Kolam Logic Gate Motifs

This motif was created as a tribute to Shravan’s journey.

Growing up, he taught himself how to code and how to build computers. Logic gates were some of the earliest building blocks in that world for him, and they became a natural visual reference point for this motif.

Kolams are a traditional South Indian floor art form, especially associated with Tamil Nadu, where Shravan grew up. They are usually drawn at the entrance of a home, often early in the morning, using rice flour, rice paste, or other powders. Kolams are created by laying out a pattern of dots in even or odd sequences and then connecting them through continuous, overlapping lines. They rely on geometric precision and are shaped by symmetry, repetition, and control.

What drew us to the pairing was the underlying structure they share. Both logic gates and kolams are built from simple elements arranged in precise sequences, and both create something more complex and elegant through pattern and order. Bringing them together allowed us to connect Shravan’s relationship with engineering to a distinctly South Indian visual tradition. The result felt personal, rooted, and true to the worlds that shaped him.

We began by workshopping a few versions of the motif on paper, then fed those sketches into Gemini, which helped generate the more polished interpretations used throughout the website.