The Importance of Seasonal Collections in Art Licensing
If you want to license your artwork, there are some must-haves in your portfolio that art licensing agents and buyers always look for. At the top of that list is seasonal collections. (Think, winter holidays/Christmas, spring florals, Halloween, and sunny summer themes)
And here’s a real-world nudge for you. My agent from Jewel Branding joined a live call inside my private surface design community, The CatCoq Collective, and one of her biggest takeaways for my students was simple. She wants to see well-rounded portfolios with seasonal collections. Not just pretty surface patterns, but a strategic portfolio filled with collections that match the buying patterns of potential licensing partners. That breadth in a portfolio tells buyers that you understand the retail rhythm and you can deliver marketable work all year.
So if your goal is to land licensing deals or work with an agency, seasonal collections need to be a staple in your portfolio.
Let’s dive into what a seasonal collection is, how to design one, and how to make it unique to you!
What is a seasonal collection?
Simply put, a seasonal collection is a group of coordinating artwork built around one moment on the calendar, like Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Spring, Summer, Mother’s Day, Easter, etc. Basically, anything related to a certain season of the year or a certain holiday. You’ll usually have one hero piece, a couple of supporting repeat patterns, and a few small icons or short phrases that can land on different products. The goal is that a buyer can glance at it and imagine a whole shelf of coordinating items right away. Keep it cohesive, trend-forward, and uniquely you!
Why agents and buyers care about seasonal collections + why you should too
I recently read some wild stats from the National Retail Federation about seasonal buying trends. Winter holiday sales last year (2024 at the time of writing) were up 4% from the previous year at $955 BILLION. 🤯Halloween spending in 2025 is expected to reach a record $13 billion.
The whole point is that seasonal buying patterns are a big deal since they bring in a looootttt of money for retailers. And that means a lot of royalties if your art ends up on the shelves during one of these seasons! To miss out on popular seasons and gift-giving holidays means missing out on a big portion of your potential earnings as a licensing artist.
How to design a seasonal collection (and infuse your own style!)
Start by picking a season or holiday to focus on. Keep it simple by narrowing it down to Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Then get more specific about what kind of collection you want to create for that season. Is it a Mother’s Day collection for Spring? A Christmas collection for winter?
Then, brainstorm a list of motifs for that season and find which ones resonate with you the most. With your list of motifs, it’s time to start creating your illustrations!
I like to start by designing my hero image. This is the main illustration that the rest of the collection will be based on.
Pro Tip: Think about what kind of product your hero might live on. Is it going to be on a greeting card? Tabletop items? Stationery? Thinking about this ahead of time can help guide your design process. For example, if you imagine that your holiday collection will be used on greeting cards, you may want to design the hero with a hand-lettered message rather than just a standalone illustration.
Once you have your hero, you can use elements from that design to create coordinating patterns and icons!
I have a whole blog post on how to design collections that goes into more detail about all these terms and the strategy behind collections in general.
Most importantly, you want this collection to feel like you. If you incorporate bold, modern color palettes in your work, infuse that into your seasonal collection. If your style is cutesy and muted, design your collections to match that vibe.
Your unique artistic voice is what makes your work stand out. This is how you’ll get noticed and land licensing deals.
How many seasonal collections do you need?
You don’t need to build a whole seasonal portfolio overnight. Start with the heavy hitters that match your vibe. For many artists, that’s winter holidays, Halloween, or spring florals. Once those anchors are in your portfolio, add summer or Valentine’s Day, or go deeper where you’re getting the most traction.
A simple plan to get started this week
Pick one upcoming season and start planning a mini-collection. That keeps it low pressure. Just 3-6 pieces will do. You don’t need a ton of art in your collection to land licensing deals. Include a mockup or two on relevant products so buyers can see how it would work on their products. That’s it! You don’t need fifty pieces. You need a cohesive collection that works for the season and fits your personal style!
Want to learn more about my mini-collection strategy and get some templates for your collection? Check out this blog post next! (It includes free tear sheet templates!)
Seasonal collections aren’t about chasing every trend. They’re about aligning your art with real buying moments, so your portfolio works harder for you. When you approach seasons as licensing opportunities, you’re taking a strategic step towards the licensing career you’ve been dreaming about!