In a brand new article over at Coroflot's Creative Seeds blog, Carl Alviani takes on the assumed primacy of sketching ability, what it signals for potential employers, and what it says about the nature of design practice itself. Here's a taste:
In light of this culture, it's surprising to look back on the work of great designers of the early and mid 20th century and realize that what's usually depicted is the product itself: Russel Wright's teapot, the Eames' chaise lounge, Dieter Rams' phonograph. With few exceptions, when a book or exhibit highlights great product design, for example, the sketches associated with them are brought out only sparingly. This is partly because the design has passed into the realm of general public awareness, and plenty of non-designers are looking at them. It's also because a lot of them aren't that good.
and another tidbit:
The applicability of the statement, "Designers must draw," becomes a little problematic in this light. Must they? The answer depends a lot on what comes to mind when you imagine a designer doing her job. Someone sitting at a table with a pile of markers and pencils, making marks on paper, constitutes an important but small fraction of the design process. The rest of it involves research, reviewing prototypes, writing briefs, driving CAD, talking to clients, and a hundred other things. There are plenty of designers--good ones--who haven't picked up a marker in years.
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Comments
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I'v just started to learn this language ;)
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
Carl is incorrect in connecting sketching to visually appealing objects. It is about communicating ideas with efficiency and accuracy
When the choice comes down to hiring a great designer who can't sketch, and a great designer who CAN sketch, the choice is obvious. I can easily hire great researchers and technicians. Finding thinkers who can motivate and inspire visually and verbally are much harder to find.