Tartan concepts, input appreciated

[KenB]

Wow! This is very interesting. I love the posts. Certainly pleating options would be a great consideration in selecting either tartan design. I'm wondering what will happen to either tartan if they were pleated in such a way that the red stripe works as a"flash" when the pleats "swish".

[OC Richard]

Wow thanks for all the great input!

About my approach to design and use of colours, I'm guided by an appreciation of our earliest tartans (which are often quite complex) and a loathing of the tartans designed by the Allen brothers due to their simpleminded graphic diagrammatic untartanlike appearance.

The Culloden tartan, which has a fairly straightforward appearance, contains seven different colours (light yellow, dark yellow, red, sky blue, purple, black, and white). My designs here are using six colours (dark blue, mid blue, light blue, green, red, and black).

Anyhow though I'm designing using a computer program I don't want my designs to look like it; I want them to look like cloth created on a loom. The Isle of Skye tartan has been an important influence with its lovely subtle juxtaposition of three different greens, and unconventional extremely effective juxtaposition of brown and purple.

Well I'm not done with this tartan and I'll try the idea of putting light blue lines on either side of the black line. I'll see if putting in a buch of light lines liven up the tartan or make it look jumbled and congested.

Now for something completely different and Off-Topic! I'm still plugging away at designing a more attractive Cornish tartan (my thread about it is now locked) and recently I've had a breakthrough in my opinion, trying a Windowpane Tweed thing in the vacant blue area that I've had so much trouble solving. Designing an attractive clothlike Cornish tartan is quite a poser, because you're stuck with the stark black & white Flag of Saint Piran, and the Cornish symbol consisting of a number of gold "bezants" upon a black shield. These black-background elements need some sort of background to be black upon, and I favour using a pale blue suggesting the sea and sky which surround Cornwall.

Here is my most recent design

[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 .

[OC Richard]

Thanks! I too seem to be drawn back to that first one, which by the way was the sixth pattern I came up with; it has structural strength, balance, and some nice colour interactions. The first five just lacked something, and I didn't want to post anything until I had something I was happy with.

The most recent one here, with the red and sky blue lines surrounding the single black line, is also strong and balanced. The concept in the middle above looks a bit too diffuse/busy/fussy for me, this being caused by the red lines outside the sky blue lines which demarcate the green portion of the tartan.

So for now I'm favouring either #1 or #3 above.

Thanks! Richard

[denmcdough]

Richard, yep, I'm another one in favor of the 1st tartan.

[David]

3rd one for me. It looks "cleaner", possibly due to the uncluttered blue. Might have a go at this myself. It looks interesting.

[AFS1970]

I like #1 the best, as #2 looks very busy to me. As I was reading this thread I too thought of something lighter along the black lines to maybe help them stand out. #3 accomplishes this, but to me ends up making the green stick out too much. Out of curiosity, what is the green for? It is not a color traditionally associated with most fire departments, so it made me curious as to the roots of including green.