5 Key Take-Aways from my Conference Talk

In November 2018, I had the pleasure to speak at the conference about architectural visualizations in the Czech Republic - Vizkon 2018.

The title of my presentation was 'Is Sketching Dead?' and I talked about the role and importance of architectural sketching in today's world, which is heavily focused on digital technology. So today, I'd like to share with you 5 Key Take-Aways from my Talk.

01/ Most of architectural sketches are not for presentation

From my experience, vast majority of architectural sketches are process sketches - they serve mostly as a design tool and can help you improve and develop your ideas. By sketching you can brainstorm new ideas, solve problems, shape your design, and make iterations to optimize it. All done quickly and naturally.

02/ State of FLOW

Massive advantage of hand-sketching is that there is a direct and instant connection between your mind and your hand. There's no technological barrier like with using a software (no matter how good user you are). During sketching you can get very easily into the so-called state of FLOW, where your creativity and problem-solving skills are at their peak.

03/ Effective (!) Communication

Edgar Degas, well-known French painter, said: "Drawing is not what one sees, but what one can make others see." And there is some deep truth in that, isn't it? Sketching is mainly a tool for visual communication - and to be effective in such communication, we have to make sure that others understand exactly what we mean. Learning to sketch and draw well is a huge step towards better communication and understanding.

"Drawing is not what one sees, but what one can make others see."

Edgar Degas,French painter

04/ Human Touch

In free-hand sketching, there are many mistakes and imperfections. And it's alright. Humans are not perfect and they will never be. Good free-hand sketches contain a strong human touch which resonates with people and therefore sometimes it's a better way how to present an idea than with a clean and polished rendering.

05/ Designer = Problem-Solver + Communicator

Lastly, I wanted to share this definition of a designer, which is one of my favourites. It's short and very, very truthful. Designer has 2 main roles - it is a person who solves problems and communicates solutions. The whole #SketchLikeAnArchitect project is here because I believe that ability to sketch and draw dramatically helps designers in both of these roles.

So that's it. Do you think sketching is dead today? Just commment below and let me know what you think about this topic.

Until next time, take care and happy sketching!

David
#SketchLikeAnArchitect