Proceedings of the

Drawing Research
Network 2013
Conference /
Thinking Through
Drawing Seminar

Teachers College - Columbia University + The

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Hastings|Drawing as Design
Thinking: Teaching design students
to think and research through
drawing
Pattie Belle Hastings, Quinnipiac University
Professor and Director of Interactive Design
Department of Visual and Performing Arts

Fig. 2 Snapshot of my design notebook

As both a practitioner and educator, design education is of keen interest to me and it seems
the old art school foundational model no longer meets the needs of most interactive design
students. So what model is appropriate for students that will be designing for experiences
on devices? Our increasingly screen-dominated world has brought us to a critical juncture
in drawing education. At many institutions, the traditional drawing programs are no longer
required for design students. Unfortunately, learning to draw the figure or still life does not
necessarily translate into the ability to effectively design a logo, communicate a user interface, or create a web site wireframe. The developmental needs of the ideation processes in
design drawing are not met by purely observational drawing practices.
Fig. 3 (right) Website interface drawing by Mike Rohde

Fig. 1 Ideation sketches by Geoffrey Smith

How do we best adapt drawing curriculum for use in the design process?
For many professional designers, including me, any situation can be viewed as a design
problem. Take this presentation, for example a design problem. I approached it by researching, sketching and drawing throughout the process. So naturally, when I think about how to
get design students to think through drawing, I think of it as a design problem. How can
I design an effective learning experience?

Add all of this to the fact that many design students simply dont believe that they need to
know how to draw and my challenge has been multiplied. In my search to find solutions I
have stumbled across experiments in drawing curriculum happening across design programs.
While most appear to be preliminary drawing skills aimed at designers, some have even
gone as far as integrating computers and tablets, such as the Wacom Cintiq, into their life
drawing studios and courses. Most professional designers do not start the design process at
a machine and there are lots of very good reasons why they dont, so I am of the mind that
its better not to start them off on devices.
The reason I am so keen on drawing skills for design students is because of the importance
it holds in Design Thinking. The application of this term Design Thinking, is very broad,
but in this presentation I am focusing on web and mobile UI/UX, print, and identity design.
While much has been written about drawing in relationship to the education and practice

of architects, very little has been written on drawing in the Design Thinking process. This
is changing, however, as more drawing researchers are investigating drawing in design and
more professional UI/UX designers are speaking out on the importance of drawing at industry conferences and through trade related articles and blogs. (See attached bibliography.)
While research on the cognitive significance of drawing in the design process is still in the
early stages, design educators are trying to create drawing curriculums for a discipline that
is rapidly and constantly evolving. So, it becomes a process of researching design drawing
cognition and experimenting in the classroom at the same time. At this point I have more
questions than answers and Im also in the middle of trying to figure out how to meet the
needs of my institutions design students.

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corporate board meeting.

Design thinking is a methodology for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues
that looks for an improved future result. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking
The same source also describes it as the design-specific cognitive activities that designers
apply during the process of designing. Thats not a great deal clearer. It might more easily
be understood as a process of steps or practices used to solve design problems of all kinds.
This multi-step design process generally includes observation, research, ideation, prototyping,
testing, implementation, and review. Design Thinking is a very popular subject these days,
the topic of many books and quite worthy of its own presentation, but I will be focusing on

Fig. 4 Student in design drawing workshop

What is Design Thinking and what does it have to do with drawing?

Fig. 6 (left) Research sketches by Bjrn Akselsen

Unfortunately, Design Thinking is a baggage-laden term that seems to be hard to define.

The following definition, for instance, makes the process seem as dull and lifeless as a

Fig. 7 (above) Logo sketches by David Airey

Fig. 8 (below) Logo sketches by Mike Rohde

Fig. 5 Ideation sketches by Geoffrey Smith

one small but important aspect of it for now. Drawing.

The research and ideation phases of the Design Thinking process typically incorporate
forms of drawing, which can include thumbnails, sketches, comprehensives, wire frames,
storyboards and paper prototypes. Even though the design process sounds linear, it is actually non-linear or cyclical - the research informs the drawing and the drawing informs the
research. In this symbiotic relationship, ideation is primary and the quality of the drawing
skills may or may not affect the outcome of the process. One might argue that the drawing/
thinking aspect of the design process is the most important part. It is from this collection
of ideas that a design project moves forward toward implementation.
The basic purposes of design drawing can be summarized as generating, visualizing, documenting, collaborating, and analyzing. Ive broken this down into three main drawing and
thinking practices:

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1. thinking of and through ideas

This includes visualizing and recording ideas to externalize and convey the process of
thinking. The goal for this kind of drawing is for idea generation and exploration. The best
approach is to start with deep research and then freeform brainstorming of ideas on paper in
which quantity is pursued in order to reach quality. This stage of the process often happens
in a sketchbook that is kept for the purpose of generating ideas.

Fig. 9 Mobile UI drawings by Jo Lamm

Fig. 8 Logo sketches by Mike Rohde

2. thinking to improve ideas

Once the flow of ideas begins to form on the page, the processes of analysis, comparison,
iteration, elaboration, reflection, and development can begin. Sometimes generation and
analysis occurs simultaneously and sometimes it is successive. Reflection on the drawings
reveals relationships, strengths and weaknesses that allow for refinement, reduction, and
reiteration. In volume, the drawings can create a dialogue between ideas and aid in selection. At this stage, the drawing refinement process involves cleaning up and organizing the
ideas in order present or share them with others.
3. thinking about ideas with others

Design drawings are often created for the purpose of collaboration, communication, and
conversation. They are used to explain ideas to others and to engage discussion around the

project or problem. Through their ephemeral nature, design drawings convey an idea that is
in process not completion, which invites reflection, responses, criticisms, and alternatives.
At the collaborative stage additional drawing resulting from the conversations is often
superimposed on the presented drawings. Depending on the outcome of this collaboration,
the designer may return to stage 1 or stage 2 or move forward to the execution of prototypes.
Why do designers draw when they have all those nifty devices at
hand?!
Some designers have taken on digital tools as their sketchpad of choice, but most still advocate for pencil and paper as the starting point. The time and energy investment in ideation
within software usually far outweighs any benefits that might be had in the early stages of
thinking through drawing. It is also common for designers and design students become more
attached to their digitally generated sketches. It is often harder to see them as incomplete, or
to detach and throw away weaker ideas. It is also harder for collaborators to recognize the
unfinished qualities of a computer sketch. The initial ideation effort has the risk of jumping
to the completion stage, therefore missing critical improvement possibilities in the process.

Fig. 10 Sketchbook ideation by Bjrn Akselsen

_Fast in the moment, no need to boot up, find a plug, export or output
_Abundant there is no limit to the number of ideas in the initial exploration
_Disposable low risk/low stakes in the ideation process, easy to discard
_Generative focus is on the process and conceptualization
_Friendly looseness and incomplete detail invites collaboration/conversation

(Figure 11 overleaf)

Enter the Students: But I cant draw! Dont make me draw!

Some of the advantages of drawings in the design ideation process:

While drawing and sketching continue to be critical methods for innovation in professional

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design processes, many eighteen-year-olds entering design programs in the US are largely
unaware of the importance of pencil and paper. They often view the computer as both the
beginning and the end of the design process. They have become accustomed to thinking of
and using the machine as a creative problem solver. In my decades of teaching, many of the
students I have encountered lament the fact that they cannot draw or sketch and they are
resistant to the practice and effort necessary to become proficient. What they dont realize
is that the kind of drawing needed for the discipline is quite distinct from what they imagine
drawing to be. They have grown dependent on computers and devices and dependent on
mediating the ideas of others rather than conjuring their own original creations. Learning
to draw seems a step backward to them or even archaic. For many students, finding images
has superseded creating ideas.
Teaching design technology is like forever rolling the boulder up the hill. The software
applications that students learn as Freshmen are obsolete by the time they are Seniors.
Couple this fact many desire to only learn the software and it becomes a huge challenge to
get them to slow down and use the processes that will make them better thinkers and better
designers. Excelling in the world of ideas and creativity is much more challenging than
getting up to speed in the latest graphics application. It is far easier to become a technician
than to become an innovator.
FIg. 11 Logo sketches by David Airey

Fig. 12 Mobile UI drawings by Harold Emsheimer

So, design programs have this crazy balance to try to maintain: teaching appropriate technologies that change every six months and teaching the skills that change very little, such
as research, conceptualization, typography, and grid structure, etc. With this precarious
balance, how can we get our students to appreciate the unchanging aspects of the design
process and slow down in a world that is ever increasing in speed?
Fig. 13 Student drawing

Drawing Research Network Conference 2013

Drawing in the Discipline
There are a growing number of courses aimed specifically at the kinds of drawing and thinking skills needed for professional design practice. (See Appendix A for examples of catalog
descriptions of these courses.) Some design drawing courses are being taught in tandem to
graphic design courses. The drawing course utilizes the projects from the design course as
the basis for the content and curriculum. This is much like a lab attached to a science course.
This model is intriguing in its emphasis on drawing and ideation coupled with the design
project curriculum. We have always tried to incorporate aspects of design drawing within
our general graphic design curriculum, but the students try to avoid the design process and
go straight to the computer. We are now working on creating a sequence of classes or labs
that focus on design drawing as the measurable outcome of the course.
What kinds of drawing techniques would best support design students whose focus is on
web and mobile UI/UX, identity systems, publications, and motion graphics? This question
is actually not too hard to answer. There already exists a visual vocabulary or symbolic
shorthand that designers have been using and adding to for many decades. Generations of
practicing designers have built rich visual languages for thinking through the design process.
This language has largely been added to and passed on from person to person, through bits
and pieces. A robust design drawing symbol and method resource would be of huge benefit
to educators, practitioners and researchers. In the mean time, what follows are the basic
skills and methods we are teaching for design thinking through drawing.

Fig. 14 Sketchbook page by Geoffrey Smith

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Key concepts and practices for design thinking through drawing:

and participation.

_reading design drawings

Joy

Like an architect learns to read plans, designers learn to read the symbols of the discipline
in order to create their own ideas or execute the ideas of their colleagues and collaborators.
Learning the symbolic language of design drawing includes learning to see grid structure,
composition hierarchy, layout, and recognizing font families and color palettes, etc.

They are reintroduced to the pleasure and joy of using their hands to create. I see glimmers
of joy on occasion when a student overcomes a sticky technical issue on the computer, but
it does not match the pervading peaceful happiness that occurs when they are using their
hands to draw. When I run my Sunday afternoon design drawing workshops they dont
want to stop they want more, they express that they would like to stay into the evening.

_research

Focus

Questioning and discovery are the very beginning of the Design Thinking process and
precede the approach of pencil to paper. This means looking at the problem or project from
all angles and aspects. This stage is often aided by visual research, the creation of mind
maps, mood boards, interviews, information searches and all the other methods that good,
deep research involves. What does the problem look like? How has the problem been solved
by others?

Improved attention and focus skills are a natural byproduct of a drawing class. Regular drawing practice creates improvements that spill over into other activities where focus is needed
or desired. Also, when they invest in the ideation time at the beginning, they are less likely
to slap something out quickly in the prototyping and implementation stages.
Presence

_shape

Lines, rectangles, and circles are the essential underlying forms of design ideas. These
basic drawing elements can be composed to create an endless variety of shapes and objects.
Gesture and contour drawing aid in the creation of forms and add qualities of looseness and
openness that invite discussion. Learning to see and draw negative spaces can support the
envisioning of dynamic compositions and ideas.
_structure

Creating the geometries and grids of pages and interfaces is crucial to design ideation.
Knowing the standard formats (3x4 grids, resolution, mobile screen dimensions, page size,
folds, dies, etc.) and learning to work within them enables designers to envision appropriate
solutions when drawing thumbnail and rough layout sketches. Construction lines (guides)
and measuring techniques (pixels, inches, centimeters) vary between media and are critical
to communicating the practical application of ideas.
_type

Type is almost always a part of the solution for any graphic design problem, so thinking
about and indicating type is a primary skill for design drawing. Standard methods exist for
indicating type whether it is for grid structure, headlines, body copy, or information hierarchy. Type is also frequently used as image or concept, so the ability to render letterforms
that do and do not exist expands the ideation possibilities.
_symbol

Design invariably involves of variety of marks and icons for meaning, metaphor or action
within the implementation. This could be a navigation indicator or an organizations logo
among many, many other things. This would be the design of symbols for outcome. There

Fig. 15 Caption: Student drawing

are also many useful symbols in the design drawing vocabulary that are used as shorthand
in communicating ideas. In this usage, symbols, such as arrows, indicate relationships or
actions, rectangles are pages or screens, dotted lines become folds, a box with an X through
it indicates image placement, and so on.
_dimension

Form and shading are combined to indicate depth or volume in design sketches. The ability
to convey the illusion of three dimensional space or shape upon a two dimensional space
(paper or screen) is a highly useful skill. Dimension can easily be learned by drawing the
basic shapes of sphere, cone, cylinder and box then transferring that knowledge to more
complicated shapes through practice.
All of these basic skills can then be applied to various kinds of design drawing: thumbnails,
storyboards, sketches, diagrams, mind maps, flow charts, wireframes, layouts, paper prototypes and functional prototypes, to name a few.
Some side effects of students drawing
Once we get the students past the stage of fear and resistance, there are noticeable changes
in their performance and practice. This has been my experience in the classroom, though
others have written about it in relation to drawing in general. When we manage to get the
students engaged in the design drawing process, they begin to experience all sorts of benefits from slowing down and focusing on pencil and paper. In addition to improved ideation
skills, they articulate the following experiences directly or express it through their projects

Drawing and being together while not mediated or interacting with devices improves engagement and participation. Friendships and collaborative relationships form while unplugged.
The ability to sustain attention is improved.
Flow

Engaged drawing (even design drawing) can take us into flow states where time suspends,
flies by or disappears completely. This is one of the true pleasures of creative practice.
Failure

Drawing means making mistakes, erasing, scratching out, revising and redrawing. In a culture
where we have been programmed to avoid mistakes and failures at all cost, drawing is a safe
place to fail. Failure is actually a critical part of the design process and it is better to fail
in the earlier stages on paper than in the implementation there is simply much less at stake.
Success
It is actually quite fast and easy to make dramatic improvements in the ability to draw,
particularly for design drawing. Theres an enormous satisfaction that comes with visible
evidence of improved skills. This can happen in a single class and shift a students entire
outlook on drawing.
These intangible side effects are what can keep a student returning to drawing. It might be
helpful to make reflection on the act of drawing a part of the classroom practice. Perhaps
bringing these aspects of the experience to their attention will reinforce the development
of a regular drawing practice.
Figure 16

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Where do we go from here?

The main goals of a design drawing course are to prepare the students for visual problem
solving and to foster better student design solutions through the practice of thinking through
drawing. This calls for a multilevel approach that incorporates research and ideation along
with the targeted drawing practices needed to generate and communicate ideas. In addition,
incorporating a reflective aspect into the courses may aid in the embodiment or ownership
of design drawing as an important habit to develop. I believe it will take a crowd of voices
to inform, restore and nurture the place of drawing in the design process. I am hoping that
putting these thoughts out into the world will inspire research, ideas, dialogue, and collaboration around the issues of drawing for Design Thinking.
Design Drawing Gallery

Fig. 16 Mobile UI by Anton Repponen

Fig. 17 Logo sketches by Geoffrey Smith

Fig. 18 Mike at Creative Mints, logo sketches

Fig. 19 (top right) Mike at Creative Mints, logo sketches
Fig. 20 (bottom right) Mike at Creative Mints, logo sketches

Drawing Research Network Conference 2013

Fig. 21 (top left) Mike at Creative Mints, logo sketches

Fig. 22 (bottom left) : Bjrn Akselsen, logo sketches
Fig. 23 (below) David Airey, logo sketches
Fig. 25 (top right) Jo Lam, mobile UI
Fig. 26 (bottom left) Mike Rohde, web site sketch

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http://www2.ku.edu/~distinction/cgi-bin/vis.-comm.-graphics

http://www.ewu.edu/cshe/programs/design/design-degrees/ba-in-visual-communication-design.xml

Durham College, Canada

York University, Canada

Drawing for Design

Drawing for Design

This is a mandatory drawing course to introduce the visualization of

ideas. It nurtures the skill required to help one person explain what
they imagine to another person. The syllabus will introduce drawing for ideas, or ideation; drawing to challenge and compare ideas, or
propositional drawings; and presentation drawings, which give the
audience a sophisticated understanding of what the artist has in mind,
whether that is an object or an action. This course offers a sequence of
accumulated ideas and skills culminating in a finished video narrative.

Develops a visual vocabulary for the representation of objects and ideas

for communication in design applications. Ideas and concepts will be
explored and translated into literal, abstract and symbolic form for use
in graphic representations, pictograms, symbols and letterforms in
order to help communicate with impact. Foundation of drawing illustrative matter for commercial applications using various materials and
techniques appropriate to the field of graphic design and illustration.
Emphasis on visualization and sketching of concepts.

Anton Repponen, Figure 16

http://www.durhamcollege.ca/courses/drawing-for-design

http://design.yorku.ca/bdes/course-info-second.php

work.repponen.com

Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Canada

Muskegon Community College, Michigan, USA

CECD 160: Drawing for Design

GRD 130 - Drawing for Graphic Design

Drawing is an essential process in design. It is a necessary tool for concept development and is used to communicate with clients and other
design professionals throughout the design and production process.
This course introduces you to the basic principles of drawing: point,
line, form, tone and value, the representation of mass and volume, and
composition. Assignments include exercises in drawing techniques and
will involve skills required for problem solving and communication;
some assignments may be framed as specific design projects.

Catalog Description:Study and practice of basic graphic design

drawing elements such as line, value, texture, composition, one and
two-point perspective and color.Students will apply these elements as
they develop concepts for graphic design.Tools used include pencil,
pen and ink, colored pencils or makers and the computer.

Image Credits:
David Airy, Figures 7, 11, 23
davidairey.com
Bjorn Akselsen, Figures 6, 10, 22
icehousedesign.com
Jo Lam, Figures 9, 24, 25
jolam.cn
Mike at Creative Mints, Figures 18, 19, 20, 21
creativemints.com

Mike Rohde, Figures 3, 8, 26

rohdesign.com
Geoffrey Smith, Figures 1, 5, 14, 17
lookatlao.com

Contact Info: Pattie Belle Hastings, pattiebelle.hastings@quinnipiac.edu

To explore more examples of Design Drawing:
http://www.pinterest.com/pattiebelle/design-drawing/
Appendix A
A SELECTION OF DESIGN DRAWING COURSES
University of Kansas, USA
BDS 212: Drawing for Design

This course will focus on drawing as a tool of communication through

freehand exercises that explore observation and perception, form and
proportion, dimensional illusion and expressive characteristics using a
variety of materials and media. Some identified sections of this course
will also use two-and three-dimensional modeling software.

http://www.muskegoncc.edu/pages/1405.asp

Santa Monica College, California, USA

http://www.ecuad.ca/programs/courses/CECD/160

GR DES 35: Drawing for Graphic Design

Eastern Washington University, USA
DESN 100: Drawing for Design

This course covers hand-drawing as a design skill. Emphasis is on

sketching, design drawing, design process and composition studies
for visual presentation and design solutions. Students gain drawing
skills such as basics of drawing techniques, basic shapes, light, texture,
pattern, gesture and perspective drawing to communicate and present
their ideas visually. Students learn and develop critical thinking and
creative problem solving skills using the drawing process.

This studio course is an introduction to quick sketching techniques for graphic design students. Students will develop and practice techniques employed by working graphic artists
to quickly create drawings for concept, layout development and communication to clients,
photographers, illustrators and associates, utilizing a variety of media, including pen, pencil,
and markers.
http://academy.smc.edu/grdes/courses.html

Spokane Falls Community College, Washington, USA

GRDSN 105: Drawing for Graphic Designers
This course is an introduction to drawing fundamentals for graphic designers: hand-eye

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coordination, observation techniques, attention to format and proportion, perspective and
composition. Students will be introduced to techniques employed by working graphic artists
and will strive to create thumbnails and representational drawings for concept and layout
development in a timely manner.

Greenberg, Saul. Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook. Waltham,

http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/grdsn105/syllabus.htm

Heller, Steven. Typography Sketchbooks. NY, NY.: Princeton Architectural

http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/

Mass.: Morgan Kaufmann, 2012.

Heller, Steven. Inside the Sketchbooks of the Worlds Great Graphic Designers.
NY, NY.: Monacelli Press, 2010.

Press, 2011.
Lawson, Bryan. What Designers Know. Burlington: Elsevier, 2004.
Nelms, Henning. Thinking with a Pencil. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press,

MIT, Boston, USA

Drawing as Thinking for 2.007
Linking Eye and Hand for Better Design
Drawing for 2.007 Design and Manufacturing I
Words are good descriptors. And, CAD programs represent a revolutionary drafting tool.
But, drawing and sketchingpencil to paperis still a first means of developing, problem
solving your ideas and designs. The Drawing as Thinking portion of 2.007 is designed to
teach freehand drawing skills while fostering the intuition and creativity such skills make
available. Students with little or no artistic training will get the chance to effectively output
whatever theyre able to imagine. A wide range of seeing and drawing exercises will parallel
the 2.007 design process to help students move beyond their inhibitions and toward innovative, functional designs. (Lab Module for introductory engineering class)

1991.
Samara, Timothy. Drawing for Graphic Design: Understanding Conceptual
Principles and Practical Techniques to Create Unique, Effective Design
Solutions., 2012.
Articles:
Baskinger, M., Pencils before pixels: a primer in hand-generated
sketching, Interactions 15(2), 28-36, ACM Press. March 2008.

Websites:
Knight, Carolyn and Glaser, Jessica, Drawing And Mark-Making The
Creative Way To Maximize Design Ideas With Type, Smashing Magazine,
Sep. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Marquardt, Nicolai, Sketching Strategies, nicolaimarquardt.com, 20 Sep.

http://pergatory.mit.edu/2.007/resources/drawing/Drawing%20as%20Thinking.pdf

Appendix B
Selected Design Drawing Bibliography
Books:
Airey, David. Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities.
Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2010. Voices that Matter.
Buxton, William. Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and
the Right Design. Amsterdam; Boston: Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann, 2007.
Cross, Nigel, and SpringerLink. Designerly Ways of Knowing. Basel: Birkhauser
Basel, 2007.
Dabner, David, et al. Graphic Design School: The Principles and Practices of
Graphic Design. 4th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

2009. n.d. Web. 9 Sep. 2013.

Rohde, Mike, Sketching: the Visual Thinking Power Tool, An A List Apart, 25
Jan. 2011, Web. 10 Oct. 2013. 18 Feb. 2013

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