Stick in an inspiring piece of physical design you picked up if it relates to an idea-it’s all visual language. Is a sketchbook different from a Visual Diary? What about a notebook-where does that come in, and a diary? There’s no reason why you can’t fuse them all into one. We can often trouble ourselves too much with labels and definitions. Be inspired by how a chemist uses a medical journal, or how a geologist records rock samples-it’s all about creating a dialogue that works for you. Some creatives like to develop their own formulas, incorporating diagrams, charts, lists or even graphs. While you’d traditionally associate sketchbooks largely with drawings, this doesn’t have to be the case. Don’t limit yourself to that one fine-liner or pencil-embrace the ink, crayons, charcoal and paint-or the box of matches if it calls for it, as seen in this example below. Grab whatever medium is close to hand, it might even influence your eventual design. The phrase ‘mark making’ is used for a reason-funnily enough it’s all about making that mark. Or you can always buy a couple, one for the studio and one for on the go! What’s most important is that you feel comfortable. Try them all until you find the size that works for you. Some creatives feel most at home in a gigantic sketchbook while others prefer one they can slip into their back pocket. Also, don’t give yourself a hard time over leaving blank pages-you’re the boss. Open at a random page and get stuck in, there are no rules-sketchbooks come without page numbers for a reason. While we’re mentally trained to work chronologically within a book, sometimes this can be more of a hindrance than a help-especially when it comes to sketchbooks. If the thought of making that first blemish makes you recoil-an easy fix is to make a small scribble on the first two pages, you’ll feel broken in and ready to start adding life to every page. You’ve just bought a brand new sketchbook and now you have to go and ruin it by using it-the struggle is real, we know. Scribble, shred, tear and crease-anything goes in the world of sketchbooks! 1. As hard as it can be to re-write anxieties sketchbooks are there to support the creative process, under no circumstances do they have to be considered works of art.įor those new to design or those just wanting to get a bit more from their sketchbook, we’ve compiled a helpful list of sketchbook advice for designers, featuring snapshots of Shillington London part-time teacher George Simkin‘s sketchbooks. Not wanting to tarnish that impeccable new page, worrying about making a mistake and having to erase the surface of paper into oblivion or just being afraid of your ability to draw. 11 Sketchbook Ideas & Drawing Tips for Graphic DesignersĪpproaching a brand new sketchbook can often evoke anxiety.

Sketchbook drawing ideas