Two of the top issues I hear about regarding print design is that it can make you look heavier than you are and it can be distracting to the viewer. I think prints can add the exclamation point to your style and can be a very exciting part of your wardrobe or your home. They are the artwork for the body when you know how to select the right one for you. There are several things to take into account:

1) Contrast –  This is the level of light and dark within the color spectrum. You want to match the level of contrast with the level of contrast between your hair, skin, and eyes. First look at your hair and skin in contrast to each other, next, look at the level between your eyes and skin, and finally, eyes and hair. If you have strong contrast, look for strong contrasting prints i.e black and white, navy and bone, brown and ivory, pewter and pink. If you have soft contrast then you would look for a more blended design.

2) Size – The size of the print is determined by your proportion and scale. You can be a more petit person with a larger face for your height, this allows a larger print. If your face is medium for your height look for a medium size print. If you have small refined features look for a smaller print. That means that you could be tall and need small print or short in stature and need large print.

3) Complexity – Complexity refers to the amount of “busy-ness” or design that your body can handle. If you have curly hair, lots of pigment variation in your skin, variation in size of features, and animation to your personality, you can wear a print that has more activity. If you have fine hair, porcelain skin and features that are congruent in size, you wear a simpler design.

4) Body Type - This helps determine the fabric of the print. A more structured or skeletal frame can wear a crisper fabric with form. The athletic or muscular body can wear fabric that has ease and flow like a jersey or stretch gaberdine. The molded curvaceous body can wear fabric with drape like chiffon, jersey, and georgette.

5) Themes – If you have an animated fun-loving personality look for brighter colors, polka dots, and whimsical designs. If you have a softer, more reserved personality look for diffused prints like abstract or blended florals, scenic or toile. If you have a feisty, go get ‘em personality, look for animal prints, nature themes, tapestry and tribal designs. If your personality tends to be more dramatic, then look for edgy geometrics, strong bold stripes, zebra, as well as, byzantine themes.

If you are buying prints for the first time, I suggest you start with scarves. You can find just about any print and size in a scarf. A good starting point would be to buy a print that has your hair or eye color as the foundation of the design. Also, look for print shoes, handbags, bracelets, sunglasses, and T-shirts. All of these items can be found with print design. It’s important when buying prints to always hold it up to your face in the mirror and see if it matches you contrast, size and spacing of your features, and complexity. If the prints seems to busy next to your face then it has too much detail and design in relationship to your face. It’s also important to be aware of the fabric structure and weight. If you have the correct print on the wrong fabric, it will not be comfortable on your body and could feel too stiff and heavy.

I consider eyewear to be a major accessory and as important as a piece of jewelry or shoes, especially for those of us who have to wear them everyday.  The three main design principles that we focus on when selecting eyewear are: visual weight, geometry of the face and facial shapes, and  complexity.  Also when making the final choice, I consider essence and personality.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you must try eyewear on.  I know the temptation to buy over the internet is a big one, but even with my expertise in color and design, I still have to see the eyewear on someone to make a good decision.  All the correct elements can be present and yet it still may not quite work. When the frames are on the face, that’s when I can see all elements coming together and make the appropriate adjustments.

Let’s review each of the design elements beginning with visual weight.  You can also review these principles by watching the design videos and by reading my book.  Visual weight refers to the weight of your hair, skin and features.  LIght visual weight refers to someone with fine hair, transparent skin and refined features.  Heavy visual weight refers to someone with curly or dense hair, variation in skin tone, and prominent facial features.

Your eyewear should be at the same level as your visual weight.  If you have very light visual weight and put on too heavy an eyewear – it will be overpowering.   If you require heavy visual weight and wear too light an eyewear, the glasses will seem plain and insignificant.  People who have a combination of light and heavy visual weight require a mixture of elements.  So, it’s important to do your homework before you shop for eyewear.  Take time to sit in front of a mirror and do an assessment.  Ask your friends if their perception of your visual weight matches with yours.

Next, I want to discuss geometry. For geometry, I take into consideration the arc of the brow, the shape of the jaw, space of the cheek area, and the eye socket. It ‘s important that the top of the eyeglass be congruent with the shape of the eyebrow if it shows. If you have a wedge brow than you can do a strong horizontal across the top but if you have an arc brow, then your eyewear needs the curve at the top.

We want the eyeglass to work with the eye socket. Wear it at the socket or below. When the eyewear is large and goes below your eye socket you really have to be aware of the cheek space between the eyeglass and the jaw line. If it’s too small an area, the eyewear will be overpowering and seem too large.

If you have a triangle jaw, it’s important to wear angled eyewear versus horizontal i.e. aviator, cats eye, modern geometric. The triangle jaw needs an oblique angle instead of straight edge across the bottom.

You want the widest part of the eyewear to be close or in line with the widest part of the face which can be at the cheeks or at your jaw line. Often people get eyewear that is much too wide for their face and then the eyewear becomes overpowering.

Finally, let’s talk about complexity. Complexity refers to how much design is in the sunglass itself. This includes embellishments, one color or many colors, like tortoise, smooth vs texture or laser cutout, density of color i.e. black versus a translucent color.

To review the design elements on complexity, we look at texture of hair, skin, and features. Do you have straight hair or curly hair? Are your facial features of one size or is there variation? Finally, is your skin smooth or does it have pigment variation? Also, I consider your energy. Are you animated or contained when you speak? Do you walk softly or with purpose? Do you speak fast or slow? All these elements determine how much complexity you can handle. If you choose eyewear with too much complexity and are someone with more refined features and hair, the eyewear will get busy, if you can wear a lot of complexity and the eyewear doesn’t have enough, it can look too plain, stiff, and flat.

Like clothing, your eyewear creates your expression. As you can see in the following videos, one or two will stand out. The art form comes in the expression and creates a final choice. I encourage you to evaluate your physical design elements before selecting your eyewear. By taking your design into consideration, you can make an educated choice that might lead to some surprising choices and new possibilities. Special thanks to Montana Eyes in Santa Monica, CA for allowing us to film in their store and also to Marion, the rep for the Frances Klein line of eyewear.

Eyewear Introduction

Eyewear 1

Eyewear 2

Eyewear 3

Eyewear 4