Patterns take over the world

From the timeless designs of ancient history we saw in the first chapter (

The dawn of patterns), we now head into our own own millennium. As we’ll see in the first part, pattern trends and techniques start to travel the globe and designs are being both more complex and more stylized.

Different cultures developed distinct pattern "languages" as unique as spoken language, and we’ll see a bunch of them in this chapter. But as cultures met (and sometimes clashed), these visual languages inspired each other, evolving over time and across regions.

African wax prints are a great example of such cultural evolution: those vibrant wax print patterns began with Indonesian batik, were processed through European industrial methods, then transformed by African designers into something entirely their own.

In Medieval Europe a famous style of symbols emerged: the Celtic Knot. These intricate interwoven patterns seem to have no beginning or end. They are a popular tattoo motif today, for Celts and non-Celts alike.

In churches, Gothic rose windows transformed geometric principles into stone and colored glass, creating beauty that was both stunning and mathematically precise. Magnificent, larger-than-life, and yet made by hand, these sometimes took generations to make.

Asian traditions took different approaches. Take for example the Chinese artists, who created lattice patterns often out of wood, creating a balance of form and backdrop, like Yin and Yang. Both these and the Gothic rose windows are great examples working with negative space.

Another classic example: the Seigaiha (blue ocean waves), possibly the most well-known pattern from Japanese origin. It’s a simple pattern of overlapping semicircles that roll across the surface like an sea. With just one repeating shape, it manages to capture both the calm rhythm of water and the feeling of endlessness.

From the early beginnings of Islam, artists pushed pattern-making to extraordinary heights. Religious traditions discouraged realistic representation, so artists channeled their creativity entirely into abstract patterns. The results were geometric masterpieces that still captivate us centuries later.

Below you see some photos I took on a trip to Iran in 2018. These were among many incredible pattern artworks we came across.

These patterns are really best seen as philosophy in visual form, expressing infinity and divine order through mathematical precision. The Alhambra and Istanbul's Blue Mosque are some of humanity's greatest achievements in mathematical art.

These historic patterns use the same mathematical principles that software like Repper uses today to create highly complex designs. Medieval artists were essentially creating what we'd now call algorithms, yet creating them entirely by hand.

The Industrial Revolution changed pattern-making forever. Previously, patterned fabrics required painstaking hand creation—thread by thread, block print by block print. This made them time-consuming and expensive to produce.

The Jacquard loom, introduced in 1804, was essentially the world's first programmable machine. It used punched cards to automatically weave complex patterns—a direct ancestor of computer programming. This innovation made patterned textiles affordable for ordinary people for the first time.

Pattern books became bestsellers, spreading designs across continents faster than ever before. But human nature kicked in: as machine-made patterns became common, people began craving handmade alternatives. This sparked movements like Arts and Crafts, which emphasized returning to human craftsmanship.

The 20th century became a pattern playground. Art Nouveau embraced flowing, plant-like forms. Art Deco celebrated bold geometry and machine-age aesthetics.

At The Bauhaus school, some artists stripped patterns down further down in search of the fundamental building blocks.

Designers like Alexander Girard proved that geometric patterns didn't have to feel cold or impersonal. His work felt warm and playful, showing that abstract design could retain human personality.

Pop Art brought commercial printing techniques into fine art, blurring the lines between art and commerce.