What is Memphis Pattern Design, Anyway?

Think 80s. Think neon. Think Fresh Prince harem pants.

Minimal yet busy, colourful yet uniform, eye-catching yet everywhere; memphis pattern design catches your eye with its retro simplicity, and pulls your attention along for the ride.

But don’t let the pattern style’s initial complexity fool you – it isn’t so difficult to create one of these rather quickly. Use an these abstract geometric shapes to make your pattern really jump. Pastels, neons, and fun shapes add a bit of playfulness to your project. If you want to take a darker approach, pair earthy pastels with darker tones to create intrigue and a dual nature in your work.

But how can you use this?

They’re great for logos, product design, or websites. I use white text, or a contrasting colour to make my copy stand out. Try not to put too much text on top of your patterns though, or it’ll look too busy. You’ll want to keep it simple, bold, and strong. Use empty space to command interpretation – even if you don’t have anything in mind ?.

Use gradients; use bold serif fonts; use bold and black weights; think small piece patterns; use depth; use a box stroke sparingly; use your imagination.

Book your design a ticket to Memphis –

Check out this great video on how to use geometric shapes to join in on the Memphis style patterns that are everywhere. It’s a great alternative to chillwave (since that style is getting played out lately).