Algorithm Explained

Our Algorithm was meticulously crafted to celebrate your university’s unique place in time and history. The year of its founding and the geographic coordinates of its campus combine to produce a unique, timeless design. Using our first school Drexel University as an example tartan we will walk you through how the algorithm works, step by step:

Drexel University
Year founded: 1891
Geographic Coordinates: 39.956 W, 75.189 N

Step 1:
The width of the pattern is determined by the year divided by the latitude.
(Year ÷ longitude)
1891 ÷ 39.956 = 47.327

Step 2:
Because woven patterns can only be created using even numbers, this result is rounded up to the next even integer.
47.327 = 48*

Step 3:
The height of the pattern is determined by the year divided by the longitude.
(Year ÷ latitude)
1891 ÷ 75.189 = 25.150

Step 4:
As with the width, the height must be rounded up to the nearest even integer.
25.150 = 26*

How to Count the Threads:

To count the number of threads across the width of the pattern, count each vertical (in this case, blue) thread from left to right all the way across the heart of the pattern (see above).

The height of the pattern can be counted using a similar method working from top to bottom counting the other color (in this case, gold).

*Note: The rounded-up differences in Step 2 (0.673 for Blue) and Step 4 (0.850 for Gold) are the unique "modification codes" for this tartan. They enable you to decode the pattern by dividing the year founded (i.e. 1891) by the number of modified Blue threads (48-0.673) and Gold threads (26-0.850) to arrive back at the respective geo-coordinates - 39.956 W and 75.189 N.