On today’s episode of Make + Design, Carina gives us a list of three ways that you can start thinking differently from the competition in order to make it as a surface pattern designer. A surface pattern designer is a designer who focuses on creating 2D designs. Fifteen years ago a surface pattern designer would have been called a graphic designer. The new title is fun though!   Tip #1: See the world in shapes. Design is a learned behavior and anyone can learn it. Listen in to see what carina means by “see the world in shapes,” a vital skill to becoming a professional surface pattern designer.   Tip #2: Shift your style mindset to disrupt the marketplace rather than to copy the marketplace. Find out how producing something that’s different can set you apart from the competition.   Tip #3: Pay attention to negative space. What is negative space and how can you create great negative space? Carina walks us through it (hint: does your negative space attract eyes to your designs or detract from them?). About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY   Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/