Tartan concepts, input appreciated

[OC Richard]

I've been working on designing a bespoke tartan for a Fire Department Pipe Band. The firemen have expressed favour of a predominately dark blue tartan with some red stripes and some green in there as well. After designing quite a few and mulling over them, this is my favourite:



It has three different blues, the idea coming from Isle of Skye which has three different greens.

One of the guys said that he would like "more lines". He thinks the tartan above is too stark or simple perhaps.

Here's an idea with more red lines introduced into the blue area. I myself don't think it any improvement, but it is interesting



What does the rabble think? Is either design dangerously close to something already out there? Thanks! Richard

(I checked Scotland 2000 and it's rather different though having the same basic colours.)

PS I discovered some interesting things in working through several variations of this basic design. One it that if I don't have black lines reinforcing the widest red stripe, that entire portion of the tartan looks weaker than the rest. Those black lines are necessary to restore balance. The second is that I found it necessary to have blue lines in the red/green area, to integrate that area with the blue area. If I take them out the tartan looks unbalanced with a nice blue area and an overly Christmas-y red/green area.

[creagdhubh]

Richard,

Aesthetically speaking, the second tartan sample is much more pleasing to my eye than the first. I like the addition of "more lines" as it does make the overall design of the tartan much more interesting to look at. Despite an obvious colour difference, the sett sort of reminds me of the Clan Chattan or the Clan MacFarlane sett; though along with the colours, there are also obvious overall design differences between this tartan and that of the Clan Chattan and Clan MacFarlane tartans.

I think what I really like about the second tartan sample, is the somewhat enlarged sett. There's a lot going on there, but not too much...it's definitely not the Ogilvie tartan, which tends to be much more complex than most registered tartans. I think the colours are spot on too, but perhaps the blue could be darkened a wee bit more? This tartan would look rather interesting in an 'ancient,' 'reproduction' and muted colour scheme as well. Nice job.

Cheers,

[David Thorpe]

I quite like your first one. The second seems a bit cluttered and busy to my eye, but not atrociously so.
Assuming that a pipe band would want to pleat to the stripe, the black-guarded red stripe might be a bit narrower, and the blue flanking it a bit wider, to allow taper in the pleats without the dreaded spear points.
The second design could be pleated to the narrow black stripe flanked by the red lines quite nicely.

[OC Richard]

Thanks guys! OMG David I hadn't even thought about pleating! Do'h! I'm so glad you brought that up.

Originally I had a single black line in a large unbroken dark blue field which would have been ideal for pleating. But all those variants looks too simpleminded/Allenlike for me, and I wanted some of the complexity of the genuine old 18th century tartans.

Well now that you point it out there's no good line to go with, really, given that the band has people of widely differing proportions.

Safest to go with the dark blue block. (I'm a big fan of pleating to the block anyhow.)

When I look back and forth between those two designs I think they're both OK but what my "eye" likes in the upper one is that it has a resting place in the placid blue area. The lower one is a bit busy and diffuse. My "eye" does have a place to rest, in the dark blue squares, but it's a smaller place.

[sailortats]

Richard, I know nothing about designing a tartan and therefore my idea may be ridiculous but in looking at the first example I think it might look a little better if the white lines reinforced the single black lines. These single black lines appear to rest on a slight green color and so the white lines could make a border to the green with the black in the center.

[creagdhubh]

It will be interesting to hear what Matt, Barb, Paul, Peter and Steve will have to say. I am by no means a tartan design expert either, though I do have an immense amount of appreciation and respect for those who are.

Cheers,

[TheOfficialBren]

The first one is better. I think the second one is a bit cluttered.

Lovely colours, though.

[OC Richard]

Richard, I know nothing about designing a tartan and therefore my idea may be ridiculous but in looking at the first example I think it might look a little better if the white lines reinforced the single black lines. These single black lines appear to rest on a slight green color and so the white lines could make a border to the green with the black in the center.

Your idea sounded interesting and I had to try it. Here it is, though the black line and sky blue lines don't touch (which I think would be to contrasty for the rest of the tartan).

Also I got rid of the red lines outside the sky blue lines which demarcate the green half of the tartan. (For comparison I've included the other designs.)







These tartans have something that I prize in tartan design: they reward close inspection. I really like the green area of this tartan and I don't want to change it very much.

[MacGumerait]

OC Richard , in my humble opinion , I think you nailed it in your original post with otpion 1 . After reading what you stated they asked for in a tartan and after seeing these various options , my eye still goes back to option 1 .

You gave this a lot of thought and design work in order to come up with option 1 " from the get go " and from my humble perspective , your original instincts would be my choice . It looks stately and befitting of a fire dept tartan and offers some good choices for pleating . Sometimes , original ideas are the best ones , no clouding of thought , just focus and creativity .

Just my two cents and I applaud you for trying to assist the FireFighters .

Best to ya , Mike .