The Value of Paper and Pencil in Design
2 min read | Aug 10, 2023
Photo by sigmund at Unsplash
In a world of accessible design software ranging from a free version of Figma to a paid Adobe Creative Cloud account and numerous other design programs, there is a reliance from some designers to jump directly into design software to begin a project.
I’m not sure if this is an isolated, infrequent occurrence amongst designers, but I fear that this is becoming more of the norm. With the emergence of AI and with AI getting better and better at churning out visuals/designs, I wonder if some designers are forgetting the basics and what it means to be a designer — the concepts and ideas.
Pen/Pencil and paper are some of the best tools to iron out early concepts and thoughts and toss out ideas that don’t solve the problem.
I studied illustration in college and I had a professor who told me once not to “polish a turd”. It can be hard to hear that but it was probably one of the most valuable pieces of feedback I received. Granted, this was in relation to an illustration, however the message still applies. Moving an element in a design a pixel up or down won’t make a poorly crafted idea any more successful.
No matter how much you try to finesse a design in Figma or the Adobe Creative suite of products, if it’s a bad concept because you didn’t take the time to sketch it out first, it probably won’t be a successful design. It’ll most likely be mediocre. It might even be a rehashing of previous uninspired work or derivative of another designer’s work if the only research you did was competitive analysis of similar brands or products.
Take the time to explore ideas with pencil and paper and don’t be too precious with your first few ideas. They won’t all be winners.