Sophina Design is a Vancouver-based pattern design studio, led by accomplished pattern designer, Sophie Davari.Sophina designs patterns for various surfaces, ranging from fabrics through stationeries and cell phone covers to website backgrounds in various styles from impressionism through cubism to Art Noveau. Sophina’s uniqueness lies in its inspiring pattern designs and uplifting illustrations. Sophina’s modernly eclectic portfolio is a seamless blend of cast iron certainty with a hefty dosage of experimentation, multicultural traditions with modern trends, and hand-painted art with digital. Sophina’s main motif is paisley rooted in Persia, the home of all curvy lines.
It all started a long time ago and far, far away in a land where true art is still respected, admired and appreciated, when the beauty of patterns caught up with me and I started illustrating my school homework book with various pieces of art. Some were sketches and some were pencil colourings, but they were all about patterns, and I felt on the top of the world creating them. It was real honey for me after the bitter pill of slogging through the homework. At that time, it all seemed like a child’s acting out her secret ambition, but those illustrated patterns paving the path to my higher calling as an pattern designer [instead of artist. The word “designer” sounds more specific].
In 2009, majoring in print media, I graduated from fine art school. I learned all the techniques and styles in print and used them on a wide range of different surfaces with batik print becoming my absolute favourite. Then as we got deeper and deeper into the digital age, although my main tools of the trade are still my imagination, pencil and paper, I went back to school to study technical web design and learn the secrets of transferring traditional pencil-and-paper art to this new digital art form.
After that I got one of my greatest career revelations while working with a volunteer who was helping me out. One day I was chatting with this volunteer designer and told her I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the kind of work I was doing and what I wanted to do. As a result of her encouragement, I started paying attention to a neglected area on my palette of interests: I discovered my love for surface pattern design and my appetite for interior decoration, so I started doing painting and even more sketches.
I was lucky because before starting my own business, I had the opportunity to work in jobs where I could learn and practice some vital business skills, including sales, customer service and project management. Later on in my own business, these skills helped me tremendously to make my humble little design studio successful from day 1. Clients came, liked what they got and kept coming back with their friends and business connections in tow.
My other stroke of luck is that I’ve had the good fortune to design for a broad range of businesses, ranging from massage therapy to gourmet meal delivery. This level of variety has allowed me to become familiar with several business models and how they generate profits. This knowledge makes it possible for me to consider commercial value in my designs.
I’ve heard somewhere that great leaders are like the best orchestra conductors; they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players, so I do something similar for my clients. I try to reach beyond art and take art to my clients’ souls. I think that’s more than art. That’s magic and this is the kind of magic I’d like to create and gently etch it into people’s minds and hearts and also to use my art to help people grow as human beings.
I’d like to help them see the light of their innate talents and uniqueness, so maybe some of them will remember me as the conduit to their newly found aspiration and inspiration.
In the end, I’d like to donate one of my best pieces to a large organization to be remembered.
