The importance of sketching

I went and got an 8month design certificate in 1996 so I don't know how they do it in art school (got my B.A. in Spanish, but that's Liberal Arts!), but sketching has been vital for me.

Not only is it important for the artist, but it shows preparation in a design. "Someone says, why should we do that" and you can show the drawing: "Because the proportions/Golden Mean say we should". :)

An old saying goes, "Measure twice; cut once". Sketching is measuring, in my mind.

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Powerpoint is not a design application

You have thoughts coming out in rapid fire. Rarely is the first idea the good one and you want to keep the creative flow going. The best way I find to do this is as ideas come sketch them down, even if it's little illegible sketches, as long you understand them, put them on paper, make way for the next idea. The creative process is interrupted every time you stop, fire up Illustrator, spend 5 - 10 minutes creating the concept then going back to brainstorming. To get back into the creative flow takes anywhere from 25 minutes to 2 hours depending on your level of focus., be it from stopping and going on the computer, answering your phone, etc.

Even when I think I have a good idea I try doing a few more thumbnails to see what else would come out. I don't like dwelling on an idea until I've exhausted all other possibilities. On average per project I try and start out with 30 - 60 thumbnails, each about the size of a match book. Then I leave them alone, jump in the shower or go train. I come back, eliminate them to about 20, start thumbnailing again, modifying existing ideas and trying to bring them down from 20 to about 7 - 10. From there I try to come up with a rough comp, working out the elements in the comp, type etc. When I have a linear, I jump onto the colour comp. Only then would I jump onto the computer. I do this for hand drawn illustration and digital work alike, btu things like layouts, business cards, pamphlets and even websites can benefit from this method, in my opinion.

Finally, from there, I take reference photos ( or any other kind of reference if necessary) and start the final.

Another reason why this is a good method is for freelancing. Gradually showing the client the project gives more value to your work, as even the littlest details get taken care of even before you start the linear, in opposition to getting the idea, jumping on the computer and coming out with a semi - decent product. In the clients eyes, if you go directly to that stage right after coming up with the concept, making any changes should be easy, as you already have the product nearly done. Also, with that method, you most likely just go with the first idea you had, and don't attempt to push the idea further, therefore just handing in something that looks clean, but with no real thought or concept behind it.

Anyways, to cut this short, it's a very important step, and even if you don't feel the need to do it on some projects, do it when you can, it's good practice and helps you think logically, it's a more streamlined way of thinking and helps you come up with better ideas.

Leaky Penny
Aka Artfiend Part Deux

notes, ideas and small concepts will be scribbled down on the go, I find myself sketching more and more on paper.

Fantastic - thanks, everyone, for sharing.

Big time sketcher here. A college prof once stated that 90% of the work is the idea--the sketch-your-thoughts-down-on-paper stage. 10% is the execution. I still believe and practice that to this day. Why chase your tail in circles on the computer? So much time--a precious commodity--can be conserved if you just sit down and sketch out your ideas. Sure, once in a blue moon you can bang out something half decent on the computer sans the pre-sketch/think stage, but I've always found these to be my weaker works.

A sketch in time saves 9 wasted hours on the computer.

"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible."
— Frank Zappa

Also an avid sketcher!

A fantastic book I'm currently reading is by "Sketching User Experiences" by Bill Buxton. He talks about the exact problem you are facing and what has been mentioned in this thread so far. There's even a chapter all about the different types of concept sketches to make it very, very clear that what you are showing the client is not the final.

I'm [almost finished] studying Industrial Design, where, if nothing else, they've hammered home the importance of starting on paper.

I've been doing web design professionally for about 5 years, and I learned very quickly the value of sketching before anything else.

The first thing I do after signing a new client is get onto sketches straight away. I find it an excellent way to get all the ideas in my head for a particular project out very quickly. From there I pare down the ideas until I get a great basic site design on paper.

Once it's on paper, it's a matter of simply going forward with wireframes and/or mockups based on the sketches - bringing them to life if you will.

Also, once I'm working on the computer, I always - ALWAYS - have a pad of paper and a pen nearby. I scribble down notes [often hex codes and div names] as well as doing a quick sketch to get basic proportions right of something I haven't done a mockup of.

You might find this interesting, it's photos of the initial sketches of well known websites.

For me, I sketch because if I don't, I'm stuck with these 12 some tools that Illustrator gives me. With a pencil, I can do almost anything. I don't know. It's hard to explain. It's just so technical when you're using the computer. When I am using a pencil, I feel much more creative. Empowered, almost.

On that note, I gathered a small group of artists together at work a couple of weeks ago for a brainstorming session and made them bring pencils and paper. 4 showed up. 1 refused to sketch. She had to do it on the computer. Hers were by far the worst designs out of all....

I just remembered a conversation with some writers I had two weekends ago. They all said they preferred to write on paper first because once they begin to type into a word processor, they do into edit mode. I feel the same way about web design, etc. Maybe for us it's the aspect of hour hands physically touching the pencil, touching the paper, feeling it's texture, pressing hard on the pencil for darker lines, etc.