Above: Beautiful pages from Heather Raney's sketchbook

The moment I first saw the work of Heather Raney, I knew she had something special. Mostly known as a fabric and clothing designer, I saw a pattern she had recently drawn and I knew right away that it was the perfect fit for our booth at the San Francisco Art Fair. 

I wanted to find out more about Heather and her creative process to be able to share with you. Here is a little peek into her world:

What was your inspiration for this pattern?
This pattern came out of a brief focused on creating bold, organic forms that blur the line between florals, leaves, and abstract shapes. I love that in this design, both colors are actively creating form—it’s not just a flat background with elements placed on top. It feels alive and dimensional.

How do you think about the application of a pattern as you design it?
I always like to start with a specific consumer and product in mind. It helps guide so many decisions during the design process like scale, color palette, directionality, and level of detail. Of course, prints can take on a life of their own and end up in all sorts of unexpected places, which I love. But having that target in mind from the beginning keeps the process focused and intentional.

How do you honor your creative work while working full-time in product design?
That’s something I think about a lot. I studied apparel design and production and was always drawn to the creative side, especially print and surface design. I even took master’s level courses where our final collections were exhibited in a gallery. My career has since taken me through product development, pattern-making, and now into product line management and merchandising.

It’s all connected. I really believe that having experience across these areas has made me a better designer. But after a while, I realized I missed the hands-on creative work. So I started returning to the things I’ve always loved: painting, sketch-booking, and print design.

Balancing it with a full-time job isn’t easy, but I kind of just do it. That sounds blunt, but I try to keep a strong sense of why I’m creating, so that even when time is limited, my creative work feels meaningful. I’ve been refining my process to be more efficient and joined groups that keep me accountable to producing work weekly. It’s a mix of early mornings, evenings, and weekends—but I genuinely love it. It’s energizing and joyful, and my mind is always thinking about the next idea.

Above: More beautiful pages from Heather Raney's sketchbook