Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Last weekend I was playing in Illustrator trying to create a simple wallpaper to use on my phone and tablet. I love geometric patterns, but I hadn't done anything like that in a while. So, I started playing with some ideas inspired by Andy Gilmore. It's really nice to see how the Pattern Tool in Illustrator facilitates the process of creating patterns these days.

So in this tutorial, I will show how to create a simple pattern in Illustrator. The process is pretty straightforward, but I believe it will be really useful when you need to create vector patterns for your projects.

Step 1

Create a new document in Illustrator and then with the Rectangle Tool (M) create a square.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 2

Rotate the square 45 degrees.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 3

Delete the bottom part in order to create a triangle.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 4

Duplicate the triangle and flip it vertically, align them so they are on top of each other. After that select the 2 triangles, copy and paste them in place. Rotate the copies so you create a square again with different colors for each triangle.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 5

Create a set of squares rotating them so the colors of the triangles are in different places. You can make 2 or 3 rows.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 6

Select the set you created on the previous step and go to Object>Pattern>Make. Add a name for your pattern and play with the options. After that, you will have a new pattern in your Swatches pallet.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 7

Create a new artboard. I am using 2880x1800 pixels for a desktop wallpaper. After that select the pattern you created in the previous step.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 8

Add a new rectangle using a dark blue (#294156) for the color.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 9

Change the Transparency mode to Color Burn at 40%.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 10

Duplicate the rectangle to make the color a bit more intense.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 11

Duplicate the rectangle again and this time use a green (#3D7F39) for the color.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 12

Create a line crossing the artboard. Use white for the stroke color.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 13

Move the line to the left, make sure it align with the bottom square, then duplicate the line and align it with the top right square. After that with the Blend Tool, select both lines and try to find the exact number of steps to match your pattern.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Step 14

Repeat the same steps to create more lines matching the pattern.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Conclusion

Add the logo in the center of your artboard using a circle to break the pattern flow a little bit. After that, your wallpaper will be done. I did that last weekend and I have been using this wallpaper on my computers and tablets since then. I really like the color and the flow, however, you can try a version without the white lines if you want it something more subtle.

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

Geometric Pattern in Illustrator

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