Handbook of Designs and Devices (Dover Pictorial Archive)

In the latest, second revised edition of this famous book, one of America’s foremost commercial artists and trademark designers has drawn and classified 1,836 basic geometric designs and variations for quick, convenient, practical reference by workers in all fields of both applied and fine arts.
Representing the result of many years of patient, scholarly study by the author, along with much practical experience in using this material, the book provides large, clear reproductions of the most diverse and usable variations and combinations of such basic forms as: the circle (crescent, sector, segment, ring trefoil, quatrefoil); the line and band (wavy, zigzag, plaid, lattice); the triangle (triangular variants, the arrow head, chevron, triquetra, trisklion); the square (the rectangle, checker combinations, rectangular interlacements, the diamond, rhombic variants); the cross and its many variants; the pentagon, hexagon, and octagon (six-pointed star, Solomon’s seal, the snow crystal); the scroll (spiral scroll, wave scroll, the curvilinear motif, the monad, triad, loop); the fret; and the shield.
To achieve a successful presentation of the most valuable geometric forms in the common store of decorative design, the author has drawn upon ancient Egyptian, Grecian, Roman, Arabian, and Japanese motifs as well as modern styles. This edition contains new notes that explain the historical backgrounds of the plates and their symbolism.