Textile Design

Textile designers plan and develop patterns, knit and weave construction, prints, textures and illustrations for fabrics and other materials that require the development of patterned surfaces. They plan the way a fabric looks and performs.

They design the structure of the fabric and make decisions about appropriate yarns, colour use, surface patterning, texture and finishing.

Textile designers develop fabrics used in furniture, soft furnishings, clothing, vehicles and products such as luggage. They can apply the same skills to the development of patterns for wallpapers, laminates and patterned plastics.

They design fabrics to satisfy marketing and manufacturing requirements. They balance aesthetic and functional aspects, they consider the nature of yarn types, thicknesses, weights and textures to produce fabrics to cost and production constraints.

They prepare design concepts and assess them for market viability. They resolve the concepts into artworks and instructions suitable for a variety of fabric production and printing techniques. They develop colour specifications and multiple colourways for ranges of fabrics. They communicate with manufacturing and production personnel to resolve details for manufacture.

They advise and liaise with others who work in industries where it is necessary to predict future colour trends. They monitor trends in industries such as interior design, automotive design and fashion and progressively evolve fabric styles to meet these specific needs.

ANZSCO (2006) occupation code - no unique code. Textile design is a specialised form of industrial design ANZSCO 232312.