Here are the Google-Image search results for the word ethnic.

https://www.google.ie/search?q=ethnic&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj18uHb5P7QAhUFCsAKHUBaBmQQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=651

It’s probably not too surprising: lots of ethnic designs of the style you’d expect. But my question is: what exactly is an ethnic design?

The word ethnic means related to a specific population subgroup with a common cultural tradition. Referring to something as ethnic in and of itself is therefore effectively meaningless. Everybody and everything is basically ethnic, as we can all be identified as belonging to some particular ethnic group. When we talk about ethnic design, the same principle should therefore apply: any design is by definition ethnic. Of course it can be more specific than that. You could argue that ethnic design could refer to a design that is unique to a specific culture, and considered traditional within that culture. Continue reading →