The glossary of textile patterns : all the definitions

Do you speak “textile design”? Don't worry, it's not a separate language, but rather a set of keywords that we regularly come across in this colorful world. It's easy to familiarize yourself with these terms to better understand textile design and choose the right textile designs! 

Fashion textiles

The term “fashion textile” is a catch-all term for all fabrics used for clothing and accessories. In this large family, we find natural materials (cotton, linen, wool, silk...), synthetic materials (polyester, viscose...) but also prints and patterns adapted to fashion trends.

Home textiles

As with fashion textiles, home textiles are fabrics designed for use in furnishings and interior decoration. They have aesthetic and functional characteristics (resistance, ease of care...) that make them particularly well suited to their intended use, i.e. the manufacture of curtains, cushions, tablecloths, towels, carpets, bed linen...

Surface pattern

Sometimes referred to as “print”, “decor”, “pattern” or “design”, a textile pattern is always the representation of a drawing, illustration or photo on a textile support, and by extension on any surface, in order to embellish it. Various techniques can be used to apply a textile pattern to a surface made of fibers: printing, weaving, embroidery, dyeing, knitting, lace... and to other surfaces: paper, wall, floor, packaging, cardboard, gift wrap, tableware, etc. Depending on the desired effect, it can be placed, semi-placed or repeated (allover). 

All-over pattern / Seamless pattern

An all-over pattern is repeated over the entire surface of a fabric, in both height and width, without interruption, to create visual unity. This type of pattern is widely used in textile printing, for fashion fabrics and household linen. It lends itself perfectly to all kinds of items, from small products to very large pieces.

Placement pattern

Placement patterns are isolated designs: they are not repeated and do not need to be registered. The illustration is positioned at a precise point on the fabric to create a distinctive visual effect on a garment, textile object (tote bag, shopping bag, pencil case, etc.) or furnishing item (cushion cover, comforter cover, rug, etc.).

Seamless horizontal pattern, seamless vertical pattern

As its name suggests, the seamless horizontal pattern is a compromise between all-over and placement pattern. The graphic elements of which it is composed are repeated according to a precise organization, but only along the width or height of the pattern. In the latter case, it is generally used for textile items that use the full width of the web (tablecloths, curtains, comforter covers, tunics or dresses, etc.), products that benefit from emphasizing the pattern. This is known as a seamless vertical pattern or a seamless horizontal pattern.

Reporting and matching a textile pattern

Reporting and matching is the process of transforming a design into a pattern that repeats itself without boundaries, breaks or seams in its length and/or width. The sides of the pattern match perfectly when duplicated and juxtaposed. This means it can be printed on any size of surface, in any direction from top to bottom and/or from left to right.

Matching refers to the repetition of the pattern in the width direction, whereas reporting concentrates on the repetition of the textile design in the height direction.

Pattern repeat

Pattern repeat refers to the way in which an all-over pattern is repeated. There are different types of pattern repetition:

• straight ratio
• skipped ratio
• mirror repeat
• diamond repetition
• etc

Straight ratio pattern

A straight ratio pattern is one that repeats itself in a straight line. When duplicated, its sides are juxtaposed linearly, on a horizontal line and on a vertical line.

Skipped ratio pattern

A skipped ratio pattern is one that repeats itself in a staggered pattern. There are two types of skipped ratio:

• horizontal skipped ratio: the surface pattern is repeated horizontally, over its height, in a staggered pattern.
• vertical jump ratio: the surface pattern is repeated in a vertical staggered pattern across its width.

The half jump ratio (also known as “1/2 jump ratio”) is often used. It's equivalent to repeating a staggered pattern over half the pattern width. The offset between each line is half a pattern, providing a well-balanced visual repetition.

Vector format

In the world of design, digital tools have supplanted traditional methods by facilitating the manipulation of images. Whatever the technique initially chosen to create a pattern (by hand or using software), it is digitized so that it can be reproduced and exploited for textile purposes. A textile pattern therefore always corresponds to a computer file. 

The most frequently used file formats are AI file, SVG or EPS. Why choose these formats over others? Quite simply because vector images ensure perfect definition of the pattern and optimum rendering quality for printing. The special feature of a vector image is that it can be enlarged or reduced without any loss of quality, unlike raster images (JPG, PNG...) which become pixelated and lose their sharpness when enlarged. 

Exclusive and non-exclusive licensing

The rights to use a textile design are generally defined by a license. This applies from the moment the pattern is acquired, for a fixed period and a defined territory.

Under an “exclusive” license, only the buyer may use the design for the duration of the contract. 

Under a non-exclusive license, the same design can be used at the same time and in the same territories by several different buyers. 

This is the case for all designs offered by French Design, sold under a total non-exclusive license, i.e. without any restriction of territory or sector of activity. The buyer of a French Design design can therefore use it as he or she wishes and reproduce it for 10 years anywhere in the world on fashion items, home decor, stationery, to decorate a website... 

Royalties

Royalties are “exploitation royalties” paid to a creator as part of a transfer of rights to a third party, with a view to the commercial use of a design. This financial consideration may be proportional to the revenue generated by the use of the design, or may be assessed on a flat-rate basis. 

With French Design, the buyer doesn't have to pay royalties to use the pattern he or she has chosen: the price of each textile pattern is fixed, firm and definitive, whatever its subsequent use. 

Textile pattern categories

Textile patterns make up a highly diversified universe that falls into several categories. French Design has chosen to list them by collection, so as not to forget any... Here they are!

Geometric surface patterns 

Popular and timelessly modern, geometric surface patterns offer infinite graphic possibilities. They can be used to create classic, sober, organized compositions as well as stunning optical illusions, and also to create dense combinations that totally break with convention.

Geometric patterns include the sub-categories stripes, checks, chevrons and polka dots, as well as all patterns made up of circles, squares, rhombuses, arabesques, triangles and other more or less regular polygons... Within each sub-category, there are different ways of approaching the same theme. Stripes can be interpreted as bayadère, barcode, sugar candy, regiment or marinière, and checks as tartan, gingham, checkerboard, plaid, Prince of Wales or madras... 

Abstract patterns and textures

In the textile sector, these terms are used to describe any non-figurative pattern that cannot be described as anything other than “abstract”. Any textile pattern that has no clearly identifiable form can therefore be considered an abstract textile pattern. This family includes many designs that emphasize rhythm, color or texture rather than form, and visual effect rather than interpretation. 

Landscape textile pattern

Odes to motionless journeys, “landscape” designs are an invitation to escape. Evoking tall buildings, famous monuments or vast expanses far from civilization, these exotic figurative patterns explore the world to offer a creative vision. From picturesque harbors to snow-capped mountains, from forgotten ancient cities to iconic contemporary metropolises, landscape surface patterns sublimate the world around us, postcard-style. 

Floral surface patterns

From graceful little flowers to majestic inflorescences, floral seamless patterns are a timeless graphic theme. There are a thousand and one ways to represent or suggest them, in all-over or not. Liberty and its tight mesh of tiny flowers are just one example, but flowers represent an inexhaustible and ever-trendy creative space for designers. Exotic, rustic, very common or rare, romantic or psychedelic, they immediately bring freshness and poetry to textiles. 

Vegetal surface patterns

Far from being confined to flowers, textile patterns are an attractive way of approaching flora from an aesthetic angle. This ever-renewing category of patterns features creepers, foliage, bushes, palms and branches, blooming in garlands, in refined compositions or pell-mell on textiles to sublimate them. Realistic or stylized, plants invite themselves into fashion as well as interior design to bring a breath of fresh air. 

Animal patterns

Nature didn't wait for humans to create beautifully patterned dresses. Animal patterns regularly inspire textile designers, who draw on the vast repertoire of animal coats, feathers and scales to imitate these patterns, or transform them into veritable works of art. In this large family, we find all the “animal skin” textile patterns (giraffe, leopard, peacock feathers, tiger, zebra, cow or snake skin...) but also representations of the animals themselves, most often stylized. 

Character designs

Comic-book characters, tender animals, mythical or everyday heroes, caricatures... A strong theme in fashion, but also in home decoration, character designs allow you to approach the textile medium as a space for expression. Perfect for getting a message across, they are also used to highlight a trade, a sport, a history, a culture... Particularly well-suited to the world of children, character surface patterns can also be subtle (on toiles de Jouy, for example) and are perfect for telling a story without words.

Children's textile patterns

Enter the world of children's textile patterns: brimming with imagination and cheerful colors, they are an invitation to play and daydream. This harmonious universe features sweet or mischievous illustrations, animals, characters and childhood favorites, to awaken the curiosity of little ones and brighten up their daily lives. 

"Food” surface patterns 

Happiness is often on the plate! A unifying theme if ever there was one, good food and the pleasures of the table are subjects that designers never fail to exploit. Colorful fruits and vegetables, crunchy cookies, sweets and regional specialties are all part of this category of food-focused designs: these crisp, gourmet textile prints brighten up everyday life. 

Objects surface patterns

Lipstick tubes, shoes, umbrellas, cameras, glasses, cars or planes... Visually appealing, all these everyday objects are sources of inspiration for designs that are generally pop, colorful and full of fantasy. 

France places patterns

Provence and its cicadas, the beaches of Polynesia and their sumptuous palm trees, Brittany and its lighthouses... Whether in mainland France or overseas, France is beautiful and rich in regional emblems. In this category, we find everything that contributes to the charm of our regions, making them unmistakable. Regional pride for their inhabitants, unforgettable memories for those who just happen to be passing through, these graphic themes embody the diversity of our territories, sketched by talented designers. Embark on a tour of France's patterns, from seashells to lavender bushes and olive branches to historic monuments.

World culture designs

Capturing the essence of a culture, of an ethnic group, is the aim of “world culture” patterns, which can also be called “ethnic”. These inspired patterns revisit ancestral textile traditions and popular arts from India, Asia, Africa, the Middle East or South America, infusing them with a healthy dose of modernity, like the famous almond- or teardrop-shaped pattern : the Boteh, also known as the Cashmere or Paisley pattern,