Principles of Pattern Design

"Authors bend over backwards to explain the design of beautiful 'units,'" says artist and educator Richard M. Proctor, "but rarely do they explain the design of beautiful 'yardage' — the repetition of units." In this richly illustrated gem of a book, Proctor provides just such an explanation, exploring a diversity of patterns that can be created by using single motifs — among them the square, brick and half-drop, diamond, triangle, ogee, hexagon, scale, and circle.
Brief, nontechnical instructions describe and illustrate each network upon which repeat patterns can be arranged, while a rich array of 280 illustrations depict historical and contemporary examples of pattern, many adapted from such diverse sources as an ancient Peruvian stone amulet, 12th-century mosaics, 13th-century damask, Japanese stencil designs, and much more. Decorative samples appear in macramé and embroidery, mosaics, painting, collage, sculpture, and on wrapping paper, and a concluding chapter explores the visual range of one particular motif — the Romanesque arch form.
This superbly illustrated manual of the principles of pattern formation and their application to design is an essential guidebook and resource for teachers, students, designers, and craftspeople in every field of the fine and applied arts. 138 line illustrations, 142 halftones.