With or Without a Join?

You can create tiled backgrounds with or without a visible join. In the first case, the pattern repetition is visible and, in the second case, the transition will be more discreet or not visible at all.

When you see a pattern with a highly visible join that emphasises the tiling effect, then it may be done on purpose. Besides, some Web pages are really superb, thanks to the noticeable transitions. Accentuated borders can make for a more powerful image. Andy Warhol became famous with his artwork presenting repeated soup cans. Video walls are often constructed using repeated rectangular images for powerful effect. So tiling graphics containing obvious borders should not necessarily be dismissed. Besides, creating such patterns is a fairly easy task.



Figure 2: A tiled pattern with visible borders

When we discuss seamless tiling patterns, this means that the tile border is impossible to detect. There are no benefits or disadvantages in using tiles with discreet joining elements or tiles with obvious borders. Patterns with interlinking elements are just more difficult to design.