This is a model I have developed to categorize and investigate the role of sketching in the
industrial design / creative professions today. Designers are visual people. They are creators,
thinkers and communicators. Their ability to grapple with intangibles sets them apart.
Design thinking maybe the current wave but being able to visualize a problem / solution /
scenario clearly and communicate it effectively to different stakeholders, remains a key quality
of a designer.
Learning to sketch has always been the starting point to attain this capability for many years, but it may no longer be true in the mind of a student.
Today the possibility of creating compelling images to communicate new ideas by using prompt based tools is very enticing to students. What meaning and importance
does sketching have in a design school? And if so, how do we, as educators effectively make the students understand the same?
The answer lies in understanding the three modes of sketching: to understand, to create and to communicate.
Sketching today has more relevance in using it as a tool to understand and create, rather than as a skill to communicate. The role and purpose of sketching changes with different contexts and overall is shifting towards it being a process and not a tool. The benefit of sketching is what happens during the process and not only the resulting sketch. Sketching will remain an indispensable and versatile quality for designers, even if in the future it loses its place at the forefront.
How do you vision the future for this thinking tool?