Maschendruck (“Stitchprint”)

During the third semester of my graphic design studies, I had the opportunity to realise a completely self-directed design project. We were free to choose any topic we wanted. I wanted to use this time to combine my long-time hobbies, knitting and crocheting, with modern graphic design. I was intrigued by the idea of using handmade knitted and crocheted fabrics as textures in my work. While crumpled or torn paper is often used in design, textile textures are rarely explored. My goal was to create a unique collection of these textures, digitise them, and demonstrate their potential in a design concept.

The first and most time-consuming step was creating the actual fabric pieces. I compiled a list of patterns I wanted to try, a mix of popular and more experimental stitches, and began knitting and crocheting. After blocking the pieces, I printed them using black acrylic paint with a process similar to lino printing. Interestingly, my favourite results came from the “residual prints”, which appeared softer and more faded, making them ideal as subtle background textures.

With the prints ready, I moved on to designing. I collected references and explored styles such as Halftone Design and Overprint Design. Ultimately, I chose the Overprint style, inspired by risograph prints, which complemented the handmade, tactile character of the project.

The final outcome consisted of three posters for a fictional fibre festival in Vienna, each with its own colour combination and layout. To extend the visual identity, I also created two mockups, a small display stand and an event badge, exploring how the design could be adapted to different formats.

This project was both experimental and rewarding, allowing me to merge tactile crafts with digital design. It also allowed me to dive deeper into Photoshop, since I usually use Illustrator more often.