Rasteriks

Rasteriks are a class of geometric motifs used in raster-based design. They consist of small, repeatable units laid out on a square grid, so they can tile seamlessly when arranged into larger patterns. Each unit, or rasterik, is designed to be combined with others to create textures and decorative surfaces in a scalable, pixel-friendly fashion.

Etymology and origin: The name rasteriks combines raster, referring to grid-based sampling, with a pluralizing suffix -iks to indicate a family of related forms. The concept emerged in digital art and tile-based design communities in the early 2000s as a way to formalize simple, repeatable motifs for consistent grid work.

Design and types: Rasteriks are classified by cell size (for example 2x2 or 3x3) and by symmetry. Common variants include solid rasteriks (filled cells), hollow rasteriks (outline motifs), and mixed rasteriks that mix fill and outline within a single unit.

Production and use: Rasteriks can be created manually or generated algorithmically with rule-based tiling or stochastic variation. They are used in textures for video game environments, decorative borders in user interfaces, and in generative art projects.

Examples: A 2x2 checker rasterik creates a checkerboard texture when tiled; a 3x3 cross rasterik forms a cross-pattern texture; a hollow square rasterik produces a ring texture.

See also: Pixel art, tiling, tessellation, mosaic, procedural generation.