A fundamental question in biology is how biological patterns emerge. Because of the presence of numerous confounding factors, it is tremendously challenging to elucidate the mechanisms underlying pattern formation solely on the basis of studies of natural biological systems. Synthetic biology provides a complementary approach to investigating pattern formation by creating systems that are simpler and more controllable than their natural counterparts. In this Perspective, we summarize recent work on synthetic systems that generate spatial patterns, review the tools for building synthetic patterns, and discuss future directions of studying pattern formation with synthetic biology.