I first got my mitts on a Love to Print zine last summer when Karoline popped Obsession in the post to me. I swooned a bit, then wrote a blog post about it because it truly is a thing of beauty. (And yes, the print still smells lush.)

Imagine how chuffed I was then, when Karoline got in touch recently to ask if I'd like to be part of the latest Love to Print zine – Pattern. Ooooh, yes please!

My brief: design a typographically-themed spread, based on 'pattern'.

This certainly got me thinking. In fact, a while back I droned on, apparently randomly, about thinking backwards and upside-down but there was method in my madness and it was all because of this project.

Typography is about words, so I had to consider words in my design; it had to mean something as well as look good. That's where the idea to use palindromes came from as they're essentially word patterns. I researched those palindromes which (phonetically) name a letter of the alphabet; with the idea of then using that letter to create the pattern. I eventually settled on 'Did Hannah see bees? Hannah did', making a repeating pattern of uppercase Edwardian Script 'B's.

Not only was I lucky enough to design this spread for Pattern – I got to design the contents and contact pages too; along with the cover, each and every one of which has been lovingly screenprinted, by hand, by Karoline.

Anyway, Patterns contains loads of exquisite illustrations from five fantastically talented screenprint artists, who each have very different styles – Karoline Rerrie, Sarah Lynch,Ruth Green,Helen Entwisle,Daisy Whitehouse – and yeah, I did some stuff too. (Though I can't call myself an artist!) Love to Print Patterns #1 will be available at The New Art Gallery Walsall's Artists' Bookfair on 22-23rd May. If you can't make it there though, watch this space for other ways of getting your hands on Patterns.