Sketch as Sketch Can - Design Sketching with Imperfect Aids and Sketchpads of the Future

Abstract

Sketching plays a manifold role in design and design education now as much as it did in the computerless days. Design sketching is indispensable during the early phases of the architectural design process. But if we ask architects and design educators alike what they are doing with computers, idea sketching is the least mentioned answer if not left out entirely. It is not because they are computer-illiterates, as the computer industry would tend to imply, but because their computers are not offering an adequate environment for design sketching. In education this means that those trying to create computeraided design sketching courses are confronted with the choice of either working with imperfect tools, or waiting for better tools. But by exploring the possibilities in available surrogates we will build the necessary experiences for specifying what is really useful for idea-sketching. Without such exercises, we will never go beyond the electronic metaphor of the sketchbook with pencil or marker.