In our next meet the designer spotlight, we sit down with the wildly creative, Holli Zollinger, to find out what inspires her iconic bohemian style that instantly established her as a Spoonflower community favorite. Holli comes to us today from Moab, Utah, which she describes as, “An amazing destination for travelers from all over the world.” Holli loves the vast and open feel in Moab, describing the color, texture and variety in the landscape as “So very extraordinary!“And get this—she’s currently living in a 1974 Carpenter Bus that she’s renovated to serve as her living space while she builds an eco-friendly and sustainable home. We’re greatly inspired and impressed by Holli to say the very least!
My day starts with:
“Coffee which then fuels a huge mental and physical list of TO DO’S.”
I fell in love with design when:
“I taught myself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator 10 years ago. It opened up a whole new world of creativity for me.”
What’s in your toolbox?
“Micron pens, grid paper, heavy card stock, Copic markers, gouache, watercolors, design books and vision boards.”
What is your process when creating a new design?
“It most often begins with an inspiration, followed by research of the idea and imagery, and then execution with pencil and pen. After it gets scanned into the computer, the images get cleaned up on Illustrator, and then I begin the process of building a repeat. Lastly, I spend a large amount of time finding the right color palette, which feels amazingly important to the final execution of the design.”
When I’m in my studio, I feel:
“Both blessed and inspired!”
Who or what influences or inspires your work and why?
“I’m endlessly online looking for upcoming trends, which always influences my designs and aesthetics. Right now I am very inspired by simple design, a natural earthy palette and I am still deeply invested in botanicals. Geometrics and tribal designs always play an important role, as I love indigenous and global design.”
If I could live in a painting:
“I would live in an ocean or water painting. It creates the best mood!”
What piece of your wardrobe best represents your style?
“Hats! I love that extra little bit of swagger you feel when you put one on!”
I’d love to see one of my designs turned into:
“A TILE collection! I am currently obsessing BIG TIME.”
The secret to a strong collection is:
“Relevance in the marketplace, a color palette that is on point, and consistency.”
My mantra is:
“Just do it. I don’t do well keeping too many ideas floating around in my head, so it’s always important for me to get things done even if they have to be edited again.”
What drew you to Spoonflower?
“I found out about Spoonflower in 2008 from a merchant at a farmers market who was creating her own textiles for product. There was something very magical in those first few years as I set out to find my own style and to teach myself how to build a repeat. I feel extremely lucky to have been there from almost the beginning! Spoonflower has been such a consistent and empowering entity in my life, I feel so honored to still be a part of it.”
For someone new to trying the design challenge, what advice would you give them?
“Stay true to your own style, let us all feel your special kind of magic!”
You’re going to want to get in on Holli’s wonderland of inspiration and design on social media! Find her on Instagram and Facebook, and don’t forget to bookmark her website.
Love her designs. My question is, how do you scan that beautiful, huge feather? You must have on heck of a scanner?