The House of Caswell Pattern

I wanted to make a pattern that was equal parts retro and futuristic, and that’s how the House of Caswell pattern (and later the logo) was born. I made a mood board of some of my favorite mid-20th Century repeating patterns, and noticed that something many of them had in common was a diamond shape forming an argyle-type pattern. The other thing they all had in common was bright, punchy colors.

I already had the bright colors picked out for the pattern collection, so I created a diamond pattern, only I didn’t want to make a straightforward argyle. Instead, I used bulging lines to play up the retro vibe of the pattern collection, which is how I came up with the curvy diamond shape that later became the House of Caswell logo.

The futuristic element comes in with the use of 3D in the pattern, making the elements look like they are made of a shiny plastic or gummy material placed on a flat background of color. I love the use of words and typography in repeating patterns, which is why House of Caswell is there prominently, distorted into the shape of the curvy diamond logo.

I liked this pattern so much that I used it on an allover print polo shirt for the Berried Alive brand as well, replacing the House of Caswell text with the Strawberry Crossbones logo. I also created a flat version without the 3D effect to created a printed denim design for use on jeans and a vest in the first House of Caswell collection. This pattern has already served multiple purposes and will undoubtedly remain a fixture in the future of House of Caswell, because of its ability to work in any color palette and be altered slightly to fit different uses.