Sketching your ideas is an integral part of the design process.
Drawing counts as one of the foundation tools for creating effective designs. With the advent of different design programs in all the disciplines of design ranging from graphic design to interior design, the drawing process now also includes the use of design technology. However, many designers still make their preliminary designs by hand, making it one of the most useful skills of the design process.
Keep a File
Part of drawing a good design has nothing to do with the current design you're working on. Rather it starts with the files you keep of interesting design samples that catch your eye. If you can find examples of the design from the drawing phase to the finished phase, that adds extra value to your folder, because you can see how other artists use drawing at the outset of the design process.
Goals of the Project
Unless you're drawing a design for your own use, then the design you're working on likely has a client or audience. If that's the case, then determining the end goals of the project represents your first step. When you first meet with the client, talk about elements of the project such as budget, time frame and corporate/ company image. Ask for samples of other design projects the company used. Once you see these, determine if they want the current design that you're drawing to align with the visual iconography already established in the design samples or if they want to move in a different direction.
Make Plenty of Rough Sketches
Drawing an effective design depends on making rough sketches, which you'll start doing early on in the project. Keep a pad and pencil with you as you talk with the client, making notes and even some preliminary sketches for the project. Afterward, spend plenty of time at your drawing board playing around with the elements of the design. If you're creating character design, draw variations of your characters. If it's the interface for a website, sketch the features you and the client discussed. Keep all of these examples in a file folder you've created specifically for the project, because you'll share your ideas with the client as the project unfolds.
Practical Uses
Although innovation in design represents an important aspect of the design process, keep in mind that certain accepted design features have become the norm. People are accustomed to them and know use features such as the buttons most university websites have for "Prospective Students" or "Academics". Most visitors to the site understand what these mean. If you're going to deviate from the design audience's normal expectations, make sure you deal with the visual solution to this in your drawing. For example, if you're making an art instruction website, instead of making buttons that read "Drawing" or "Painting", make buttons that feature a pencil or paint brush. Draw these elements in your design as you're developing your ideas. Test these ideas. Draw paper mock-ups of your ideas and see if people respond to your designs in the manner you expect them to. If not, redraw the design and test it again until it works.
