Sketching
bringing concepts to life through pen, paper and a little imagination
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Project Type
visual design
product design
Skills
secondary research
brainstorming
hand sketching
color material finish
storytelling
Role
principal designer
principal sketcher
The Challenge
Throughout the Design Innovation program, I was tasked with sketching concepts for a variety of contexts.
I brainstormed and executed concepts across categories including public spaces as well as hard and soft consumer goods.
Each time, my process kicked off with initial research paired with brainstorming concepts on post-its! The result?
An ongoing collection of sketches that strive to visually communicate design concepts through line, line weight, light and shadow, and rendering
Product Improvement
For this prompt, I was tasked with taking an existing object and ideating ways to improve it. Selecting my everyday lunchbox, I focused on improving transportability (fitting into narrower, taller spaces in bags), versatility (adjusting the amount of food you can choose to bring), and access (creating ways to get quicker, customized access to food compartments).
Soft Goods 1
This sketch challenge centered around visualizing soft goods. The category? Shoes. I was able to select a shoe of my choice to represent in orthographic views with full shading and rendering. An additional aspect of this challenge was to achieve form variation using one underlay as a foundation and to show that variation across six different executions.
As a lover of warm weather, I selected and iterated on sandals. I progressed through simple shapes to more complex forms with intricate details. I also made it a priority to experiment with texture through both line weight/shape as well as experimenting with different mediums across pens, sharpie, markers, and charcoal.
Soft Goods 2
The prompt for this sketch challenge was to select a bag type of your choice and then, using one underlay as a foundation, to show variation across six different executions. As a lover of amusement parks and day trip excursions, I selected a fanny pack with a special focus on shading and rendering.
Environments
The prompt for this sketch was to create a sales kiosk environment for a favorite childhood cereal. Inspired by the Golden Grahams (still a favorite!) Retro Recipe, I incorporated curves reminiscent of vintage roller skates as well as foundational brand elements (honey wand, cereal pieces, logo, etc). I strived to pay special attention to light and shadow through shading.
lessons
Sketching is a layered process, be patient and add visual energy as you go!
The goal is not artistic perfection but communicating the design concept and intent
Less can be more and 20% markers dry out way too fast