Tuesday 26 October 2010

Design without Drawing?

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I had a discussion with a design professional the other day. He was saying that he overheard a seminar of designers talking about the act of drawing and how it’s attached to the design process. One designer in the crowd said that they don’t draw, and never have, and didn’t see the importance of it. The rest of the room disagreed, and lumped the skill of drawing directly to the process of design.

I personally, don’t know many designers that can sell a concept to a client without some type of drawing as part of the presentation. It’s a designer’s chance to look at the details, work out standard dims to address budget issues, and check proportion. I depend on my hand, experience and intuition, which comes from putting pen to paper.

When you hire a designer, please appreciate all of the hours that go into lining things up perfectly, into appropriate specifications of FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment), and perspective drawings that show you how the surfaces will work together.

So, I would say WHAT? Design without drawing? How did you arrive at the design plan? How do you get your client to sign off…and where is the joy in the process? I have just seen too many filler panels between bathroom vanities and bathtubs to be convinced otherwise. Work it out on paper first.

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Design and Renderings by Michelle Morelan Design, 2008


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen sister. :) I'm a designer too. and TOTALLY agree. How can you work through ANYTHING without drawing it and seeing how flawed the design is until you work through it about a million times? I do some rendering but yours are absolutly amazing and inspiring.

Picture of Elegance Blog said...

Michelle,
I agree with you 100%. How else the vision will be conveyed in terms of the furniture layout,the electric plan, the finishes, the elevations, and the whole perspective. It's a form of communication between the designer and the client. It's definitely alot of work, but at the end it's very rewarding.
Great post.

MEADE DESIGN GROUP said...

A designer who doesn't draft, sketch or draw clearly is NOT a good designer.

It is one of the most important skills in our industry.

I think we can visualize what the space needs but we need to take in consideration so many things that without a plan you can't move forward.

Crazy and hard to believe!

colette said...

HI Michelle - couldn't agree more, we do watercolour renderings at the beginning of a job which allows the client to fall in love with the ideas, and equally importantly becomes an important communication tool to our staff and our trades. I would NOT hire someone who could not draw as they will be apt to buy furniture rather that design unique pieces! Nice blog fellow Canadian, x Colette

K&B by the Sea said...

I'm not very good at drawing, but I totally agree, drawings are essential to give your client a better idea of the design that you're proposing. I'm a really visual person, and I HAVE to see something to really understand it.

Kelly

CREED said...

Couldn't have said it better than Ivan did! Ditto.

Carol

Michelle said...

And this was a design center conversation!

Amanda Lee said...

I can't imagine presenting concepts without drawings, but I do break things up a bit, using tools like SketchUp, in addition to hand renderings. Somtimes I combine CAD or SketchUp with hand drawings, as well, depending on the client, the project, and time constraints. Love your blog -- just found it this morning!