Fuel Your Sketching Skills: Learning Curves

Ask any seasoned industrial designer, and they are likely to agree that sketching is one of the most important skills that a designer can have. Great ideas and clever solutions don’t make it very far if they can’t be communicated beyond the confines of your head. It is never a bad decision to invest in your sketching skills and process, no matter how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you think you are.

Authors Klara Sjolen and Allan Macdonald have taken a broad approach to the topic with their latest book Learning Curves. As a follow up to their 2005 release, Design Sketching, this colorfully illustrated guide takes sketching beyond the basics with an expansive view of theory, communication, and emotion. From the simplest thumbnails to the most detailed renderings, these are the essential elements of a designer’s most powerful communication tool.

Though it begins with fundamentals, this is not a traditional how-to book. There are few step-by-step tutorials, but rather there are real-world lessons from over 60 design professionals- all sharing the advice and recommendations that mean the most to them. Not only is the book filled with tips and perspectives from some incredibly talented designers, it is accompanied by a rich collection of inspiring images from these same professionals. The illustrations are inspiration enough themselves.

Roughly the first half of the book is focused on fundamentals- with tips and explanations by contributing designers. These are the kinds of things that can seriously impact your end result if you don’t have them under your belt. Lighting, reflections, perspective – these are the building blocks of good sketching.

In later chapters, the book takes a step back from tips and technique to explore some broader topics- like the best attitude to approach a sketch with, or how to evaluate the purpose and meaning that the sketch is to convey. Product designers are not in the business of making pretty pictures- their sketches have a job to do and a story to tell. There’s a wealth of advice about ‘what to do when’. The techniques and approach you’ll employ for a given sketch will depend on what the sketch is intended to do- explain, explore, or persuade.

Concluding with an informative set of case studies and a list of additional resources, Learning Curves is a great addition to any sketcher’s library- whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro. More information can be found at designsketching.com