Drawing for fun and profit



Drawing is really important, even just as therapy. But seriously, it's a way to show people what you're thinking, to record your ideas and to solve problems before you even make anything. The fashion these days seems to be for lists, mindmaps and then just going straight into making stuff. I think this comes from the way computers effect our working process. This is fine if you work alone and never need to explain anything to anyone and can keep all your ideas in your head. But as soon as you have to interact with any colleagues, users, and your long-term memory, you need to draw.

I don't mean observed drawing like life drawing. I understand why people think they should do classes in things like life drawing but I had a very classical art training and did years of it. I think there is no difference drawing from life than drawing Hello Kitty. If you must do life drawing, do it, get it out of your system then move on. Also I know, anyone can be taught to draw, it's true, you can actually teach it. If you don't believe me read " Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.

The most important drawings for me are sketches, in sketchbooks, or on paper that you can bind together. These can be very simple: a drawing for an environment or installation may just show rough plans of where a projector, sensors and users would be in a space. A drawing of a hand-held product might show people using it, how it is held, where they are using it. For a service we might see a storyboard. It doesn't really matter how rough these drawings are, what's important is that they convey an idea and record that idea. For presentation you can always draw them up proper-like.

You can spend ages doing a Flash animation of a product scenario but in the same amount of time you could do loads of drawings and show many scenarios. Also a single image, which sums up a system or service, is always really important when presenting.

There is a real temptation in design to jump to the end of the process. Drawing helps slow the process down and promotes reflection and debate. When working with users a rough drawing/diagram can help discussion and (as I mentioned in the prototyping section), people are more likely to comment honestly on something that doesn't look too worked up. You don't have to go mad with Pantone pens and do "product sketches", don't be self-conscience just draw. (n.b. at work clients might expect something more polished, use your discretion.)

And...a ex-student recently said that drawing is the one thing companies are always desperate for. They need to visualise ideas, you need to visualise ideas!