35 Geometric Patterns and How to Design Your Own

Geometric pattern design is an important part of any professional or casual graphic designer’s repertoire and can take many forms. Here, we introduce you to geometric patterns, and give 35 vibrant, diverse, and inspiring examples.

What is a Geometric Pattern?

Geometric patterns have their roots in math. Geometry is the branch of mathematics relating to lines, angles, curves, and shapes. So, it’s easy to see how they are applicable to art and design.

Essentially, a geometric pattern is one containing objects, shapes, pictures, or other elements that repeat themselves. This repetition might be regular and obvious—such as squares repeated on a grid—or more irregular or asymmetrical, creating a more abstract-looking pattern.

What Shapes Are Commonly Used in Geometric Pattern Design?

Squares, circles, rectangles, ovals, triangles, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, diamonds, and stars are commonly used shapes in both complex and simple geometric pattern design. However, a wide variety of shapes and designs can potentially be used, as long as the elements can be repeated in some way (even if that repetition is irregular or not immediately obvious).

Simple Shapes

Repeating circles are one type of simple geometric pattern.

Shapes Within Shapes

The basic components of this design are quarter circles within rectangles and squares, repeated.

Irregular Shapes

Low poly patterns are a type of modern geometric pattern design using less predictable configurations of shapes.

How to Make Your Own Geometric Design Pattern

Geometric patterns have been an essential component of design for thousands of years, so you don’t necessarily need any advanced technology to create them. A compass, ruler, protractor, and set square are the only special tools you’ll need to create on paper the shapes and lines that are central to geometric patterns.

However, professional design programs can be used to take your geometric pattern design to the next level. Learning how to design a geometric pattern in Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and other programs can have a learning curve. But, once you’ve learned how to use them, your possibilities for creating geometric patterns are practically limitless.

35 Geometric Design Examples

1. Simple Isometric Cube

Learning how to design a geometric pattern in Photoshop and other programs will enable you to make designs like this easily.

Isometric cube images have equal dimensions or measurements and appear three dimensional.

2. Complex Isometric Cube

Student work by Elspeth Alix Batt for Photoshop for Lunch: Isometric Cube Patterns

Isometric cube patterns can be more complex, too.

3. 3D Y-shape Pattern

Student work by Hokuao G. for Illustrator for Lunch - Make a 3D Y Shape Pattern

Like isometric squares, a three-dimensional effect can be created with other geometric shapes.

4. Rotated 3D Y

Student work by Aryana R. for Illustrator for Lunch - Make a 3D Y Shape Pattern

By rotating the design, these shapes look less like Ys and give the pattern a different effect.

5. Black-and-White Lines

A simple black-and-white geometric design by Peter Bone.

By repeating and mirroring a simple square block containing thick black-and-white lines, a mesmerizing effect is created.

6. Complex Black-and-White Lines

Student work by Agnieszka Szymaniak for Creating Geometric Patterns

This black-and-white line pattern is complicated by introducing triangular shapes.

7. Triangles on Grid

Student work by Yumiko K for Illustrator for Lunch: Create a Range of Triangle Patterns

This simple but striking design effectively uses white space.

8. Psychedelic Triangles

Student work by Amy Cohas for Geometric Patterns 101: Triangular Patterns

The irregular color scheme adds complexity to this triangular design.

9. Mixed Triangles

Student work by Caroll Lenthall for Illustrator for Lunch: Create a Range of Triangle Patterns

Combining triangles of different sizes and angles creates an organic-looking pattern.

10. Beach and Mountain Triangles

Student work by Melinda Kovacs for Illustrator for Lunch - Create a Range of Triangle Patterns

The forms of nature can be a source of inspiration for geometric patterns.

11. Triangles with Photographic Background

Student work by Caz Dezines for Geometric Patterns 101: Triangular Patterns

A textured effect is created by lying the geometric triangle pattern over a photograph.

12. Low Poly Pattern

Low poly patterns can be used to portray landscapes and other pictures.

Low poly patterns are actually quite simple to make using computer programs.

13. Shape-in-Shape With Square

Student work by Darnita Howard for Geometric Patterns 101: Shape in Shape Pattern

Shape-in-shape patterns consist of one shape being repeated within a different shape.

14. Shape-in-Shape With Hexagon

Student work by Olga Vitvitskaia for Geometric Patterns 101: Shape in Shape Pattern

A more three-dimensional shape-in-shape design is created here by adding contrasting colors around the hexagons.

15. Honeycomb Hexagons

This hexagon pattern is known as a faux pattern.

Coloring the geometric shapes differently has an attractive effect.

16. Celtic-Inspired Design

Student work by Christina Rodriguez for Drawing Geometric Designs: From Hand Sketch to Digital Pattern

This complex, interweaving geometric pattern was created by hand-drawing the design first, then digitizing it using Adobe Illustrator.

17. Vintage Lace

Student work by Mel Armstrong for Drawing Geometric Designs: From Hand Sketch to Digital Pattern

This geometric pattern was inspired by delicate floral vintage crochet lace.

18. Kaleidoscope

Student work by Angelica Ovcharenko for Drawing Geometric Designs: From Hand Sketch to Digital Pattern

This design blends the structure of geometry while retaining the random feel of the patterns of a kaleidoscope.

19. Simple Shapes

Student work by Rosalie Camilleri for Inkscape for Beginners

Using many basic geometric shapes at once creates a more complex pattern.

20. Tiles

Student work by Nelli Khatmoullina for Mastering Illustrator Tools & Techniques for Creating Geometric Grid-Based Designs

Antique and international tile patterns provide endless inspiration for geometric designs.

21. Astrological Design

Student work by Bence Sel for Geometric Vector Illustration in Affinity Designer

Combining classic geometric shapes with dot and line patterns creates an astrology-inspired scene.

22. Hand-Drawn Circular Design

Student work by Sheila Roos for Journals #01: Basics of Geometric Design

Hand drawing your designs can be a good way of understanding the essential components of geometric design.

23. Geometric Owl

Student work by Jeremy Kramer for Illustration for Designers: Create Your Own Geometric Animal

The careful placement of geometric shapes can create a figurative picture, such as this owl.

24. Basic Mandala

A mandala is a geometric design made up of symbols and revolving around a circular point, and are used in many spiritual traditions as a focal point of meditation.

25. Pentagram Mandala

Student work by Carol S for Create a Pentagram Mandala

A pentagram is a five-pointed star. It’s a versatile geometric focal point for mandalas and other designs.

26. Modern Mandala

Student work by Erin Bilbrey for Procreate Mini Class: Mandalas and Geometric Repeats

This contemporary mandala updates the form with dynamic shapes, lines, and colors.

27. Color Wheels

The color wheel, as presented through mandala designs

Whether you’re learning about color mixing or just want to create a beautiful geometric pattern, these vibrant color wheel mandalas are inspiring.

28. Hearts and Flowers

Student work by Dandi Things for Easy Geometrics Using Procreate + Illustrator

Floral geometric designs are often used in stationery, fabric and clothing, wallpapers and interior design, and more.

Try turning those flower designs into a botanical repeat pattern in Photoshop with the help of this short tutorial.

29. Bumblebee Tiles

Look closely and you’ll see geometric bumblebees.

While this bumblebee geometric pattern looks complex, creating them with software like Procreate and Illustrator can be quite straightforward.

30. Alhambra-Inspired Design

Student work by Melanie Knight for Alhambra Star Mandala, Arabic Geometry Pattern - Drawing and Coloring

Islamic design draws heavily on geometric patterns. This one echoes the designs of the Alhambra fortress in Southern Spain.

31. Islamic Geometric Pattern

Eric Broug specialises in Islamic design, as seen on the cover of his book.

Islamic designs have been created by hand for centuries.

32. Starbursts

Student work by Maylin Roque for Pattern Basics 1: Understanding the Geometry of Patterns

This design utilizes simple shapes, shapes-within-shapes, and contrasting colors.

33. Meandering Hexagon

Different effects can be achieved in this pattern with various color schemes.

This hexagon pattern “meanders” because of how the outlines of the hexagons connect.

34. Pop Art Star

Student work by Tanya Felsheim for Illustrator for Lunch - Pop Art Star Style Pattern

Creating a pattern like this begins by understanding the way the pattern is made, and then repeating it.

35. Roaming Square

Student work by Becca Robinson for Illustrator for Lunch - Roaming Square Pattern

This repeating seamless tile pattern uses rounded rectangles.

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