The study was to investigate whether small scale garment producers in Berekum apply the elements and principles of design in garment manufacturing (since some produced garments had colours not well blended, fabric with lines not meeting at seam joints, motifs not well arranged, and some garment styles not looking good on clients’ figures because their figure types were not considered before designing) and to unearth strategies to improve their clothing designing skills to meet current market standards. The study used a descriptive survey research design. The snow ball and convenience sampling techniques in selecting one hundred small scale garment producers for the study. The main instrument was a questionnaire and observation checklist, analysed to generate frequencies, percentages and mean, and presented in tables. It was revealed that the garment producers had a fair knowledge in the application of the elements and principles of design and about 85% appreciated their importance. However, they failed to practice because of Clients’ demand. Findings from workshop organized revealed the need for using smart phones and has aided in the provision of an easy access to information which has sort to promote the use of data and real-world applications to enhance their productivity. The respondents therefore suggested that frequent in- service training and workshops should be organized for them by their Tailors and Dressmakers Association and Ghana National Association of Tailors and Dressmakers (GNATD) in order to meet current market demands and competition since majority of them went through apprenticeship training where there was no standard syllabus for them to learn from.
Keywords: Design, Knowledge, Skills, competency, elements and principles of design, garment
