Benefits of Sketching in Your Design Practice
Drawing. Everyone has done it. Yet, in today's age of BIM and computer-aided design, sketching has become a lost art. We get it, sketching seems outdated, especially as computers are used daily to showcase 3D designs. It always helps to contextualize, remember to take a step back before you get to that point in the design process; sketches play an important role in design and development. If you pick up any architectural or design book from any architect, you will find hundreds of hand-drawn sketches portraying every step of the design process. So why did we ever stop? Architecture and design NEED sketching. Not only does it convey ideas, demonstrate functionality, illustrate human interaction from potential issues on a project to increased creative solutions. But most of all, during a client meeting, it is so critical to be able to pick up a black felt-tip pen and demonstrate several design options in 10 minutes instead of walking to your desk opening a program and 3D modeling everything and coming up with a basis of two options…seems costly and time-consuming.
Sketching is not supposed to be just for creative artistic designers. Everyone can pick up a pen and sketch or trace what you are thinking even if it comes out as an ink stain or a very detailed sketch. There are so many benefits regarding sketching within your practice. So, let us get to the nitty-gritty about why your practice should be sketching.
1 | Visual Notetaking
Need a quick way to visually explore different concepts then sketching is the solution! This is an essential step in the design process, especially while sitting in a client meeting and jotting down every idea or concern one has and how you can come up with visual solutions in an instant. As mentioned in The Role of Sketching in the Design Process by Sean Hodge, “James over at the blog Bicycle Design has this to say about sketching, “… putting ideas quickly on paper is the only way to evaluate them to see if they are worth exploring further. Computer renderings and modern CAD and modeling packages are great but thinking on paper with a good old-fashioned pencil is always the place to start.”
2 | Increased Creativity & Enhances Holistic Health
How many times have your designers sat at their computer relying solely on digital tools to create 3D sketches to show a client and spend hours at their desk only coming up with two different options? Think of how many missed opportunities they encountered from not sketching. Christian Tyler and Lora Likova from The National Center of Biotechnology Information has stated, “Visual art learning is reliant on a complex system of perceptual, higher cognitive, and motor functions, thus suggesting a shared neural substrate and strong potential for cross-cognitive transfer in learning and creativity.” Everyone on the planet is a mixture of the two brains and when drawing, these both functions intertwine and allow you to sketch what you need to portray; as well as enhancing relaxation and stress relief as a form of mediation. Below is a quick snip of the different functions each side of your brain portrays when you are sketching.
3 | Expands Communication Skills
Architecture relies on visual language. Think about it, a picture is worth a thousand words. You must remember, you as the designer, or the practice are conveying a story to a client that will represent the goal of the project. It is time to stop sitting in long meetings and just talking about a design and solutions without visual representation. Create design charettes and have every person in the meeting sketch out their ideas or what is being talked about. You will be surprised at how many solutions will be presented, even if half of them do not work you will be able to get past the brain fog and run through roadblocks faster and more efficiently.
We believe anyone can pick up a pen and draw accurately and realistically, you just must begin to do it. Think about creative ways to get everyone to sketch in your office, from simple details to wireframes, bubble diagrams, or simple site analysis. Buy a whiteboard and roll it in during meetings to quickly sketch ideas and allow everyone to give input within the design process, not only will this allow for a creative design meeting, but it will also increase productivity and design solutions. There are multiple ways your design firm can incorporate sketching; just begin with the first step and get your designers to start sketching! Trust us when we say, sketching is a game-changer.
References:
Invaluable. (2019). The Science-Backed Ways that Sketch Drawing Improves Mood. In Good Taste. Retrieved: 2021 June 28. https://www.invaluable.com/blog/sketch-drawing/
Tyler, C. W., & Likova, L. T. (2012). The role of the visual arts in the enhancing the learning process. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 6, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00008