Figure, pattern, design, motif, device are comparable when they mean a unit in a decorative composition (as in an ornamented textile or fabric) consisting of a representation of a natural, conventionalized, or geometrical shape or a combination of such representations.
Figure commonly refers to a small, simple unit which is repeated or is one of those repeated over an entire surface. A figure may be one of the outlines associated with geometry (as a triangle, diamond, pentagon, or circle) or such an outline filled in with color, lines, or a representation of another kind; it may, however, be a natural or conventionalized representation of a natural form (as a leaf, flower, or animal).
Pattern may be used in place of figure, but figure is not interchangeable with the more inclusive senses of pattern. The latter term is applicable not only to the simplest repeated unit, or figure, or to a larger repeated unit involving several related figures but also to the whole plan of decoration or adornment. Also, pattern may be used of other things than those which are visible, objective works of art and craftsmanship but which nevertheless can be viewed or studied as having diverse parts or elements brought together so as to present an intelligible and distinctive whole.
Design (see also PLAN ), (see also INTENTION ) emphasizes drawing and arrangement and attention to line and the handling of figures and colors; it often specifically denotes a single unit (figure or pattern) which reveals these qualities.
Motif (see also SUBJECT 2 ) is frequently used in the decorative arts for a figure or a design which stands out not necessarily as the only one but as the leading one which gives the distinctive character of the whole.
Device applies usually to a figure that bears no likeness to anything in nature but is the result of imagination or fancy. Unlike the other terms, it does not exclusively apply to a decorative unit, though it occurs frequently in that application.