This is a 1-hour sketch-along talk I gave at a Pivotal Labs meetup in Sydney: http://www.meetup.com/PivotalSydney-Tech-Talks/events/233277706/ . Grab a pencil and paper, and follow the examples in this deck to learn more about how to explore, explain and envision ideas using simple sketching, visual metaphor, and conceptual illustration.
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Sketching to explore, explain and envision
1. Ben Crothers Director, Second Road
@bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
Sketching to explore,
explain and envision
2. Hi everyone, I’m Ben
DESIGN TOOLS &
TECHNIQUES
BRING OUT
CREATIVITY
HELP BRING
VISIONS TO LIFE
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
7. Sketching to help us generate and
communicate ideas to others
The basics, figures and faces
Common iconic objects, visual metaphor
Conceptual sketching for systems and
relationships
What I am talking about:
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
11. Figures convey attitude,
action, and story
Sketch the body language
Sketching figures and expression
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
12. Faces convey emotion,
connection, and story
Think in comic language
Sketching faces and emotion
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
13. Amping up your visual vocabulary
Sketching objects
and icons
14. All objects can be broken into
simple lines and shapes,
such as rectangles and circles
Basic objects
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
15. Draw light foundation
lines first in pencil or light
marker
Draw the final lines in
black marker using the
foundations lines as a guide
Foundation lines
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
20. Frames and ribbons
highlight importance
Thought and speech
bubbles are good for
storyboarding
Framing devices
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
21. Vary line weight for emphasis
Add lozenges to group objects
Add shadows to anchor the
objects in space
Tips for adding vitality and interest
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
23. We understand new concepts by
relating them to previous
concepts
Simple images are powerful visual
metaphors for communicating
concepts
Visual metaphor
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
24. Clichés are boring. Visualising clichés is awesome.
Tip: Play the ‘What Would My
Boring Uncle Say?’ game
MEANING METAPHOR SKETCH
This data is of
dubious quality
Take this with a
grain of salt
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
26. Combine objects and icons for richer meaning
without words
Visual metaphor - on Red Bull
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
28. Explore different comparison patterns to
show relationships between elements
Connections and proportions
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
29. Sketch arrows to convey
journey and process
Treat the arrows like
characters in themselves,
and bring them to life
Time and flow
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
30. Show structured events and sequences by
combining arrows and shapes
Use business process notation, like
fishbones and swimlanes
Order and sequence
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
32. Get into the sketchbook habit
Set yourself challenges - one new icon a
week, draw on the whiteboard with your team
Find your style - develop your look over time
Display your sketches
Final words
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au
34. • Drawing Ideas (Mark Baskinger and William Bardel) - my
favourite sketching book right now
• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Betty Edwards) - great
approach; something from outside the UX domain
• Sketching User Experiences (Bill Buxton) - the most often
referenced book
• Sketching User Experiences - The Workbook
• Rapid Viz: A New Method for the Rapid Visualisation of Ideas
(Kurt Hanks & Larry Belliston)
References
Ben Crothers | @bencrothers | ben.crothers@secondroad.com.au