Since 2009 we’ve been sharing our visual pattern research with the world, curating stories that showcase the infinitely inspiring power of pattern found everywhere and in everything – from barcodes and road markings, to zebra stripes or Saturn’s rings. Discover how we’ve used this lens to connect the many facets of our business from our creative output to our internal culture – as shared via excerpts from conversations between our co-founders Anna and Grace.
On Why Mindful Awareness is the Foundation of PATTERNITY...
It would be a space to invite wonder and a renewed appreciation and awareness for the beauty of the world around us. Along the way we’ve been carefully documenting pattern first hand with our own photographs of incidental pattern in unexpected places – from underground wire squiggles and dappled banana skins to impressive art works and catwalk creations. We hope this has encouraged people to simply slow down in their own daily lives to appreciate the journey.
"We set out to shape a considered space for creative contemplation that shows the curious connections of life"
Anna Murray
On Creating a Global, Mindful Design Language...
Our documentation brings together the mundane with the seemingly magnificent and gives them equal importance. Ourcommunity of pattern explorers has also joined us on the journey, contributing their own pattern discoveries from India to Iceland and beyond reminding us of the power of pattern to help people feel more alive to the wonder of the everyday.
"Over time we’ve developed a signature design language that takes inspiration from the fundamental shapes that make up the world around us from circular drain covers to stripy shutters and rectangular window grids"
Grace Winteringham
These are the shapes that make up life and our designs are a conscious celebration of this. We’ve created lifestyle products for people to use and enjoy, from knitwear to tea-sets, to rugs and footwear.
Moving into the real world our inspiration trips and creative workshops have encouraged a growing tribe of curious people to develop a more mindful appreciation of the world – seeing it with fresh eyes and finding inspiration at every turn.
On Visuals, Storytelling and Experiential Patterns...
We’ve also taken our eye and appreciation of everyday details and translated it into creative projects – from film and photo shoots to outdoor installations and a month-long exhibition on stripes. We love celebrating the daily details that often get overlooked, from stacked waste bins to discarded foam clusters and stacked stairwells with paint cracked walls.
"At PATTERNITY our pattern process starts by asking several key questions – Can this pattern tell us something interesting or important about the world in which we live? Does it encourage a more positive connection to the world around us? Will it draw attention to the bigger picture?"
Anna Murray
Moving on from being specialists in visual patterns, we have begun to explore the non-visual patterns that shape culture, from designing events that highlight the rise of ‘decluttering’ to public installations that invite real-life interaction in an increasingly digital culture. Our book Be Great. Be Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Positive Living is a practical tool to help people design healthy habits of behaviour.
"We are passionate about the power of pattern storytelling to bring different worlds together, blurring the boundaries and bridging science and spirituality, technology and education"
Grace Winteringham
We help specialists to inform and inspire each other: from individuals like ceramicist Richard Brendon, geologist Richard Weston and philosopher Robert Rowland Smith to global brands like Google, Airbnb and Nike, to British institutions like the Barbican and Imperial War Museums.
We’ve been honoured that over the last eight years we’ve attracted a network of multi-disciplinary collaborators, supporters and partners who resonate with the PATTERNITY mission. Over time we’re hoping this network will grow with new collaborations, ideas and contributions from around the globe...
"We understand how pattern is a powerful tool to empower people to connect with their inner creativity and consider their invisible patterns of thinking and doing. From hands-on marbling workshops to sensory pattern soundscapes or positive pattern urban retreats, we help people to feel empowered to create new connections and reconnect with what it means to be human."
Anna Murray
On Creating a Business Culture of Positive Patterns...
We believe fundamentally in the power of collaboration and creativity for a sustainable and innovative world. A world where the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. This belief translates directly into the culture we are creating at PATTERNITY where everyone is of equal value as parts within a larger eco-system.
"We are trying to ‘break the pattern’ of so many traditional businesses based on perpetual growth – and we have started creating and incorporating our own patterns and processes into our monthly calendar, supporting us as individuals and as a team."
Grace Winteringham
At PATTERNITY we encourage people to bring their whole human selves to work. We invite our staff to take time out each month to reflect and rest. We don’t ask staff to work long unhealthy hours that exhaust and create burn out. We truly value that people aren’t machines but beautiful cyclical beings that have both high and low days. We honour this fully within the pattern of our business – and hope to inspire others with the conscious culture we are creating here at PATTERNITY.
"We've introduced gratitude rituals to walking meetings and rest days to restore and connect back to our creativity and self amidst all the doing."
Anna Murray
"We believe PATTERNITY is a space for us all to learn and experience. We don't have all the answers, but our company is a real case study that allows us to pose questions and authentically explore wellbeing, spirituality, creativity and consciousness."