During the British rule of India the "designs" of India were defined as craft, not fine art work (see example of "design" in this British Colonial Painting ).

Many "designs" of India were very specific. For example the botanical flowers from Kashmir were very important to the culture.

These botanical flowers were then intertwined; a British creation to remove the discrete objects. Today these earlier meanings are forgotten, these designs only carry through as neutral. Decorative is now defined as non-representational, detailed and flat, without meaning; exactly the opposite of the original meaning. This is how meaning is RE-Defined.

These designs are also associated with the erotic and the ornamental. For example, this 19th century painting, further associates the textiles and pillows with the erotic and ornamental. This is how meaning is made for an entire culture by a colonial power. This is the ultimate accomplishment of the ruling class.