Using fish scale tile in a design plan brings an organic presence and natural resonance into any space. Firstly, a little science to support the organic aspect. The Australian Museum informs us that there are four basic scale shapes.

-1 Placoid (sharks and rays)
-2 Cosmoid (lungfishes and some fossil fishes)
-3 Ganoid (bichirs , Bowfin, paddlefishes, gars, sturgeons)
-4 Cycloid / Ctenoid (most bony fishes)

Additionally, certain species, such as a flounder, can have one type of scale on one side of its body and another type opposite.

Moving past the science, there are considerable design legs driving the use of this shape in 2017. No one seems to be doing this better than Mercury Mosaics in Minneapolis, MN. Mercury is led by Mercedes Austin in her role as “mover and shaker” among the “tile elves” plying their trade in the land of lakes.