I read a great article in PRINT Magazine about the history and origin of pattern. Pattern is a design element frequently scene, but rarely understood. There are four main pattern elements that are most commonly used: stripes, polka dots, paisleys, and the fleur de lis. Since I'm a nice guy, I thought I share with what I learned.

Stripes: A recent phenomenon in the design world, or are they? They can be traced back to 1254 when Palestinian monks traveled wearing stripped cloaks, which were reminders of the prophet Elijah's charred cloak after his fiery ascent into Heaven. They were also associated with medieval prostitutes, prisoners, and fools, and eventually banned by the Catholic Church! Today, they serve as a visual instrument of priority. School crossings, lighthouses, and barbershops all contain stripes for a reason. Stripes transcend time and carry a broad, but bold, range of emotional connections. As a side note, The IBM logo, mostly stripes, was almost shot down in the board room because one member responded, "It looks like prison stripes".

Polka Dots: Fresh, funky, and relatively modern. In the 1830′s era, the Polka swept Europe and eventually jumped the big pond and landed in the United States. Marketers quickly associated the dot pattern with the movement and as the music style fizzled out the dots remained. Nowadays, polka dots remind us of the polka era, but they are also bubbly, playful, eloquent, nostalgic and used in halftone prints in the ever popular and nostalgic screen printing.

Paisley: Anything from vegetable to animal, the Paisley has been compared to a lotus, a cypress, a leech, a mango, a dragon, just to name a few. Folk lore tells of how illiterate farmers at the harvest keep a schedule by dipping a curled fist in ink, then stamping it against a wall like a prehistoric punch clock, which looked remarkably like the shape above. The paisley also has large ties to the east India traders and the popularity of patterned shawls in the mid- 18th century in most of Europe. The pattern is today scene in bandannas (from hippies to gang bangers) and main stream brands like Vans, Juicy, and Baby Phat pants.

Fleur De Lis: Some claim this little treat is the world's first logo, I humbly disagree, but it does date back to ancient times as a decorative element on coins, textiles, and art from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and several others. It became mostly associated with France, in 493, when the French King converted the nation to Christianity and used this as a symbol of his power. Other accounts credit the shape as a lilly, an iris, a lotus, a trident, an arrowhead, a dove, or even three toads. Today, the fleur de lis is an icon for hope in New Orleans after Katrina ravaged the region. The pattern has rich history both past and present.

Patterns are not just shapes, they are beautiful communication devices with rich history, meaning, and emotional ties. So designers (and clients), lets think next time before we throw that ever catchy stripped pattern on something, it might just cause a jail break!

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