The aesthetics of frieze patterns: Effects of symmetry, motif, and element size

Frieze patterns appear frequently in architectural designs and ornamental patterning but their aesthetic qualities have never been studied experimentally. In the first experiment, 39 undergraduates used a seven-point rating scale to assess the perceived beauty of the seven basic frieze types presented at a horizontal orientation. The friezes consisted of individual curved and linear motifs as well as random textures. Friezes that filled the entire pattern region and which contained emergent global features were preferred the most. In a second experiment, we utilized horizontal texture friezes that were completely filled and which varied in size and number of elements. Participants preferred patterns with larger features, probably because they make detection of the symmetric transformations more visible. The frieze with the greatest number of symmetries was preferred most but symmetric complexity by itself could not completely account for the predicted preference ordering. In both studies, friezes containing horizontal mirrors (translation, 180° rotation, horizontal mirror, vertical mirror, and glide reflection and translation, horizontal mirror, and glide reflection) were preferred far more than any other condition. Horizontal symmetry may enhance perceived beauty in these cases because it runs parallel to and so emphasizes the overall frieze orientation.

The Perceived Beauty of Convex Polygon Tilings: The Influence of Regularity, Curvature, and Density

Polygon tilings in natural and man-made objects show great variety. Unlike previous studies that have mainly focused on their classification and production methods, this study aimed at exploring factors that may contribute to the perceived beauty of convex polygon tilings. We analyze the dimensions of regularity, curvature, and density, as well as individual differences. Triangle tilings and hexagon tilings were tested in Experiment 1 and 2, respectively. The results showed that the perceived beauty of convex polygon tilings can be enhanced by higher levels of regularity and nonobvious local curvature. Surprisingly, the effect of density appeared to be different, with the dense triangle tilings and the less dense hexagon tilings scoring higher than the reverse. We discuss a possible explanation based on trypophobia caused by different types of polygons, as well as the observers' personality trait of agreeableness.