Engaged in scientific research made him interested in the relationship between natural form and decoration. In the Art Magazine of 1857, he clearly stated that he was looking for a way to solve practical design problems logically.
On the issue of decoration, Dreiser opposes directly imitating nature. He believes that the forms in plants must be artificially standardized before they can be used. "Standardized plant images depict nature in the purest form, so they are not imitations of nature, but concrete images of perfect plant spiritual essence."
Dreiser's botany is not only the source of patterns and shapes, but also shows "reasonable purpose" or "adaptability" in his discourse. Dreiser was one of the first designers to analyze the relationship between form and function in a reasonable way, which was influenced by botany.
In addition, I found an English introduction:
Christopher Dresser (Glasgow, July 4th,1834–Milus,1February 24th, 1904) is a designer and design writer. Now he is widely regarded as the first independent industrial designer in Britain and a contributor to the British-Japanese movement and aesthetic movement.
Dresser was born in Glasgow, Scotland. At the age of 13, he began to study at the School of Government Design in strand. He received training in design and botany, which he took as his major. After finishing his studies, he taught botany and artistic botany in the School of Design and the School of Women's Design. He also wrote two books on this subject, and a series of articles appeared in the art magazine 1857, "botany adapted to art and artistic products." Because of his works, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Jena in Germany in absentia on 1859.
Dreiser applied for the position of botany professor at 1860 University College London, but he didn't get the position. At about this time, he began to pay less attention to his activities as a botanist and more attention to his design practice. His design works include carpets, silver and electroplating, wallpaper, pottery, glass and metal products. He has written several books about design and decoration, including Art of Decorative Design (1862), Development of Decorative Art in International Exhibition (1862) and Design Principles (187 1-72). 1876, Dreiser traveled all over Japan and recorded his impression of Japan, its architecture, art and artwork manufacturing. He was inspired by Japanese patterns and materials, and his works showed this influence, which was regarded as the prototype of British and Japanese style. From 1879, he was appointed as the director of Linthorpe art pottery in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough (although his name disappeared from pottery before 1882). Some of Dresser's iconic designs are still in production, such as his famous oil and vinegar suit and toast rack design, which are now produced by Alessi. One of his designs is considered as the inspiration for 1967' s novel The Owl Service.
Partial bibliography
The unity of diversity is deduced from the plant kingdom (1859)
Fundamentals, Structure and Physiology of Botany (1859)
Popular handbook of botany
Art of decorative design (1862)
The development of decorative arts in international exhibitions (1862)
General principles of decorative and patterned art, and hints on color, harmony and contrast (1868)
Principles of Decoration Design (1873)
Design research (1875)
Japan and its architecture, art and artwork manufacturing (1882)
Modern decoration (1886)