Every Adobe Illustrator pattern function is used to make fauxaics; Pattern brushes, pattern fills, pattern strokes, and custom patterns are all utilized above.
Mosaics always capture my attention. I liked the idea of tile arranged to make impactful messages. Close observation of real-world mosaics, and the constraints of size informed many design decisions. A gothic, sans-serif font was used for guides, then hand-lettered skeleton paths were made based on the letterforms, and then offset several times with custom pattern brushes.
Using a before and after style presentation with photo overlay, client was given several color and pattern options. All were appropriate for readability from 50 feet or closer.
Some of the rules extracted from the visual examples:
Letterform strokes are usually more than one tile wide, but not always.
Background patterns can mix, especially if borders separate them.
Letterforms almost always include an offset between the letter edge and the background.
Tiles must be arranged in strokes, not grids.
