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.
If you need to decorate a book page, cover, pamphlet, and the like, maybe this Page border design is the right solution for that.
On this page you can download an interesting vintage frame border of rectangular shape which we have descriptively called the page border with scrolls.
We have found this pattern on the cover of the book “Real pen work: self-instructor in penmanship” (published 1881).
Here you can download an elegant frame border descriptively named the picture border for book cover.
On this page you can download a very simple sign design which we called the Radiate ornamental sign.
If you need a Renaissance ornament, you have come to the right place - here you can download a fine rectangular design in the style of the Italian Renaissance.
On this page you can download the rectangular ornamental frame whose appearance can be seen in the picture.
On this page you can download frame border design in the Renaissance style.
On this page you can download Roman frieze ornament whose main motif is the Palmette (Anthemion).
Here you can download two very attractive scroll line borders designed to decorate horizontal rectangular surfaces.
As you can see in the picture, we have put at your disposal a frame pattern suitable for scroll saw technique.
This is a collection of scroll shields that we found in an old book. We can often see similar shields on various coats of arms.
This is a collection of Scroll style border designs drawn in a 2D CAD software and transformed into vector graphics.
On this page you can download three frame border designs suitable for the sgraffito decorating technique.
Here you are presented with two rectangular frame patterns named ‘Showcard border vectors’.
On this page you can download a free 2D design that can serve as a decorative border for rectangular horizontal signs.
On this page you can download a simple frame vector that we named the Sign border vector.
In this collection you will find 71 simple cresting designs. This collection includes only simple geometric cresting designs.
If you need a free pattern for decorating with marquetry technique, on this page we have provided one named table marquetry decoration.
If you need a vertical rectangular scroll frame border, here is one - more than 100 years old and called the ‘stylus border vector’.
Here you can download an elegant frame border descriptively named the Title page border in Art Nouveau style.
If you need to decorate a cover, invitation letter, pamphlet, and the like, maybe this title page border vector is the right solution for that.