Meet the Maker behind Kristy Stafford
MEET KRISTY STAFFORD
Kristy Stafford is a surface designer and a classically trained fine artist with twenty plus years working as a graphic designer. Kristy earned her BA at the Herron School of Art. Before joining the design world, Kristy was the lead singer of a rock band -traveling all over the United States. Living a creative life is her true passion.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS – ALL ABOUT COLOUR.
Kristy is known for her bold pops of colour, modern twists on botanicals and strong geometrics that often have a retro quality. She gains inspiration from interesting colour combinations within nature and the vernacular, filling her phone with photos of her environment.
There is an intense creative energy that Kristy channels into bringing her ideas into fruition. With this energy though, she emphasises the significant and sacred time in the morning to meditate before the pressures of the day takes hold.
She prioritises intuitive creation rather than placing any rigid restrictions or rules on the design process.
“I never know what the design will look like when I start… I can see things in my head and try to translate them into an illustration but most of the time what I end up creating is unrecognizable from where I started.”
The process often begins with a sketch that she then scans onto her iPad then spends hours playing with colour palettes and creating repeats on Adobe Illustrator.
“I am obsessed with pattern, texture and how designs come together from changing the scale of items to repeating interesting colour combinations.”
DESIGNS BROUGHT TO LIFE
Kristy shares with us the joys of being a designer, having the freedom to create without restrictions and seeing her creations brought to life.
“I went to art school many years ago and spent years working for other people. Many of my managers or owners of companies were not creatives and it was always difficult to take direction or work with those that were not open to doing something different. Having my own business is really an amazing freedom to create what I feel works.
I love being a designer, I would not change that. To be able to make a living at it after many years of working for other people is really the best part. I really have to pinch myself sometimes that I get to be an artist!”
“When I first launched my collection and received installation shots I was so excited. I had spent years creating designs and people loved them like I did. I love what I do and some of my designs feel like my children. When you see a design come to life it is truly an amazing feeling. When customers share photos of installations it is really a feeling like no other.
Seeing my fabric and wallpaper in someone’s home or business is the biggest compliment I could ask for. We should not need validation but we are human and I think it is human nature to want people to appreciate your work.”.
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE
Looking forward into the future, Kristy is hoping to expand from wallpaper and fabric to work on rugs, furniture and hardware.
With the evolution of Kristy Stafford’s brand, she shares with us her desire to gather a community of young creatives that are looking to get started in business, especially while valuing sustainable environmental and labour practices.
We are so grateful to be a part of representing Kristy Stafford’s amazing work. It brings us joy seeing those creations brought to life through installations.
Check out her full collection here.