different way of tartan design/marketing?

[OC Richard]

Another thread got me a-thinkin' (always scary).

There have been many threads here over the years from (mostly) Americans looking for a tartan in their team or school colours.

They'll say "what tartans are predominantly taupe and fuchsia, those are the colors of my college Watsamattah U?" etc etc.

And people will reply "for taupe and fuchsia you'd be best off with MacGillicutty weathered ancient peatstained hunting" etc etc.

BUT the problem is that you're wearing a tartan with other, prior, associations: a clan tartan, a district tartan, or what have you.

Here's my idea: A tartan weaver could come out with a range of tartans designed solely to exhibit certain colours, those colours being ones commonly seen for sports teams, universities, schools, etc.

These tartans would simply bear the colour names and therefore carry no clan district etc "baggage" with them.

Such as

Blue & Gold (the colours of several US states and many schools)
Maroon & Grey (a very common school colour here)
Scarlet & Grey
Green & Yellow
Claret & Blue (Aston Villa, West Ham, numerous schools, etc)
Red & Blue
Black & White
Black & Gold
Black & Silver

and so on.

It would take a bit of research to find which colour combinations are the most common/wanted.

[Calico]

That's a pretty good idea. But, two color tartans are pretty blah. And most schools are just two colors (green and gold for mine).

And, would you have them all the same pattern, just different colors? I don't think you could get away with that.

Still, an idea to consider.

[kc8ufv]

That's a pretty good idea. But, two color tartans are pretty blah. And most schools are just two colors (green and gold for mine).

And, would you have them all the same pattern, just different colors? I don't think you could get away with that.

Still, an idea to consider.

Actually, considering

They'll say "what tartans are predominantly taupe and fuchsia, those are the colors of my college Watsamattah U?" etc etc.

I think it just might work. Now, I realize a 2 color tartan would be a little blech, but there was nothing the OP said that would prevent a minor 3rd or 4th color from being added to set the pattern off. Using a commonly known tartan for example - McLeod. It's primarily yellow and black, but it also has red in it that sets off the pattern.

[Chirs]

One can always add in some black and white (narrow) lines without changing the overall effect...

Definitely an idea there

[figheadair]

Hummmm. I don't wish to be a spoil sport but I don't any weaver being prepared to invest in a range of non-attributed colour combinations. The possibilities are endless and someone will always come along and say something to the ettect that they want the red and green one but that the green must be 2/3 the width of the red etc etc.

Given the financial straights most weavers are in I cannot see why they would want to invest in a stock that may, or may not, sell when they have enough trouble managing named tartans.

[SoSelkirk]

Hummmm. I don't wish to be a spoil sport but I don't any weaver being prepared to invest in a range of non-attributed colour combinations. The possibilities are endless and someone will always come along and say something to the ettect that they want the red and green one but that the green must be 2/3 the width of the red etc etc.

Given the financial straights most weavers are in I cannot see why they would want to invest in a stock that may, or may not, sell when they have enough trouble managing named tartans.

I agree with this, having just made a proposal to a university regarding licensing a tartan design for production. One of their reasons for lack of interest is the narrow market for production. One needs to have a model that includes a very wide audience to ensure a steady market in order to recapture the cost of design, development, production and distribution.

Only a person with the personal drive to push through the resistance will have the fortitude to succeed.

[OC Richard]

Yes these are all vaid points. It would be quite an effort and expense to design and make a range of these tartans, for an unknown and possibly small market.

It was the "blue & gold" tartan thread that go me thinking along those lines, because the University of California Riverside has designed and produced a quite lovely blue & gold tartan:



Now, since it's named "University of California Riverside" it has a very limited scope for wearing.

BUT... were it named simply "Blue & Gold" it would be suitable for:

quite possibly over half of all Americans, as these are the state colours of:

Arizona
California
Louisiana
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Pennsylvania
West Virginia

and the supporters of the following Universities:

University of Delaware
Notre Dame
Southern University
Ithaca College
Univerity of Pittsburgh
Brigham Young University
West Virginia University
US Naval Academy
University of California

Now to me it makes more sense to design and market ONE blue & gold tartan to cover all these things, rather than design twenty seperate tartans.