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Pattern Design: A Book for Students Treating in a Practical Way of the Anatomy, Planning Evolution of Repeated Ornament
Excerpt from Pattern Design: A Book for Students Treating in a Practical Way of the Anatomy, Planning Evolution of Repeated Ornament
A man has a right, I suppose, to pull down the building he once put up, and to raise another in' its place. If he should see fit to use sometimes the very stones which belonged to it, he would only be stealing from himself. I have done something very much like that.
In the course of the last fifteen years the times have changed, and with them the standpoint of students and teachers of design; and, though my point of View has not altered, my outlook has widened with experience. When it came to the revision of The Anatomy of Pattern with a View to a fifth edition, it seemed to me I had done all I could do to it, that it was past mending, and that the simplest thing would be to start afresh.
The present volume, however, though it covers the ground of the former one, and answers much the same purpose, is not the same, but really a new book upon the foundations of the old one.
It contains, indeed, all that was in the other, but otherwise expressed. Here and there an explanation or description, which, by revision after revision, had been reduced to the fewest and plainest words I could find, has been allowed to stand. '80 with the illustrations, the greater number of them are new. Such of the old diagrams as were essential to the purpose of the book have been drawn again, not merely on the larger scale allowed by the page, but in a simpler and more self-explanatory way.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
A man has a right, I suppose, to pull down the building he once put up, and to raise another in' its place. If he should see fit to use sometimes the very stones which belonged to it, he would only be stealing from himself. I have done something very much like that.
In the course of the last fifteen years the times have changed, and with them the standpoint of students and teachers of design; and, though my point of View has not altered, my outlook has widened with experience. When it came to the revision of The Anatomy of Pattern with a View to a fifth edition, it seemed to me I had done all I could do to it, that it was past mending, and that the simplest thing would be to start afresh.
The present volume, however, though it covers the ground of the former one, and answers much the same purpose, is not the same, but really a new book upon the foundations of the old one.
It contains, indeed, all that was in the other, but otherwise expressed. Here and there an explanation or description, which, by revision after revision, had been reduced to the fewest and plainest words I could find, has been allowed to stand. '80 with the illustrations, the greater number of them are new. Such of the old diagrams as were essential to the purpose of the book have been drawn again, not merely on the larger scale allowed by the page, but in a simpler and more self-explanatory way.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
301 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1903
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About the author
Lewis Foreman Day
91 books2 followersLewis Forman Day was an artist and designer who was influential in the Arts and Crafts movement. He produced several books on design.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 13, 2012
This is a really useful and interesting book for anyone interested in pattern design. Everything is logically laid out, with chapters on making patterns with specific shapes e.g. squares, triangles, circles, and tips and techniques on how to make repeat patterns flow without getting unexpected lines in your work that detract from the actual design.
It even includes some other information on making borders and how to make use of a grid and lines which I found quite interesting.
The only thing about this book is that it was originally written in the early 1900's so the language gets a bit tedious and sometimes I lose track of what he's talking about, but even though this was written quite a while ago, before the age of modern graphic design and computers, I have found that the information is still relevant and is like the foundation of modern design.
I recommend this to anyone who is into pattern design.
It even includes some other information on making borders and how to make use of a grid and lines which I found quite interesting.
The only thing about this book is that it was originally written in the early 1900's so the language gets a bit tedious and sometimes I lose track of what he's talking about, but even though this was written quite a while ago, before the age of modern graphic design and computers, I have found that the information is still relevant and is like the foundation of modern design.
I recommend this to anyone who is into pattern design.
November 30, 2021
Lewis Day took a complicated subject and dove right in. Once I got a handle on the geometric interplay that occurs in designing patterns, I was much better able to understand the depth of the subject which he describes. He is intelligent, well-spoken, open, thorough, and includes a wealth of design instruction here. Although the book was first published in 1903, and Day writes in a somewhat romantic form typical of the time, his knowledge and practicality on the topic places him solidly in the present. I did have trouble with his occasional racial comments though; he was clearly a product of his time and the statements were startling when I came across them. The material is dense and this is no quick read, but it's a treasure trove of information.
December 31, 2020
Got about 100 pages in and decided to quit when this got weirdly racist? According to the author, Greek patterns are the best and everyone else who works off of tradition is unskilled and/or a savage. There's a world of better books in the world to spend my time on.
May 6, 2025
It's fine for a backgrounder on how patterns are designed, although it often reads more as an instruction on how to understand how a pattern might have been designed rather than how to design your own.
Also...there is some random and unexpected racism.
Also...there is some random and unexpected racism.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews