What Makes a Good vs a Bad Tartan Design?

We HATE the US Bicentennial Tartan?!? No, not really. But when asked why we have a strong opinion about it, we got to thinking about what makes any given tartan look beautiful or look ugly.

Various estimates put the total number of tartans in the world at anywhere between 3,500 to 7,000. Something like 150 new designs appear every year, though only a tiny percentage of these ever get woven into cloth.

Rocky Roeger, owner of USA Kilts, Inc. has personally designed over 100 new custom tartans. The kilt makers at USA Kilts work with both traditional and new tartans every day as they craft custom kilts for our clientele across the USA. So.....YES we have some opinions on what makes a good or a bad tartan design!

The nutshell answer is that a tartan design will become ugly when the creator either tries too hard, or doesn't try hard enough. A simple design with no variety of line thickness (thread counts) and only a few colors may turn out "blah". The Rob Roy tartan - the "lumberjack plaid" is the classic example.

Conversely, a tartan design that has too many lines or too many colors, or colors that clash, will turn out garish and irritating to look at. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so a tartan you hate may be one someone else loves. However, we feel a well-designed tartan is one that achieves balance -- with areas on interest and color intensity combined with "empty" portions that allow the eye to rest. This contrast, along with pleasing color combinations, is what makes a good tartan "pop".

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WE HAVE A PASSION FOR HERITAGE
Located in Spring City PA, USA Kilts is a team of American kilt makers who have been making men’s kilts in authentic clan tartans since 2003.

We craft a full range of kilts right in our shop, from our budget casual kilt to our traditional machine sewn, hand-finished 8-Yard kilt. We specialize in all aspects of highland wear and Celtic clothing including Scottish, Irish and Welsh kilts and accessories.
If you want your kilt made by an experienced American Kilt Maker, you’ve come to the right place!

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[pipsheppard]

My American Heritage kilt (Rocky-designed) is one of my wife's favorites. I appreciate that it's pleated to the stripe. Really a magnificent tartan and kilt. I wear it frequently (and it's a good selling point for me to tell folks about USA Kilts). Excellent video, gentlemen! A great lesson on tartan design in general.

[alexroy]

From a Canadian stand point, 2 very good examples of 2 beautiful tartans, that are very different ends of the spectrum are : the royal maple leaf, and the Royal Canadian Air force tartan.

[dann.]

The American Heritage tartan makes me happy!

[TobytheAdventurer]

Another very informative video. I really like the Isle of Skye tartan.

[junttivision]

Thanks for the great videos. I really like to play with your tartan designer that is in your online homepage. Lots of fun (sometimes frustrating🤣) and gives more depth and understanding to what a tartan really is.

[rscottrogers]

Timely! I just pulled the trigger on an American Bicentennial ex-hire, and wore it for the first time Tuesday. The weave of the cloth in mine doesn't do the purple thing; the red is stronger than the blue. It's a bit loud, but then again one doesn't wear a kilt for subtlety. And the pleating is kind of almost-to-the-sett, in that it sequences through white stripes off the edge of the pleats rather than strictly pleating to the sett, which evens out a bit between the red and blue sections. It's definitely gonna be more of a special-event kilt for me for holidays and Team USA watching, but I'm actually quite pleased with it for what it is. And now back to rotating County Roscommon, Isle of Skye, and Pride of Scotland for daily kilting!

[godsguidance]

I love the bicentennial pleated to the stripe

[jonlilley]

My personal rules for designing tartans is the K.I.S.S. method so I don't end up with something that looks like street pizza or a modern work of art. I use 2 of nearly the same color, but different values, a single contrasting color for interest, and a little black (or very dark color), and white (or a very light color) for interest. Then, I have at it. If I were weaving this tartan, I'd want to keep the color changes way down, but the older looms can handle 4, 5, or 6, colors easily. If you go up from there, you end up on a rapier loom and have to deal with questionable selvedges. I keep my sett size between 6" & 8" and I try to keep my elements as simple as possible. If the element/stripe series doesn't fit in an inch, I redesign. I also tend to stay away from modern colors, because they don't tend to work very well with each other - the American Bicentennial tartan is a prime example. I'd love to redesign that one personally. Haste makes waste for sure ! ! !

[missymagerkorth]

The American Heritage plaid is a gorgeous piece of fabric, really lovely!

[cd]

Your tartan designer page is very entertaining. I've tried to make a horrible design, but I like them all.

[nicholashayworth]

I know the Bi Centennial Tartan as the USA Saint Andrews Tartan from SportKilt. It’s the predominant Tartan I wear. I get compliments on it all the time.

[johnorr]

The 2014 Commonwealth Games color pallet are too far apart. It's amazing that the artist wasn't sacked.

[carlbrown]

I take pride in the red, white and blue.!!🥰

[RaithValek]

I'm just learning of my Scottish blood which is Clan MacNaughton. Curious to know what your views are on MacNaughton tartans?! There's a few.

[chap]

It hit me when you said it was designed in the '70s: It looks like an old plaid couch. Those white stripes just date it somehow. Also it turned red, white, and blue into blue and purple which---no.

[GunpointSyndicate]

Please, please, please do a new tartan for the 250th anniversary. I LOVE my American Heritage kilt but you have to do something special to commemorate our 250th anniversary.

[grublet]

My family is Buchanan, I've been ruining wedding photos with my modern for years 😅

[ericemmons]

I wear a Robertson tartan, and I like the colors in it. I also like the Macbeth tartan; though it has lots of colors running into each other, they seem to do so in a tasteful way. I also like the MacLeod of Lewis tartan, with its yellow background; very few tartans have yellow as the main color, and that's probably a good thing, but the MacLeod of Lewis pulls it off well, I think. . .

[damonturnbull]

Question: What do you think of the Turnbull Dress Tartan? For me, it's off! I like Turnbull Hunting. I think it blends better. I would be interested in your thoughts, please.

[the-kilted-trucker]

Thank guys, seems each of your posts I learn more about one of my heretical country's. ( as I say I'm American, so I'm a mutt.)
Would like to hear from u on the MUIRHEAD TARTAN SOME TIME, and if you carry it.