Quote Originally Posted by Lyle1 View Post
...I don't think I could explain why I personally like a particular tartan.

...it is not a specific color or hue that attracts me, but how it is used in a given situation.

I prefer tartans that have a pattern that is easily discernible from a distance of twenty feet or so and that have an obvious repeat to the pattern.
The first thing, explaining why we like something, is the hard part.
I took a lot of art classes and many instructors banned the word "like". Their point was that it was that it's very easy to say we like or don't like something, and doing so requires no thought. The hard part is to put aside like/don't like and to really discuss what makes a piece of art effective. This applies to tartans, as each tartan is a work of art, a painting or composition in a way.

It's extremely difficult to pinpoint what makes some tartans more striking to the eye than others. For my own eye, as I said above, much of it is about the structure. But on the other hand some tartans have such wonderful use of colour that the structure almost doesn't matter.

Now about the last statement above, about tartans having a pattern that's discernable at a distance, that's especially true for tartans used by a pipe band. Pipe bands oftentimes pick a tartan that looks good when worn by an individual and veiwed up close, but when worn en masse and viewed at distance, is too diffuse or has too weak a structure.