Why texture matters in Surface Pattern Design (+ a free download)

Have you ever finished a surface pattern design and thought “something is just not working”?

You’ve got great motifs, the colors are on trend, but the final design looks flat or disconnected. This happens to so many designers and the solution might be the simple addition of a background texture.

Hiding in the Pink Flowers no ground

Cute design.

Delicate watercolor flowers, nice range of pinks and neutrals.

But ugh! They are just floating on the ground, all separate entities.

Texture isn’t just about style, it completes your design.

What’s really going wrong with this design?

It’s the white space or ground. There’s too much, it’s uneven, it’s separating the elements in an unnatural way.
There are several ways to address a problem like this. Check out one solution I’ve had great success with below.

Adding a texture to the ground, in this case a broken geometric pattern, pulls everything together, helps your eye move through the pattern, and elevates the look. It is busier but at the same time cohesive.

What do you think? Will you try adding background patterns to create texture in your work?

Come back to my blog for more tips on the different ways to use textures to uplevel your patterns.

Download my free PDF that illustrates 5 reasons texture is important in design work. Do you always need texture? Definitely not! But when you are questioning why something just isn’t right, it might be the answer.

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