Catrinel Menghia

Hi, my name is Catrinel and I’m a graphic designer from Romania. I design for brands, I work with photographers and stylists to bring their ideas to life through my work. This blog is a place where I can share my work and the things I love about it.

The Inspiration For This Design

Back in 2014, I was commissioned to create a design for a lingerie brand. The brief was very open and the brand was looking for something different. As I came from a manga and anime background, I was immediately attracted to the simplicity of the design. Since then, I have gone on to work with the brand on other designs and projects.

This blog post will explore some of the design principles that influenced me.

Simplicity

I find that simpler is often better. When I work on a design, I always look for ways to pared back the design and bring the focus on the content. The simpler the design, the more effective it will be. If a designer adds too much stuff to a design, it can become a cluttered mess. You don’t want to distract from the content you are trying to promote, do you?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned over the past few years is that less is more. It’s amazing how much more effective a simple design can be compared to one that’s cluttered with details (often called ‘busy-ness’). I prefer to look at a design and see the underlying structure, the skeleton if you will. When a designer adds enough content to the design to make it interesting or unique, it can often times become bloated and difficult to follow.

Thoughtful Color Palette

One of the things that immediately attracted me to the lingerie design was the choice of the color palette. Not only did they choose a beautiful, rich color that was unexpected but still elegant but they also managed to keep the colors fairly simple. There were only four colors used in the design and each one of them was chosen carefully based on its place in the scheme. The combination of the four colors was subtle but created an elegant and classy look that is feminine yet strong.

When creating a design, it’s important to keep in mind the color palette the client has chosen. If they have gone for a traditional look for the brand, then you need to respect that and limit the use of bright, distracting colors. If the colors are unexpected but still work together, then great! If not, it can sometimes be hard to pull off a nice looking design. In terms of the lingerie design, I wanted to keep the focus on the elegant and strong woman the brand represents so I went for a color palette that was both classy and sensual.

Printed Or Stitched

Another thing I love about the design is the way that the lingerie is stitched. It is one thing to lay down some pretty colors on a beautiful silk layer and quite another to have the details be able to be followed perfectly by the eye. The way the stitching is implemented makes it look like the design itself is moving and following the body form of the woman in the design. It’s a nice effect that makes the lingerie design much more effective than a painted version would be.

Clean Lines

I’m a big fan of simple, crisp lines and basic shapes. The more complex the design, the more likely it is that the artist will lose focus on what the customer is really interested in. If you add too much stuff to a design, it will often times lose its coherence and appear messy. With clean lines and basic shapes, you can add as much detail as you like but it will always fit the intended purpose. Sometimes less is more and I like to keep my designs as simple as possible.

Organic Forms

I find it easier to work with organic forms. I often times begin by adding a background texture in the form of a photo-etching process. This adds a nice little extra dimension that wasn’t necessarily there in the original photo. It also allows for more flexibility with the design. Once I have the basic shape of the object I want to design, I go in and add some rough proportions to work out the best layout. After I have that, I add more organic forms to work out the details. Sometimes I will find myself adding more details to a design than was originally envisioned, but I like to think of it as a blessing in disguise since it allows for more flexibility and options.

Sensuality

The last but not least of the lessons I have learned over the years is how much the lingerie industry is about sensuality. People usually buy lingerie to feel more comfortable in their own skin or to express their sensual self. That is exactly what the lingerie brand looking for help with, so I went in a direction that was both classy and sensual. Even the stitching on this design is rather sensual, almost like a hidden message the lingerie brand is trying to send their customer or potential customer.

Working with brands and companies who appreciate your work and are interested in your opinion is one of the best feelings. It means you are on the right track and able to bring your skills to the next level. If a designer can keep these five design lessons in mind, they will inevitably go on to create a successful and effective design.