Hasta La Ideas

I’m really excited to be able to share this short video interview I did for Advanced Design Sketching with you today. In this video I answer the question: Why is sketching still so important in today’s design world? With all of the digital tools we have, why is it still relevant? Why are non-designers seemingly entranced by it, and why does it seem to facilitate solution finding? I also give you a bonus behind the scenes look at my home design studio! Can a bonus be at the beginning of something? This one is at the beginning. I like to eat dessert first. If you have watched any of my previous videos you have seen the sketch on my desk. Today I zoom out to show you what you don’t see.

People often ask me, “why is sketching so important?” I think they may be thinking of sketching as a skill. I don’t really see sketching as a skill. I see sketching as a way of thinking, a way of processing thoughts and organizing them. As you’re processing those thoughts, you’re visually thinking out loud on the page…an idea exists in your mind, the beauty of a sketch is that it can help you take that idea and push it out in the world. I can transfer a thought from my mind to yours with a 30 second doodle, and we can have a conversation about it, build on it, and slowly that thought transforms from MY idea, to OUR idea—that is when things get really interesting.

Yo! C77 Sketch is a video series from Core77 forum moderator and prolific designer, Michael DiTullo. In these tutorials, DiTullo walks you through step by step rapid visualization and ideation techniques to improve your everyday skills. Tired of that guy in the studio who always gets his ideas picked because of his hot sketches? Learn how to beat him at his own game, because the only thing worse than a bad idea sketched well is a great idea sketched poorly.