CONFIDENT IN COLORS & DESIGNS

With over 25 years of textile design experience, Astrid ultimately discovered how to consistently create colorful designs that look great and sell well. After our team started using this 'system', our design sales doubled within one year, while greatly improving the results of our clients. 

We created tools to consistently support our clients in bringing wonderful new collections each season.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit” (Aristoteles)

We can support you in different ways:

> Access to our digital surface design library:

• find a solution you need, when you need it 
• browsing and selecting designs without getting lost
• searching for designs on themes, styles, and colors or simply the latest
• perfect digital files to process any future changes or recoloring (300dpi, Index files, or whatever you need) 
• easy contact procedure for purchasing, information, and assistance
• Click here to request access

> Color Concept by Astrid Davidse:

• 9 color groups of 8 color harmonies
  
• digital uploads of the color palettes
• Two editions, Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer available
• 5 free high-resolution designs each season in 9 colorways (tiff 300 dpi, copyright-free)
• No abstract trends, but the trend evolution, curated and tested by Astrid and her design team for beauty and practical usability. We are so confident we even offer:
• Money-back guarantee: not able to create great color combinations? Contact us, and we'll try to help you out. If that isn't working too you can return the package and get your money back
• Click here for the color concept web shop

> Assistance when needed:

• Technical issues with software, uploading of files, how to use index files
• Ask us, and we'll help you with tutorials, tips and tricks.

> Premium package, contact us for custom made solutions:

• Supporting your design team
• Creating a color-coordinated collection
• (re)coloring your designs
• Color consultancy
• Custom-made design workshop or training (Save thousands of dollars (yearly!) on design software, we can learn you to do it all on Photoshop, we found all the tricks you need).

From left to right: Kelly, Astrid, Neeltje, Yodi, Martin and Carlijn. Not in this photo: designers working from home: Mirah, Elia, Astrid Brockhus, Iris and Hanneke.

Astrid experienced first hand how difficult it can be to start (and stay happy & healthy) in a design job. Creatives in fashion and home product design are under constant pressure for better results. It's a battle to always be inspired to update and innovate product design. Astrid loves to make design work more comfortable and wants you to have fun working in design. 

So, I want you to be creative and effective in your design job while having more fun! For this, we offer you our Color Concept design tools and our pattern design database.

BACKGROUND

Early life

As a daughter of an architect, Astrid enjoyed looking at her father's work and discussing the challenges he faced. After graduating from Grammar school (Beta), she hesitated between Information Technology and Art School. Her uncle, who was an inventor and engineer with IBM and living in New York, advised her to go to.... Art School! 

'Finally, a collection you can wear!' was the comment of a journalist who saw the fashion collection she made for her graduation. Creating great-looking products that people really want, has become Astrid's goal throughout her career. And it was probably one of the reasons she was the only one from her graduation class who actually found a job as a fashion designer. For 6 years, Astrid developed coordinated young women collections in Esprit style and target group.

Not being able then to restrain herself (and a boss who kept putting pressure on her without giving support) and being thankful to have a design job at all, Astrid collapsed after 6 years. She spent over 1 year at home, mostly in bed, fully exhausted.

After intense psychological therapy (Davanloo, if this interests you) and appreciating the lessons of life learned at her first job, she chose to work freelance and to help creatives in their demanding jobs. As a freelancer, she trained designers on Nedgraphics software, created fashion design and started her design studio for surface designs. Again, she saw the pressure put on creatives when she trained them in house or worked with them in other ways.

Trained and experienced as a fashion designer, Astrid always prioritizes color use as a starting point. For the last 25 years, her focus has been on Home and Interior products. What makes her stand out is her talent to pinpoint the right trend colors and to combine these in harmonious color combinations. Color harmonies developed to consistently structure color coordinated design collections. 

Graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, she and her design team have been working in fashion, print design, styling and color consultancy for more than 25 years. She works with Home Fashion brands and producers in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Being the go-to Home Color and Design expert, she is a color consultant for several brands. Literally helping young talent, she enjoys training interns and lectures Color in Design two weeks per year in Beijing and at Saxion Design College in the Netherlands. She loves working with the graduation students. 

Finally, she publishes twice yearly the most practical and effective Trend Color Tool with a surprising Color Harmony Effect: for more info, go HERE. 

A new project is the Design & Color Academy, the ultimate method for designing and coloring textile products, with all the practical tricks we learned in 25 years. Expect the first introduction in 2021.

Astrid is married to her business partner Martin Salet, and they have a son, Joep Salet who studies food technology & business solutions and wants to become a perfume maker. He is their best design so far, but refuses to shine on this website!