Abstract Compressive basins show various geometries of growth structures. In this paper, we examine the effects of the rate and nature of synkinematic sedimentation by comparing analogue models and field examples. We performed different types of experiments in order to simulate various natural conditions, the parameters tested including the rate of synkinematic sedimentation and the presence of a potential décollement layer deposited during deformation. Modelling techniques are similar to those usually used for experiments on brittle-ductile systems made of sand and silicone putty. To study the influence of the synkinematic sedimentation rate, we used sets of experiments with different velocity ratios R between the rate of sedimentation ( V s ) and the rate of uplift of the top of the structure ( V u ). In standard experiments, we deposited only sand during deformation. In all experiments, growth folds and growth faults developed. The geometry of growth folds changes from a steep anticline for R =1, to a rounded broken anticline when R exceeds 2. The geometry of growth reverse faults changes: from segments which initiate with a dip angle of about 30°, but then flatten or steepen, for R =1/2 and for R =1, respectively. For some sets of experiments, a thin silicone layer deposited instead of sand at some stage of sedimentation simulated the introduction of potential décollement layers. When a change in the nature of synkinematic sedimentation occurs between the two flanks of a fold, a fault develops in the flank where brittle material dominates. The direction of growth folds forming during compression in front of a ramp and above a décollement layer is parallel to the ramp and oblique to the direction of bulk shortening. Good correlations are observed between experimental geometries and field examples from the southern Pyrenees (Eastern Ebro Basin and Jaca Basin, Spain) and the Apennines (Italy).