Pool Party Pattern Ideas

The most recognizable pool pattern isn't a motif. It's light: the wobbling network of white lines that sunlight draws on the bottom of a pool. Painters have loved it for a long time, and David Hockney's 1960s Los Angeles pool paintings did much to make it famous. It's also one of the easiest seamless tiles to build and a strong base for everything else on a pool party table.

To draw pool-bottom light:

1. 1Fill the tile with an aqua ground, around #3FC1C9, with a slightly deeper tone, #2BA3B5, in one or two soft patches.
2. 2Draw a network of thin, wavy, white-to-pale-blue lines that meet at points and enclose irregular cells, never perfect hexagons.
3. 3Taper the lines so they thin toward the joints and swell between them.
4. 4Vary cell sizes, with a few larger shapes and many small ones.

Because the lines cross the tile edge, the match at the seam matters more than usual, and the Tiling Fixer in Pattern Weaver is built for exactly that. Use the water as the quiet ground and let a lead motif sit on top of it.

Most pool party invites are digital and viewed on a phone, so build the pattern as a tall background. The standard story ratio is 1080 by 1920 pixels. Keep the center calm for text: a bold motif along the top and bottom edges leaves room to write the date. For printed invites, a postcard format with the pattern wrapping around the edge feels like a pool-tile border.

Inflatable floats are made from vinyl, and printing onto them is a specialist job done at the factory. For most designers, a float is a concept to show, not a file to ship. If you want to explore it, ask the manufacturer for their template and print limits first.

The easier route is to design the printed pieces around the float: cups, napkins, plates, cake toppers, tote bags and towels, all in the same print family.

Towels are the pool party item that stays in the house for years, so they're worth getting right.

• Microfiber towels are polyester, which suits sublimation and sharp, saturated color.
• Cotton velour towels are printed with reactive or digital textile methods. Colors can be a little softer, and fine detail is limited by the pile.
• Chlorine and sun fade some dyes, so ask the printer about colorfastness and avoid very pale, delicate tints that will wash out.

Large scale suits a towel. A hero print at 8 to 12 inches reads at a distance, while a ditsy repeat looks lost on a lounger. For swimwear to match, see the swimwear pattern design post, and the sublimation guide for polyester prep.

• Flamingos, especially in pairs or standing on one leg. Browse flamingo patterns for a base.
• Citrus slices, such as lemon, lime and grapefruit wheels, drawn flat.
• Swim rings and floats, especially donut and duck shapes as simple silhouettes.
• Cabana stripes in two colors, with a scalloped edge.
• Diving boards and ladders, as graphic line drawings.
• Sunglasses, popsicles and ice cubes as small fillers.
• Palm shadows, overlaid as a translucent layer on the pool-light ground.

Keep the lead motif big and the fillers small. The ocean patterns category has wave and water textures that pair with all of these.

Pool season runs from late spring into early autumn, and the parties cluster around the first warm weekends. List by April. Design in February or March. Pool-party prints also double as general summer designs, so pair them with a coastal collection. The beach house pattern ideas post covers that side.