Design and Pattern Register

Who this is for

A numbered index of your designs. Every pattern, template, print or mould gets its own reference, with the date it was created, what it is made into and exactly where the working files and physical masters are kept, so nothing has to be redrawn from memory.

Designer-makers, pattern cutters, printmakers, knitters, potters and jewellers with a growing back catalogue of their own designs.

What this helps you track

• A unique reference number for every design
• When each design was created and first sold
• The materials, sizes and variants each design is made in
• Where the digital files, paper patterns and masters are stored
• Which designs are still in production and which are retired

How to use it

1. Write your business name, how you number designs and where the register copy is kept at the top.
2. Give each design the next reference number and a working name, with the date you created it.
3. Note the product type, the main materials and the sizes or variants it comes in.
4. Record exactly where the file or master is kept, such as a folder path, a drawer or a box label.
5. Add the date it first sold and mark it active or retired; use the notes column for revisions and what inspired it.
6. Keep it printed in the studio or fill it in online, where it saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How should I number designs?

Any system you will keep to. Some makers use a running number, others a letter for the product type followed by a number. Write your convention at the top so the register stays consistent.

Does registering a design here protect it?

No. This is a private record for your own organisation. A dated register can help show when you created something, but design rights and registration differ by country, so check the rules where you are.

Should a revised pattern get a new reference?

It is your choice. A small correction can stay on the same line with a note; a design that changes enough to be sold separately is usually easier to track as a new reference.

How is this different from a SKU register?

This register lists designs, the ideas and masters. The SKU register lists the products you sell, each size and colour with its own code. One design often has several SKUs.