Keywords Idea generation Concept generation, Sketch, Drawing Presentation Detail

Design Drawing
When you enter a design studio you will find out that drawing by hand is an integral part of the decisionmaking process, used in the early stages of design, in brainstorm sessions, in the phase of researching and exploring concepts, and in presentation. Drawing has proved to be a versatile and powerful tool for exploring and for communicating. (see: Sketching, Eissen 2007). Exploring Explorative drawing enables the designer to analyse visually and to generate and evaluate ideas throughout the entire product design cycle, and especially in the synthesis phase (see section 1.3 The Basic Design cycle). That also includes: Effective Drawings The significance of a drawing depends on the context in which it is made. A drawing serves its purpose when it is efficient. Therefore a certain phase in the design process may require a certain type of drawing. Time is an issue and in many cases, a quick, suggestive sketch is preferable to a more timeconsuming rendering. Communicating Next to verbal explanation, a designer also uses drawing to interact and communicate with several groups of people, with different levels of understanding of professional jargon:

Fellow-designers or team members Model makers Marketing managers Clients and contractors Public offices.

Analysing and exploring the perimeters of the

problem definition

Using drawings as a starting point for new ideas, by

means of association

Exploring shapes and their meaning, function and

aesthetics

Analysing and structuring principle solutions and

visualising structural and formal concepts (see section 1.5 - The Fish Trap Model). Hand drawing is also beneficial to the development of the designers visual perception, his or her imaginative capacities and perceptiveness of form in general.
fig. 2.36

Delft Design Guide | Part 2 | Creating Product Ideas and Concepts | Design Drawing

2.2

Design Guide | Part 2 | Creating Product Ideas and Concepts | Design Drawing

2.2

For generating and evaluating ideas, hand drawing is more versatile than CAD rendering and prototyping. A rendering can look very definite and unchangeable, which is not appropriate, for example, when a studio is still conferring with its client about design directions and possibilities. A (brainstorm) sketch can also easily be upgraded into a more presentable drawing, on paper or digitally by using a tablet and e.g. Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter. Early Phase In the early phase of the design process, drawing tends to be simple: basic shapes or configurations, (grey) shading and casting shadows (figure 2.37). This kind of drawing incorporates the basic skills and rules of perspective, construction of 3D shapes, shading and constructing cast shadows (figure 2.38). Colour is not always used and very often this kind of drawing will suffice for idea sketching or structural concepts (fig. 2.38, and see section 1.6 - The Fish Trap Model). Preliminary Concept Sketching When several ideas are combined to develop preliminary concepts, the designer has a general idea about the materials being used, the shape, its
fig. 2.39 fig. 2.38

(figure 2.39) Side-view sketching can be a quick and easier way of making variations in shape, colour, details, etc. (figure 2.40). Mixed Media With a PC and tablet the designer can easily adjust colour and shading in the (scanned) drawing and add textures or the brand name. Computer sketching also has some advantages. It can speed up the drawing and enhance the designers eye-hand coordination and muscular movement. A relatively new explorative medium in generating ideas is called Intuitive Sketching (van den Herik and Eissen, 2005). This method uses a simple doodle as a starting point (figure 2.41), as a means to break free from conditioning, to express feeling without hindrance, and to expand your visual language.

fig. 2.41

function and how it is manufactured. Colour and expression of the materials (e.g. matt or reflective plastic) become more important and drawings become more elaborate.

fig. 2.37

fig. 2.40

References and Further Reading

Eissen, J.J., van Kuijk, E. and de Wolf, P. (1984) Produkt Presentatietechnieken, Delft: DUP. Eissen, J.J. and Steur, R. (2007) Sketching: Drawing Techniques for Product Designers, BIS Publishers. van den Herik, Y. and Eissen J.J. (2005) Intuitive sketching: a new and explorative medium in generating ideas, CAID&CD Delft 2005: applications of digital techniques in industrial design engineering. pp. 708-713. Beijing: International Academic Publishers http://www.sketching.nl/ (retrieved May 2009). see also www.designdrawing.io.tudelft.nl

fig. 2.42a

fig. 2.42b

By combining or integrating several drawings with other types of images (figure 2.42a and b), layers of information can be presented in a coherent way and a suitable context can be provided: the meaning of the product, user environment, etc. Material Concept Sketching or Preliminary Design When concepts become definitive, when you want to explore or explain how different manufactured parts are assembled, or when you are communicating with an engineer, choosing an exploded view is effective (figure 2.43). Side-view drawings for exact dimensions, detail drawings, ghost view or shaded cross-sections can also be very useful in communication. Drawings of user interaction can
fig. 2.43

serve to get feedback from users, prior to the testing of prototypes (figure 2.44).

fig. 2.44

Design Guide | Part 2 | Creating Product Ideas and Concepts | Design Drawing

2.2

Design Guide | Part 2 |