Communicate as a Designer

One of the most important skills you can build as an architect is the ablitiy to drawing by hand. When I think of the ability to draw, I don’t mean realistic amazing works of art.

I mean communicative drawing.

A post shared by Marc Sawyer (@wwsarchitecture) on Sep 22, 2019 at 10:17am PDT

Being able to draw and explain an idea or difficult concept clearly. To see an idea is huge for our clients. This is why VR and 3d modeling have taken off so much.

But before you get to the place of VR you have to get your idea understood. A quick Sketch allows you to do that. When you’re meeting with a client, how often do you take out your pen and trace paper? How often do you sketch ideas in front of your clients?

Sketching with the client is a very important part of my process. For one it brings them into the design. It allows them to take part in the creation. More importantly it allows you and your clients to communicate an idea so you both know you were both understood.

It breaks down the barriers of visualization. As architects you’ve been trained to see things in a certain way. To elevate plans into three dimensions or to visualize spaces around you. Not everyone is used to doing that, so it takes extra communication of an idea to allow the visuals to sink in.

Sketching allows you to communicate as a designer.

In your next client meeting take out the trace paper and sketch your ideas out for them. Right there in the moment. You’ll see how engaging the meeting becomes.