Brushstroke Pattern Inspiration

For our 2020 pattern, we knew we wanted color, layering and texture in a larger scale pattern that evoked playful movement and personality. With no two bags alike, the Brushstrokes pattern has caught the eye and praise of many of our customers, and we couldn’t be more satisfied. Read on to find out more on our creative process and how this new pattern came to be.

You know it’s spring when you see the daffodils poking out of the ground, when the days get longer, and when Po Campo launches its new print pattern! This year we are excited to introduce our new pattern, Brushstrokes.

Designating Our Design Criteria

Designing a new pattern takes research, inspiration and lots of trying out and testing. In the spring of 2019, we were deciding on what direction to go for our new print. We knew we wanted something bright and colorful that reflected Po Campo’s optimistic new look and mission, and we had strict design criteria we wanted it to meet. The new pattern had to:

• Help people feel “seen” while riding in traffic or at dusk
• Give a feeling of joy and happiness, like cycling in spring
• Feel fresh to coincide with our new bags and new website
• Be on-trend so it would go with other styles and colors people will be wearing
• Have a good mix of colors to match a bunch of different colors of bikes
• Have a scale that would be suitable on a big bag like the Irving Backpack Pannier 2 and a small bag like the new Hudson Seat Bag.

Finding The Right Pattern

We looked for inspiration on social media platforms like Instagram, in trending articles, in fashion blogs, just out and about in New York City. We found ourselves being drawn to free-form techniques like tie-dye and watercolor, mediums in which colors are layered on in various brushstrokes and gestures that are not strict or confined, but looser and of the moment. Something about this approach gave these patterns a personality, as if you could picture someone standing in front of a canvas with a big brush, making marks that express what was felt in that moment. 

Brushstroke trend board

Because of the scale of the print and its animate nature, we appreciated the sense of individuality these brushstroke patterns possessed and that when applied to our bags, no two would be the same. Every person would get one that was their very own.

We believe that our customers are on the cutting edge of mobility, changing the way that people move around in an urban or rural area. We wanted our print to reflect this spirit and believe Brushstroke does just that.

View all the Po Campo bags available in Brushstrokes.