This category of our website is dedicated to ornamental border designs (borders, frieze patterns, frame patterns).
Ornamental border designs (or border patterns) line the surface of a specific shape where some content (text, image, motif, design...) is found. In addition to the fact that each border design directs attention to the content within, it also prevents the content to get out of the defined borders and overlap the neighboring motifs.
The choice of the border design depends on personal taste, whereby there is a general recommendation that might come in handy, found in a book on art history: the border design should be in accordance with the design of the content that it encircles. If it encircles a content that is not visually appealing, then the border should have an attractive design. On the contrary, if it encircles some attractive content, then the boarder design should be less attractive so as not to distract attention away from the content. For example, if the border encloses a text, it is the border itself that should be attractive because the text is less interesting in appearance. This is just a small, helpful hint for selecting the right border, as the border design depends on many factors.
The border does not have to be of regular geometric shape, but of any irregular shape. If the border pattern encloses an irregular shape at its center, its inner margin can follow the irregular contour of the content and the external margin may be regular, or vice versa.
Frieze patterns and border patterns are very similar. Frieze patterns can be made from most border patterns by cutting the segment and copying it. Also, border patterns can be made from most of the frieze patterns if you solve the corner rotation.
Border design can also be created from corner deigns by copying them into corners, which allows space in the middle to place the content. If you have not found a border design to your liking in this category, visit the category Sign and sign end patterns of that may help you find inspiration, as ornamental signs, borders and frames can be very similar.
All border designs in this category are free to use for personal use and some of them can be used commercially. These designs are under Creative Commons Attribution License. Before you make use of these border pattens in your project, please check and observe the license that we have prescribed.
All the ornamental border designs will be available in universal vector file formats (svg and eps), as well as in .dwg file format which is the most commonly used 2D format.
We'd love to see what you create using our border designs and have your work featured in our Showroom gallery.
A set of four Ancient frieze patterns created in Inkscape vector editing software.
On this page you can download a simple pattern which we called the Ancient Greek crown ornament.
Here is a collection of 16 ancient antique patterns known under the names of Greek fret patterns, Greek key patterns and meander patterns.
Here are several designs for Ancient Greek meanders that should meet the requirements of almost any graphic designer.
On this page you can download an antefix frieze pattern with a palmette ornamental motif.
Here you can download the free decorative pattern called Arabic frieze from the Omu mosque in Cairo.
This is a collection of eight meander border patterns, a very old but still usable frame borders.
Typographic Art nouveau borders from early 20th century. We discovered these in an old typographic catalog from the beginning of the 20th century.
Here you can download an Art Nouveau border pattern shown in the picture below.
This is a collection of 7 Art Nouveau borders that were found in various vintage ads from old magazines.
This is a simple frame design drawn in the Art Nouveau style, with a circular blank surface in its center, and designed to decorate square surfaces.
On this page you can download Art Nouveau frame border design. It consists of 4 corner designs arranged in each corner.
On this page you can download the Italian Renaissance pattern called "Border corner ornament".
Here you can download a corner border vector (see picture) called the brier stencil border vector.
In front of you is a zoomorphic Celtic frame pattern available for download in 2D CAD and vector file formats.
Here you can download a Celtic knot border vector pattern, which is rectangular in shape and composed of one celtic knot design.
Here you can download a Chinese border ornament, which is rectangular in shape and composed of floral motifs.
For all fans of chip carving decorating technique, here we present a simple rectangular border pattern that they can use in their carving projects.
This is a collection of simple-looking chip carving patterns that can serve not only beginners but also more experienced woodcarvers.
This is a very simple border scroll saw pattern, which you can quickly cut even manually (with copy saw, scroll saw machine...).
On this web page you can download a collection of 11 decorative frames whose design dates from the early 20th century.
On this page you can download a collection of 22 ancient Egyptian frieze patterns.
In the collection which you can download here, there are 27 Art Nouveau illustrations by the famous Austrian painter and illustrator Julius Klinger (1876–1942).
On this page you can download a collection of 13 classic frieze ornaments.