Abstract
The ways thoughts are externalized is difficult and met with many choices, first and foremost being the mode in which an idea is conveyed. While most fields of design are often thought of as visual fields defined by renderings, models, and sketches, the use of writing can be just as pertinent and necessary across all disciplines. This study sparks an investigative discussion on designers (no matter the discipline) use writing and drawing to effectively communicate an idea. Examples from the sketchbooks of students and professionals serve to create a corpus that references the many ways in which writing and drawing work to exemplify information in different ways. These works are exhibited, analyzed, and compared on a contextual and structural level to reveal the role of and relationship between writing and drawing in design. Through these works, the ways in which words and sketches serve to crystallize design ideas, impart additional details, and provide a more effective conversation with viewers. By exploring these visual and textual literacies, we can better understand how designers are already using both forms of communication in their work. Understanding designers’ writing aims to inform better ways of designing, suggest how to effectively communicating across disciplines, and aid in formulating a process for formally incorporating writing in design education and practice. By reflecting on a compilation of design practices this study serves to examine the modes in which we communicate design and reconsider the possibility for new ones that incorporate interdisciplinary values and verbiage.
Presenters
Madison SabatelliInstructor, Interior Design, Appalachian State University, Ohio, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Design Writing Sketching and Writing Journaling Design Language Design Ethnography
