Take the two images above, picturing the map of Seoul's subway system, patched with stickers that modify the original design: stations and details are added where needed, according to the new services introduced in the system.
Though this particular example might seem at first pretty insignificant to justify my new love for patches, it actually fits perfectly. Don't look at the stickers, look at what they mean and the underlying design process they describe.
First of all, these patches speak for a system which is in continuous evolution. As the subway stations are added or different services are provided in the subway lines, the map design is updated. The map involuntary becomes the mirror of an underlying evolving system, which keeps growing and improving with the time. Stickers are the signifiers (Norman would say) of this evolution and are valuable because they represent an economical and satisfiable solution to cope with a complex and "undefined" (read "evolving") problem.
Moreover (and even more important!) these stickers speak of the design attitude underneath: in this sense, designers don't try to grasp and metabolize a complex system all at once, in a top-down fashion, but adapt their solutions over time. Stickers are patches shown with no shame; they highlight the value of an iterative design attitude which doesn't attempt to get everything right since the start but accepts errors and modifications as part of the evolution: the design of the map (and not only the system underneath) is a creature that changes over time, and iterations, prototyping and patches are the tools used by its designers to ensure its smooth transition.
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