Spoonflower for Surface Pattern Designers

7 reasons why you should use Spoonflower as a Surface Pattern Designer

When you are building a surface pattern design business, visibility matters. You want your work out in the world in places where people are actively searching, buying and discovering new artists.

For me, Spoonflower has been one of those places. It is more than just a print on demand site. It is a discovery platform, a sales engine and a surprisingly powerful tool in your marketing strategy, especially if you are using Pinterest to grow your business.

Whether you are just starting out or are already uploading regularly, here are my seven favourite reasons Spoonflower is such a helpful platform for surface pattern designers.

1. Spoonflower helps you bulk out your Pinterest content

Pinterest needs volume. The more pins you create, the more visibility you build over time.

One of the easiest ways to bulk out your Pinterest strategy is simply by uploading your designs to Spoonflower. Every listing instantly gives you multiple mockups, angles and product views, which you can turn into pins that link directly back to your shop.

This creates a natural cycle. You upload to Spoonflower. Spoonflower auto generates beautiful previews. You pin them. Pinterest sends people back to your shop. Traffic increases. Sales increase. Repeat.

It is one of the simplest ways to scale Pinterest without extra design work.

2. Multiple colourways are linked automatically

If you upload a design in three colourways, Spoonflower links them for you. Customers can easily browse all colour options from the same page and choose the version that best suits their project.

This is a huge advantage, especially for designers who love experimenting with palettes. I often upload bright, fun colourways with fabric in mind and then softer, more neutral tones ideal for wallpaper.

It creates a better shopping experience and gives your designs a higher chance of being chosen.

3. Simple designs can sell very well on Spoonflower

One of the biggest surprises for new designers is that simple designs often perform incredibly well.

Solids, textures, stripes, blenders and small scale coordinates are always in demand. Sewists rely on these basics when creating garments and quilts, and simple designs work really well for wallpaper.

Do not overthink it. Upload the simple designs too. They are the quiet, steady sellers in many shops.

4. Novelty designs thrive with good SEO

Think about what people type into the search bar when they cannot find something at their local fabric store.

Dinosaurs in party hats birthday fabric
Vintage tractor wallpaper
Cute watercolour bee blender
Jumping Halloween frogs in purple and orange
Handpainted wobbly watercolour stripe in soft blue

Novelty designs with strong SEO often perform extremely well because customers are actively searching for something very specific. Spoonflower makes it easy for your designs to be discovered by people who already have purchase intent.

5. Art directors and brands look for designers on Spoonflower

This might be one of the biggest hidden benefits.

Many brands search Spoonflower when they are looking for fresh artwork or potential collaborations. It is an easy way for them to see your portfolio, your style range and how your work translates onto products.

Being active on Spoonflower means putting yourself in a place where art directors are already browsing. It increases your chances of being found without needing to constantly pitch.

6. Wallpaper commissions add up quickly

Wallpaper is one of the highest earning categories on Spoonflower. Commissions on these larger scale purchases can help you reach your bonus much faster, especially when your designs begin to rank or get consistent traffic.

If you have designs that would translate well to wallpaper, upload them. The demand is there.

7. You do not need a signature style to start

This is something many artists worry about. Your Spoonflower shop does not need to look cohesive. Most customers will never see your shop homepage.

They find your work through search.

This means you can experiment, explore different motifs, play with colour and upload a variety of styles. Spoonflower is one of the few platforms where you can grow while still figuring out where you want to land creatively.

Final thoughts

Spoonflower is a powerful platform for surface pattern designers. It helps you test ideas, build visibility, reach new customers and support your marketing efforts in a way that compounds over time.

So that leaves one question.

Are you already using Spoonflower?

If not, this is your sign to start.

p.s If you want to do a deep dive into Spoonflower I highly recommend Erin Kendal’s Power Sellers Academy! It’s taken me from random to consistent sales, even hitting the 1% bonus a fair few times which I never thought possible! In PSA you’ll learn so much more than just Spoonflower, it’s full of amazing tips and advice for surface pattern designers and we even get game changing trend reports saving a HUGE amount of time researching.
*I am a proud affiliate of PSA