Select a shape from the legend, click once on the grid to place it and again to lock it in place. Use the empty tile to remove shapes, or the Randomise and Reset buttons to fill or clear the grid.
November, 2025
Systematic Surface Design
Inspired by mid-century modular studies and the logic of design systems, this piece nods to a 1980 design aid by Tobias Christoph, which used a structured grid and simple shapes to help designers find optimal surface patterns. Each tile in the 4×4 grid can hold a square, triangle, circle, or remain blank. With just four options per tile, over four billion combinations emerge.