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Puzzles

Puzzle Patterns

Puzzle Patterns is neither a game nor a puzzle in the conventional use of those terms. It is a visual perception and pattern recognition experience in a non-competitive context. The copy on the package exclaims: discover infinite variation. Indeed, the Puzzle Pattern experience is a two-dimensional geometric/graphic embodiment of a minimum inventory/maximum diversity system. Based on the infinite possible tiling patterns of combinations of regular polygons, in this case, triangle, square, and hexagon, three different graphic patterns are incorporated to add attributes to the components. These attributes greatly expand the variations, which manifest themselves graphically. This enhances the visual differentiation of alternative combinations and permutations. These variations exemplify minimum inventory/maximum diversity systems and can be thought of as a metaphor for natural structure. The components incorporate rules of combination to form alternative patterns much the way molecular structures are built.

The three different graphic patterns used to enhance the basic polygons are identified as Lines, Dots, and Shapes. The images show all three patterns, with an emphasis on Lines, which is most effective in revealing the visual differentiation of alternative assemblies. In this way, it is perhaps the most satisfying. A unique packaging system was created for this product based on the space-filling of truncated octahedra. This packaging solution was intended to provide a self-contained “point of purchase” display, that in and of itself was puzzle-like.