Hey fashion designers! Do you know the importance of digital fashion illustrations in the making of any fashion design?

Gather round.

Here’s a quick question.

Have you ever tried sewing or designing an outfit for a client, but had difficulty understanding the concept they had in mind?

The client was saying one thing, while you were imagining another thing. At the end of the day, the end product wasn’t close to what they wanted.

We can only imagine how that went down. The thing is some fashion designs are complex to describe verbally. That’s why the concept of fashion illustration was introduced. 

The first step in creating a stunning outfit is sketching a visual illustration of the design. This illustration helps you interpret your client’s thoughts and ideas into a visual image. It also gives you an idea of what the end product should look like. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

With the advance in technology, fashion designers have evolved from sketching images on paper to using digital tools and software. That is what we call digital fashion illustration, or as some would say, Computer Aided Fashion Design (CAFD).

We know sketching with paper and pencil is your thing and you probably have your signature sketching style. But it won’t hurt to create some of your designs digitally, and for good reasons.

The Advantages of Designing Fashion Digitally

Here are some of the advantages of using digital tools for your fashion illustrations.

1. It is Easily Editable

You would agree with us that drawing requires lots of corrections and revisions, especially if you’re just a beginner. There will always need to modify or edit your sketch in some way. 

You would also agree that when you erase and re-draw on paper repeatedly, it makes your work look messy. That is where digital fashion illustration wins. The editing tools make it easy to clean and wipe without leaving a trace. So, you can erase and edit as many times as you want and your design will still look like a masterpiece. 

READ: Essentials for a Fashion Sketching Toolkit

2. More Rendering Techniques

Digital fashion design gives room for versatility while providing a lot of rendering techniques. You get to explore your creativity while trying out different techniques, textures, and patterns.

3. No Wear & Tear

Unlike drawing on paper, you don’t have to worry about your design getting lost, torn or damaged by water. By sketching digitally, you’ll save your work from getting damaged. Your designs would be stored permanently, and you also have the option of keeping multiple copies.

Believe us when we say digital fashion design is a resource every fashion designer needs. It’s a blessing to the fashion community.

4. Quicker & Shareable

Digital fashion designer helps you save time, unlike manual drawing. Sketching your designs takes less time when made digitally, than when done manually. The process is faster and hence saves a lot of time. You can even copy and paste design elements like sleeves, necklines, outlines, or pockets from an old design to a new one, speeding up your design process even further. These digital designs are also easy to share and can be shared multiple times.

READ: Basic Fashion Illustration for Beginners: How to Go from Amateur to Pro

5. Better Creative Presentation 

The numerous features and techniques of Computer Aided Fashion Design give you room to explore your creativity. At the end of the day, the aesthetics of the computer gives your design that extra shine.

6. Visualise Your Ideas

Digital illustration helps you to display your ideas and concepts. Instead of plain black and white pencil images, the digital illustration makes your designs more tangible and realistic. It highlights intricate details of the design, and your viewers can get a feel of the color, patterns, and texture of the fabric. 

Conclusion

The world is going digital, and you need to get with the program. Try designing your fashion illustrations digitally today!

If you want to improve and monetize your fashion illustration skills, hop on our freelance platform now. On our freelance platform, you’ll get to learn everything you need to become a professional fashion illustrator. You’ll also get the opportunity to work for retail chains, clothing manufacturing companies, textile companies, designers, and design studios. 

Our courses are comprehensive and practical. They are developed to help you move from amateur to Pro in a short time. Click here to enroll. Happy designing!