New! The Cryptology Collection Book

One of the most popular collections in the Design Pool licensable library is The Cryptology Collection. This collection debuted at NeoCon 2021. There it won a HiP Award from Interior Design Magazine and was named a #MetropolisLikes from Metropolis. It was inspired by Elizebeth Smith Friedman and the many women codebreakers from WWI and WWII. Their work went largely unrecognized during their lifetimes yet was critically important to winning the wars.

The idea of incorporating coded messages into patterns led to over 30 patterns with coded messages in the licensable library. It also found its way into punch needle art pieces created by Kristen and exhibited in galleries across New England. Every conversation about this collection opens the door to long discussions about patterns, code, and the valuable contributions of these accomplished women. Which prompted us to ask: Why not put this all into a book? So, we did! It is now available for purchase through Blurb.

What’s inside the book?

The book takes an in-depth look at the inspiration for the project. There is information about the talented and interesting women codebreakers and their contributions to the field. We also share the process of designing these patterns, from building codes and ciphers to turning them into motifs and patterns with hidden meanings. This book features the design work of Design Pool founder, Kristen Dettoni, text by Kristin Crane, with beautiful photography by Kristen (KJ) Fuller.  

What are people saying about the book?

“The great codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman was more than a technician, more than a problem-solver. She was a genius of patterns, someone who understood that any set of symbols can be made to stand for anything else – and therefore any image can tell a story, even if it looks, on first glance, like a field of grass, or a bowl of flowers. In this gorgeous, innovative collection, Kristen Dettoni captures the spirit and meaning of her work like nothing I’ve ever seen. I think Cryptology Collections would have made Elizebeth smile.”

– Jason Fagone, author of the bestselling book The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies

You can buy the book through Blurb.

The book is for sale directly through Blurb in either a soft or hardcover edition. It would make the perfect gift for the designer in your life interested in how the spark of an idea becomes a body of work. It is also perfect for anyone interested in codebreaking or Elizebeth Smith Friedman.