Patterns provide a mechanism for rendering design advice in a reference format. Software design is a massive topic, and when faced with a design problem, one must be able to focus on something as close to the problem as you can get. Patterns can help by trying to identify common solutions to recurring problems. The solution is really what the pattern is, yet the problem is a vital part of the context. Patterns are half-balled - meaning one always have to finish them oneself and adapt them to ones own environment.