#FeatureFriday – Get the Inside Scoop with the Product Designer of Mix & Match

Happy #FeatureFriday, everyone! We sat down with CM Product Designer Carrie to get the inside scoop on her design inspiration for the NEW Mix & Match collection. In our interview, we also got details such as her favorite color in the collection (and more importantly, why it’s her favorite!), how long it took to create Mix & Match and the reason she’s been wanting to create it for a quite a while! So, without further adieu…

Meet the Designer

For over 15 years, Carrie has worked for CM as a Graphic Designer, Product Illustrator and currently as the Design Manager. Throughout the years, she has honed and mastered her artistic skills, creating original works of art for scrapbooking fanatics worldwide. Other CM collections she has designed include Star-Spangled, Brave, Secret Garden, Black and White, Textiles, Archiver’s, Glacier and more. Her absolute favorite part of the job is being able to draw, draw and draw some more. Occasionally, she gets to create catalogs, website materials, flyers, logos, etc., but her true passion is creating products that will help become a part of something much more meaningful (scrapbooks). When Carrie is not creating art, you can find her in the kitchen whipping up a gluten-free meal, running on the treadmill, reading or chauffeuring her two beautiful children around to their abundant extra-curricular activities. 

What Inspired This Collection?

“This collection was inspired by monochromatic color schemes, florals, geometric patterns and ornate designs. I tried to stay true to the name of ‘Mix & Match’ with the design of this collection. This is why you’ll see a mixture of hand-drawn, acrylic and watercolor textures in varying forms of organic and geometric patterns. A little of everything! This collection was one I’ve been wanting to design for quite a while because of the bright colors (and because I’m a HUGE fan of tonal papers).”

How Would You Describe the Color Palette?

“The palette of this collection bright (almost neon) colors to give an uplift to last year’s darker Mix & Match palette for Mix & Match Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue and Pink in a range of hues from light to dark. It also pairs very nicely with our current Cardstock colors. I love the look of using a single color that varies in hue and complexity. The different shades of color in the patterns are purposely designed this way so that they layer nicely together when cut apart and made into scrapbooks, cards or whatever project is in the works!”

How Would You Describe the Papers?

“I wanted the papers to be bright and mostly monochromatic. They were designed so that with each color you can mix and match the papers together to create a single-colored theme that will layer nicely OR mix and match any of the paper packs together to create a colorful rainbow effect. There are six repeating patterns in each paper pack and six unique patterns that relate to the color itself.”

What is Unique About the Collection?

“This collection is unique because it is very general in design and can be easily paired with other collections we currently offer such as Black & White, Full Bloom, Little Lamb, Sun-Kissed and many more to come!”

What was the Process for Designing this Collection?

“To design of all five paper packs took roughly a month and a half to complete, starting with the mood boards and color palettes and ending with the design of the packaging the artwork goes into! When designing a collection, my process is to work through all the bad to get to the good. After I finish, a lot of times I am left with many papers and designs that didn’t make the cut. I save all of these discarded patterns and artwork for a rainy day. You never know when they might become a great resource for something else!”

What Do You Envision This Collection Being Used For?

“I see this collection being used for any event, any time – it’s very versatile in design. Birthdays, picnics, day-at-the-beach, trips to the playground, hanging out with friends, holidays, summer… you name it!”

What is Your Favorite Mix & Match Color or Paper Pattern?

“Do I have to pick only one color?! If I have to choose, my favorite would be green. Every time I work with this color it reminds me of my wonderful grandma, whose favorite color was green. Yellow is second because of how cheerful it is. I don’t think I could pick a favorite Mix & Match design!”

About Mix & Match: Give scrapbook layouts a kaleidoscope of color with the Mix & Match collection! Designed to make creating beautiful, coordinated layouts a breeze, these mix and match scrapbook supplies feature designs inspired by florals, geometric patterns and ornate patterns in monochromatic color schemes. The collection consists of Paper Packs and Embellishments in pink, yellow, blue, green and orange. Comment below and tell us what you think of this stunning collection and which color is your favorite!