How do you use your sketchpad - if you use one at all...

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SeedySteve

Member
I'm doing Design & Innovation with the OU at the minute, and I'm constantly being told that I'm not uploading enough sketches. I know that this is just to show my work and stuff, but I generally don't sketch too much.
I keep a couple of books for general doodling and getting basic ideas down, but more often than not, it's just for brainstorming. They've also suggested keeping a design diary - they've got no chance of that. Tried and failed at diaries many times. I just don't find them useful.
How do you use either?
 
Note: I associate design and innovation as being closer to my background of product design than it is to graphic design.
In my opinion sketching is fundamental to this type of design.... you'd be surprised just how much doodling/note taking/calculations etc you do in a day.
Now don't get me wrong I don't sketch everything down as some of the work is done live on the computer in my case but if the OU says you need more sketches, best you do some as it's a requirement for the course obviously.
 
I use sketch books and notepads for every project I work on. It's a lot easier if you buy the tabbed ones though, and give each project its own tab. It's not fun flicking through a 150 page notepad with something on every page trying to find that one little idea you sketched down the other day.
I put everything into the notepad, including research so that I can just read through it page by page and immerse myself in a little world dedicated entirely to that project. I can read up on values they want, ideas they do and don't like etc and often I'll just get some ideas and start sketching them down. I don't use a design diary though.
Just do what they ask for your course, it might suck and you might not personally agree with it, but the entire reason of you being on that course is to get the certification at the end so do what you need to in order to achieve that. Afterwards you can do it your way!
 
I don't like using pads as I kind of don't like crappy stuff being in there which makes me try and make everything good which in turn restricts me so I tend to use copy paper for roughs and cherry pick what I like.
I then work things up on a layout pad.
Works a lot better for me.
 
Sean Lee-Amies said:
I put everything into the notepad, including research so that I can just read through it page by page and immerse myself in a little world dedicated entirely to that project. I can read up on values they want, ideas they do and don't like etc and often I'll just get some ideas and start sketching them down. I don't use a design diary though.
Click to expand...
My notepads can have the pages removed and I use plain paper for sketching/calculations/note taking (normally just reach into my printer paper drawer lol). I then store each project in it's own a4 wallet folder (these) which are then stored in a box files for bulk storage. Along with a digitised version scanned onto my server too, stuck in folders etc :)
I do the same with my accounts etc too but it per year instead of by project.
I'm lucky in that I have a fair bit of space for my 'office' but I still don't want everywhere filled up with the sheer amount of stuff we can amass for design and accounts lol
 
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