Refreshing Design Assets - How I capitalise on old collections

After more than 30 years working across fashion, textiles, manufacturing and colour development, I’ve learned that in many cases, I do not need to design from scratch.

Or in many cases, I can create a brand new collection that aligns with new market trends with just one new Hero print

Most creatives already have years of valuable artwork sitting in their archives, and creative-based companies have hundreds, if not thousands of Prints in their asset database.

Many old patterns and illustrations that may seem not quite right for the next trend, can actually be one of the main ingredients for a whole new print range.

Often the issue isn’t the design itself.
It’s the colour, the scale, or the composition.

Whilst simple, I see many creatives being overwhelmed with the process of designing new season collections. I also see many buyers wasting thousands of dollars on new works when what they have right under their noses will already do. Whilst this is great for the design community, buyers are better off spending their budgets on paying higher fees for quality work than paying multiple fees for designs they actually don't need.

My framework is a practical, professional method for updating existing artwork into trend-focused, commercially relevant collections — without starting from scratch.

By applying a series of simple Design Moves — recolouring, rescaling, recomposing and refining — you can transform older work into designs that feel fresh, modern and ready for tomorrow's customer.

It’s the same approach used by many studios and product teams every season:
Research thoughtfully, update strategically, and get more value from the work you already own.

But if you are not already doing it, I have a free, or Pay-As-You-Like downloadable called "The Design Refresh Framework" in my growing library of Creative Field Guides Below.

Enjoy!