After fifteen years, the field of design patterns is still missing a critical element: a foundation. By definition, the content of design patterns is abstract. As a result, design patterns are difficult for many to grasp well - especially for inexperienced programmers and students. While many professionals who could benefit from patterns admit that they don't fully understand them, many others don't understand patterns nearly as well as they imagine they do - resulting in systems that aren't designed as well as they should be. In Elemental Design Patterns, researcher Jason McC. Smith offers the missing foundation that software practitioners need to utilize patterns far more effectively. Smith introduces a foundational layer of patterns terminology: a collection of core patterns that can't be decomposed further. He presents these underlying basic concepts of programming clearly and concisely, in the same format as the classic "Gang of Four" patterns - thereby offering a taxonomy that virtually any developer can understand and apply. Elemental Design Patterns helps practitioners grasp the context of patterns, comprehend their true power, and map them to actual software implementations more cleanly and directly. Part tutorial, part example-rich cookbook, it will help developers gain a deeper appreciation for what they do - and successfully utilize patterns with a wide variety of languages, environments, and domains