really went for it from a very young age; the creative path was the only one
for me!
I never actually planned to become a
‘surface pattern designer, it just naturally evolved after studying and working
within the creative industry.
Who inspires
you?
“Choose a job you love and you will
never work a day in your life” Confucius.
What type of
products do you sell and how easy is it to get your designs, licensed?
I have dealt with some rejection
over the years, it’s important to believe in ‘you’ and never give up. Joining
an agency or studio can be really beneficial in the beginning as they can help
attract clients and potential licensing contracts. During module 3 of my
e-course ‘The Art and business of Surface Pattern Design’ we cover this in
great detail.
Have you had
any mentors?
I’ve never had any specific mentors
as such, I really have just been a truly hands on person and thrown myself in
at the deep end. I thrive under pressure and have always been a very pro-active
person. I’ve always kept in touch with my old art teacher and my university
tutor.They have been very supportive and encouraging over the years and have shared their wisdom. Over the past twelve months I’ve collaborated with
award winning entrepreneur Beth Nicholls she has a great natural talent for
business and she has really influenced and inspired me too. I continually try to
learn from others and their experience. I think it’ really important to
continually grow and try to improve yourself as a designer and an individual.
What do you
love about London?
I really love the design scene in
London; I regularly visit every couple of
months for work and inspiration.
London really is crammed with amazing resources it really is a feast for the
eyes! From visiting exhibitions at the V&A to just roaming the streets I'm
instantly engergised and inspired.
What is your
favourite place to go and visit in London?
One of my favourite places to go is
Brick Lane and the Rob Ryan shop over on Columbia Road. I'm a big fan Camden
Lock too and of London based illustrator and designer Libby McMullin. I
stumbled across Libby one Saturday, she has a beautiful stall there and I have
been a fan of her work ever since! She has gone from strength to strength as
she's just been nominated for a Henries award 'Most Promising Young Designer or
Artist of 2012'.
You are known
all over the world from Australia, USA, UK.... What
is the secret to your success?
I do work a lot, but I really
do love what I do you really do get back what you put in. I’ve always been an
energetic and highly motivated person. I’ve always believed if you want
something so bad you can make it happen. Being pro active is really important
you have to make this things happen. Opportunities will come your way but you
can make a lot of things happen yourself. You really are responsible for your
own success! I like that saying, “Never regret the things you do only the
things you don’t do”. I ‘d rather have tried something and failed to have never
tried at all!
What are you
looking forward to at Top Drawer? And what can we expect from the Doodle Wall
you are doing for charity?
I’m really excited about launching my
new collections; it’s actually my first time at exhibiting solo in the London
area! I hope to make lots of new contacts and fingers crossed that I line up
lots of new stockists.
The ‘Designer Charity Doodle Wall’
is going to be really fun too. The big doodle extravaganza is a live interactive
event at Top Drawer.
We have invited an esteemed group of
artists, illustrators and designers to come and draw with us on the stand. After
the event the large-scale drawings will be manipulated digitally to form an
innovative wallpaper collection.
Wallpapered.com are kindly
sponsoring the event and all proceeds of the sale will go directly to Cancer Research, UK. I’m really excited to see the end result!
To see design have such a positive
impact is such wonderful thing, if we can raise awareness and funds for the
charity then the doodle wall will be a great success.
What are you
showing at Top Drawer? what is your stand number?
You can find my stand (A116) at the
‘Home’ section of the show (16th-18th of September, 2012)
I will be showcasing my wallpaper collection along with my textiles collection
and my brand new ‘Origin’ kitchen collection that’s consists of matching quirky
aprons and tea towels. I’ll also be exhibiting a small range of gifts and
accessories including my fun new range of canvas shopper bags and Ipads!
What has been
your best design this year?
My favourite design that I recently
added to my product line is one called ‘Organic Origin’. I particularly like the colour palette and
organic abstract feel that it has. It’s a versatile design too that works in a
variety of scales; the design has been applied to various products from my new IPhone
collection to wallpapers.
You have
recently launched a magazine MOYO with 'Do what you love' Beth Nicholls, when
did this idea come about? And did you design the magazine?
After the success of ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design’ (the e-course) Beth Nicholls (founder of Do What You Love) and myself decided to launch magazine as a spin off
to the e-course initially. We realized there was a gap in the market and MOYO is
the world’s first free online magazine dedicated to the wonderful world of
surface pattern design. It’s a great platform for our student’s and graduates
along with being a great resource for the design industry. I designed numerous
pages in the magazine (including the cover) however; I worked with a fantastic
dream team of designers and layout artists. My role as ‘Art director’ (my full
title for the magazine is Art Director, Editor and Founder) included creating
the design vision, the initial style guide, brand identity and sign off the
final styling of the magazine. Designers such as the talented Jessica Swift and
Libby McMullin and my wonderful assistant Kelly Crossley also designed and
created innovative designs and page layouts. The list of talented contributors
is fantastic and we are very lucky! The magazine really has been a success
because of the wonderful collaborative effort and dedication from the whole
team. It was a fun project to work on. I’m really excited about the next issue!
We had over 11000 readers in just
over three days! I really hope that the magazine continues to inspire people.
What is your
greatest achievement to date?
I’m so grateful for so many things
it really is hard to pin point just one, as each opportunity has been wonderful.
However I think launching ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern design’ (the
e-course) was a real pivotal moment in my career. It has been truly
overwhelming and so rewarding, we regularly receive emails from students and
graduates, who write in to show their gratitude and they explain how the course
has inspired them. To inspire someone else is such an honour it’s something
that I will always find completely mind-blowing!
Twitter: @rachtdesign
http://rachaeltaylordesigns.
Join the e-course at: http://
Other Relevant Links
For more info
on the charity doodle wall please go to:
To donate:
Read the
magazine online here:
