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The Logo Design Process – Sketching is not a ‘must do’

I get tired of people stating ‘you must sketch prior to sitting at your computer, this is the only accepted way of designing logos‘. Some people are so vocal about it that it almost sounds like a crime to do anything other than the ‘manual sketch process’.

My methods have been questioned from time to time. I don’t know why this is so.

I don’t sketch. Never have done and probably never will. (The only times I sketch are when Im away from the computer and don’t want to forget an idea I might have whilst out and about). The ideas I have in my head are created and translated straight into Illustrator.

There are other ways

I find this a quick, painless and flexible process. My Illustrator page will contain many, many graphics from ideas I have edited and crafted. Time and time again I come across articles, blog post, tutorials adamantly stating that it’s ‘a waste of time to jump straight to the computer‘.

I would argue that it can be the reverse, but its subjective and it may or may suit some people.

Jumping straight onto the computer works for me, and more importantly, my clients. Business is booming, so I think that people need to relax a bit about sketching being the ‘only’ way. It is questionable to say this with so much certainty when new budding logo designers might be in the same mindset as myself. Yet they will take on board what ‘the majority of experts are saying, which is not to go straight to the computer’.

And I think this is a shame.

In a tutorial, you can advise, but don’t make steadfast claims when infact other methods can and do work equally well. And especially to be so critical and opposed to it.

This may be what is taught at college, or mentioned in the many logo design books, or even posts. But it is not the only way. I developed my way and I would strongly advise that you create a logo or design according to what feels best for you, not feeling pressured to do what may not be right for you.

Just feel strongly about preaching about methods that in my humble opinion are not the only choices.

And breathe...

Article Posted On: January 31, 2009 by Graham Smith
Posted In Categories: Logo design

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Vunk Wall Stickers

I totally agree sketching is not a must do. I used to run a signmaking company and was often asked to design customers logos. I found going straight into illustrator and playing around untill something good came out of it the quickest and most creative way to work as designs and colours can be modified so quickly. The hardest logo to deign is your own.
Webby Design Guru

Well written article, good explanation and useful information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with everyone.
rob

Agreed - sketching is not necessary but depends on your ability to visualize the final design.
Suzanna LaCroix

Great post, Graham. Thanks for helping those of us who still hear our instructors in the back of our head.

I find benefits in both approaches. Basically, when I get "stuck" in one medium, I look to another for creative spark. I think it is imperative to the learning to be a creative on a day-to-day basis to learn sketching, but when you've mastered the 'rule' then break it!

Cheers.
Ryan Cook

Thanks Graham! in the end its about what works for you not the majority... The majority is not helping create the logo, so why should you do something if it doesn't work for you.
Hernan Valencia

My drawing teacher cited a quote from Glenn Vilppu (one of the greatest drawing masters): There are no rules, only tools.
ImJustCreative

Bit late with the replies here. Woops.

But yeah, that is a great quote. My head is always buzzing with ideas, like always, which for me is what makes me tick.
ImJustCreative

So many designers fresh out of college etc, will say otherwise ofcourse, because it is drummed into them that sketching is crucial.

But it's not. So happy to dispel that myth.
@AtSmith

Dude! Thanks for helping me feel better about my process. I was starting to think I was breaking some eternal law of design even though my clients and colleagues consider my final logos to be fantastic (most of the time). Thanks.
David Airey

Some great comments here, Graham, and I'll quote a point from David MacGregor that I particularly agree with:

"Whether you sketch on paper, use mac, stick in sand or simply visualise with you eyes closed, swinging in a hammock, leaning back in your chair or sitting cross-leg in the grass…it is the imagining that matters most..."
Amanda Vlahakis

(just to appease one very pesky client, I actually designed the stuff in Photoshop and then quickly sketched it in a notepad just because he had to see that the conception happened with pen and paper ..LOL!)
--------------------------------------------------------

Ha ha!! I would totally do that if a client asked to see my errmm.... sketches...
Jay

I think most people here are on the same idea that you'll do your best when you're comfortable with your own working process. It doesn't necessarily have to be sketching or jumping straight to Illustrator. I don't think there really is a series of concrete steps you can follow here. Like @Edward said: "laying out an immutable process seems diametrically opposed to the general nature of the creative world of design." - what a wonderful thought.

However, having said that, I also think that a significant part of the entire premise of 'sketching before anything else' has to do with the mere process of brainstorming and just throwing ideas in the open with no right or wrong. Unfortunately, many designers forget to do this when jumping straight onto the computer. I've personally known designers who would spend hours trying to work on the first design they thought of without a clue in mind of its possibilities or chances of success in terms of client-requirements. It suddenly becomes a competition with yourself on whether that idea...that design can be executed, forgetting the bigger picture entirely.

There are some great comments here and an excellent post Graham. Look forward to more such interesting conversations.

All the very best!
Rajesh Pancholi

I believe that when we are teaching/guiding students to be more creative, there should be a set format i.e., brief, research, brainstorm, sketching and creation of final/chosen idea. As studying design requires modules to be assessed and research and development of ideas is paramount.

However once we have grasped the basics of working it should be left to the designers own devices when in the "real world". If jumping on screen works, so be it. If it doesn't the end result will tell all....

If you're a solo designer then you may work differently than if you are working with an Art Director for example who may want to see stages of development as he/she may be the one who is client facing. I know of clients who view sketches with a skewed look no matter how good the sketches are, they just don't get them and like to see ideas more finished.

Its what you do with the tools at hand that makes a difference and of course not forgetting timelines. I've created logos within a couple of hours, the client didn't have time for sketching and on that occasion it worked fine, tomorrow it may not. You have to realize where the end creation sits in the whole scheme of things. Sometimes my sketching takes place on no more than a few post-it notes; they're a reminder of ideas found in the middle of the night.

Sketching is a great process but its not the only one and its the fact that we are different as people and in the way we work that gives us such a great array of creative results.
Sneh

Ha ha ... now where have I heard that before? You sound just like me. I have never sketched a logo design. I use Photoshop for that .. just start clicking on fonts and graphics and off I go. You wont believe how neurotic some clients can be .. just to appease one very pesky client, I actually designed the stuff in Photoshop and then quickly sketched it in a notepad just because he had to see that the conception happened with pen and paper ..LOL!
Fabulous Photo Gifts

Personally I see no difference - down to personal choice and why not?

When Mandy's not producing personalised photo gifts for others, she likes to work on her own photographic art. She'll usually start by reviewing on screen a bunch of photo's (mosly floral close ups) and start working straightaway on those that catch her artistic eye, on the computer.

Great discussion topic.
Damian Madray

Everyone has their own creative style and methodologies. If yours provide great results, then who's to question your process.

However, there are upsides to sketching and the main reason is that it allows exploration and variation. When you go straight to the computer, you're somewhat confined to what you have in your head. When you sketch, what's in your head evolves because you'll try a few different things.

Despite all the sketching, it's possible that it evolves even further during the digital mock-up stage.

So personally, I see sketches as a great method of exploration and a preview of what it end result could look like.
ImJustCreative

Bernie> This seems to be, thankfully, the most common view. Do what is right for you. Being a freelancer especially gives you that freedom that you may not be able to exercise working as a employee.
ImJustCreative

Jimmy> You say 'A lot of “designers” think that scrolling through font menus is design; it’s not. '
So who exactly have you asked this or put that question to?

I find it hard to believe any designer would assume that flicking through a font menu is design. Somewhat of a generalization, and not very general at that.

Flicking through a Font Menu, or leafing through the biggest collection of printed font examples is one of the same. Just because its digital doesnt mean it should be referred to in the way you do. Font choices are essential and I routinely 'flick' through either my font menus or my many printed font recourse books. It's all part of the process.
ImJustCreative

Lilian> Exactly the point of this post. It's not about preaching 'your way or the high way', which is invariably something taught to you at college. They say, sketching is a must and will fail you if you don't.

It's about doing what you do, the way that's best for you. Not feeling you have to do what others are preaching because they themselves were taught this way and believe it to be the only one true way.

Simply not true. 20 years of experience gives me certain privileges into how I choose to work. :)

Do, design, create in the way that works and is comfortable for you.
ImJustCreative

Aslam> Thanks for your comment. I give my clients digital ideas, or 'sketches'. I just email them. :)
Massimo Marolda

Amanda, Jimmy was speaking about the relevance of crude tools without any software injections ;)

Gram open up a poll :)
Amanda Vlahakis

You see Jimmy you make a series of presumptions there.

One of them is to presume that people are unable to sketch directly in Illustrator.

I can sketch and indeed draw detailed illustrations from scratch directly in illustrator.

Illustrator 'is' my paper - I use the pencil tool to draw in there in the same way I would on paper, what is the difference?

People do design differently, I do not plan a thing, I jump right in, but things come out well regardless.

For a very detailed illustration I might sketch out a plan of where people will sit/stand and where objects will go, but that is with the pencil tool, directly in Illustrator, which is no different from doing in it paper.

In my mind this is quicker and more efficient to work straight in Illustrator, that way I don't need to start in paper and them move that design onto the machine.

To me it's invaluable to save time by working straight in the software ... the quicker you design/draw, the more profits you make for a particular profit.
Logo Design Guru

I think the design process is different for everyone. Some people work better when they plan for a long while and have everything mapped out before starting a final copy and others just jump right in and make changes as they go along. Either way, there is no right or wrong, just as long as the end result is good and the best it can be.
Jimmy

Sketching (on paper) is important because the tools do not do the creating for you. A lot of "designers" think that scrolling through font menus is design; it's not. Sketching by hand, if you have that skill, allows you to be more creative than the tools you use. I can sketch a design first, on paper, and never have to look for the correct font because I already know the direction I need the design to go. I don't get distracted by the choices the tools offer. Good movies are made the same way; the writer makes all the decisions before ever picking up a camera or opening the aditing software. All the creative decisions need to be made with "crude" tools because creative direction can be lost when you add too many options. It's like giving a box of 384 crayons to a kid when they really only need the 16 colors. They spend more effort being creative and less effort picking from options someone else created or some computer generated for them.

Sometimes the answer is clear and forthcoming and a designer that is adept enough with the tools can produce the design without sketches. One can be skilled with the software and be a good designer, but one will need to be skilled both with the "traditional" tool and software in order to be great.
Amanda Cobb

Yeah, I remember in college that for certain projects we HAD to turn in pencil sketches and outlines along with digital files. For me, this was usually not the most useful. I'm like you, Graham - I can mimic things in pencil drawings/sketches, but drawing from scratch things I'm visualizing in my head doesn't usually go well. I work much better going into Illustrator, and starting with just finding a font look that would work, and building off of that. I certainly can't scroll through fonts on paper by hand efficiently.

I do think it's a good point someone mentioned above, that 'sketching' is really just meant as a brainstorming and visualizing of ideas, and can thus be done in either medium, physical or digital. In this sense, 'sketching' is very much necessary to logo design, b/c you certainly can't come up with the best end logo if you haven't put any thought into it.
Marnie B

I work with and without sketching on logo design projects - it really just depends on what I'm trying to come up with. For something quite complex, I will often start with sketching simply because I find it easier to work this way with tricky logos. For the most part though, there is no reason with less complex logos that I can't go straight to designing in Illustrator.
bill ries-knight

Wow! As I listen to this thread Ii am reminded of why I never learned to use the pen as a true artistic tool.

I, likewise, never learned to write with pen and paper.

Some of us are creative when it is in us to be creative. some folks are just busting out and creativity spills into the streets and down the gutters. When teaching a STUDENT, it is prudent to follow the common and traditional view insofar as they converge. A student needs to learn the mechanics of the task, and this is a fine guide. However, not every STUDENT can learn the same or draw the same. imagine being left-handed when the protocol is to tie your left had to your waist. Never gonna work, there must be flexibilty.

Likewise with teaching a graphical endeavor. the mandate to draw assumes the person CAN draw. :) It also assumes the person works that way. Some Don't. to REALLY teach, one must offer flexibility. After all, the teacher is not your banker. I hope.
Guest

It depends on the project for me. Usually I just do my sketches in photoshop and work my way up from there.
Dean Meyers

Graham, good post and good point made. I studied fine art as a teen, shifted to music, but eventually landed in graphic arts working on a newspaper, so I didn't go through a degree route to get into the field. Therefore I was spared coursework and teachers that required I sketch with pencil, or anything at all, to start creating logos or ads. As a result, sometimes I sketch traditionally, but most often I explore and develop directly in illustrator, indesign, photoshop. I mouse, I use a tablet, I scan stuff, I trace, I deconstruct things...it's all in my arsenal. But I wanted to point out something about historically what constitutes the "proper" way to approach design: Copperplate script was the ultimate in fine visual design for the equivalent of brand recognition in the 19th century in England, America and France. Spencerian script was taught to create advertising, diplomas and all kinds of elevated and respected "marketing" and advertising material. Blackletter was the German equivalent. This was the "right" way to advertise, and apprentices learned those methods to become fully qualified professionals in the field. Jump forward, and we have color lithography, phototypesetting..each new technology adding a new "right way" to create design. Technology and the tools of the day defined the craft, set the standards, and so it has been taught. I believe we're in a transitional period, with many great and respected designers still starting their work sketching with pencils, pens, markers etc. on paper, and moving to digital to "finish it off", yet other just as distinguished artists (and I won't say younger, because that isn't necessarily true) are now working only in digital format from scratch. My conclusion: as long as you can show what you envision in the clearest way possible, it makes no matter the means to get it across. Ultimately, your clients won't care how you do it, as long as your methods and tools accomplish the task.
Bernie Ebue

Great post Graham. I guess it all depends on what you're more comfortable doing and I don't see anything problematic or wrong with jumping straight to the computer, there's always time to go back and edit if what you were working on doesn't quite seem like you imagined it.
Honestly I do both, depends on what I'm working on though. There's no right/wrong way to the design process it's just some peoples views on it are more popular than others. I say go at it the way you're most comfortable with.
Lilian

It's weird how something as complex as the cognitive process of any unique creative can be so easily relegated to a strict rule set. I agree that not everyone should work exactly the same way - we're not machines.

In the same way some may jump straight onto the computer in order to work, I cannot think unless I am doing everything by hand. Sketching isn't just my process, it's my practice. It's not the correct or incorrect way, it's just how I personally function.
Amanda Vlahakis

Me too, I always go straight to Illustrator.

The only time I designed a logo outside Illustrator once was because my machine was broken down for a couple of hours and I didn't want to get behind on my work!

Sketching first is not the only route to a good design - I think any method of designing is fine, it's the end result that matters, not how you get there.

Each person develops their own methods that suit them and one shouldn't feel constrained to do it the exact way other people do it.

Designers are individuals also, not everyone learns in the same way, and not everyone produces creative concepts in the same way.
Aslam Memon

even i agree wid u graham, I also jump to the computer directly then sketching something out... however I do believe that sketching is very useful... one should know how to sketch... its a different story that u use it or not coz u never when it will be helpful like edward said... by give a small sketch to the client they got a good insight to what a designer is trying to explain
Mokokoma Mokhonoana

I think what matters the most is the 'end product' how you achieve it should be your personal preference.

Sketching has its benefits to some, as you're able to draft an idea and explore all possible directions it can shape into.

Sometimes an idea can go straight from your head directly into pixels, skipping pen+paper!

So the 'destination' matters more than the 'journey'.

Design process is personal!
Joni Mueller

I wholeheartedly agree with you. Why do *anything* that will confine or constrict one's own methods for expressing creativity? Creativity is about bending/breaking rules and thinking outside the box; not following the herd.
David MacGregor

Very lively discussion here...I go back to orginal point. Too few ideas in design these days, too much technique. Whether you sketch on paper, use mac, stick in sand or simply visualise with you eyes closed, swinging in a hammock, leaning back in your chair or sitting cross-leg in the grass...it is the imagining that matters most to me.
ImJustCreative

JEff> Thats the trick, you sum it up in your last para. Being able to generate a style of logo that can seem as though it flowed from your hands. Not always easy when most clients desire only styles that CAN only come from a computer. But it's important to always have that thought in your head, to save your self from getting brainwashed.

I think thats been part of the problem with the Web 2.0 Style Website only style logo, has bred a whole new generation of digital looking images on purpose. And a lot of clients see that as a new trend that can't be ignored even for logos that will never see the digital side of a website.
Robyn

I have enjoyed reading all of these comments. For me, after reading about half of these posts, I thought... what is the difference in sketching on paper and sketching on the computer canvas? I believe that both ways are acceptable and easily done... I do both. It just depends on the ideas in my head. I feel that logos are generated by thought and problem-solving. Although serendipitous things can happen through the design development process... it is not the same as a watercolor painting.
ImJustCreative

Massimo> Thank you for the kind words on my pencil and ink illustrations. I can't explain it, I mean I can have 15 weights of pencil, a sheet of paper and a photo and hours and hours later there is a detailed pencil drawn portrait.

Give me a pencil and ask me to draw say, anything from memory, or make something up and I really struggle. Hard to explain. I can't paint either. I can mimic anything with pencil. That's as far as my handy craft skills go.

Although I do doodle lots of smiley faces from time to time.

But Im far from a slave to my computer. It does exactly what I tell it to, much like me telling my pencil to render anything I am looking at. I work my Mac till its panting... :) I tend to get through a number of Mice (mouse) as well... seems a wear them out. :)
Rob MacKay

Hey sketching never made anyone a good designer - they made themselves...

Personally I find sketching more of a brainstorming session where I can document ideas down - a lot of the time I don't even have a physical sketch of a draft of any sort of logo/website/design - its just shapes or words.

The main reason I sketch is because it removes me from the desk and gives me the ability to think - my brain sometimes solidifies in front of the monitor, coz I’m hear a lot - possibly too much lol. It also handily removes me from Twitter, MSN, and Google Reader :D

Its all about who you are, what you find best works for you. In that respect, you are very much right about the "preachy nature" of posts sometimes.
Snoe

I'm with you - there's certainly no one right approach. I have been sketching a few today just b/c I need to break away from the computer a bit. While I have a few that I like, I stopped until I can get back into Illustrator and meld my other ideas there. Keep up the good work - I like the Helvetica series. I think Pepsi stole parts of your theme and Obama's for their new campaign :)
ImJustCreative

Natalia> Also a awesome valid point. A lot of my logo designs are type focused, and If I could design logos for myself day in day out, most of them would be.

I always start with fonts, to me this sets the mood for the rest of the logo. I can't sketch what a certain font will look like, thus Im a little bit lost until I have this crucial framework down. I then design everything else around this foundation.

:)
ImJustCreative

Kelvin> YOu hit a big nail on the head here. Not every designer can in fact use pen and ink. I know people say, well, it doesn't matter about the quality, its about getting ideas down. But fact is, if you are not confident about sketching, you don't feel comfortable, then how can this be liberating or useful.

I mean, my handwriting really sucks, like it really sucks. Yes, I can draw portraits incredibly well, but ask me to sketch something and it's a different kettle of fish. I don't feel comfortable doing it. Like i say, when Im out and about, then yeah, I will sketch ideas so I don't forget.

We all do what we have to do to get the job done. Simple. :)
ImJustCreative

Pete> Yeah, sketching is a loose term and I for sure, electronically sketch with my mouse and tablet. I see this as a liberating as maybe getting my pen and ink out and drawing another lifelike portrait, as I have been known to do on occasion.

The best thing is I have a choice about how I do what I do. I can do both, but i choose one over the other as it is my preferred method. Doesn't make me a 'bad' logo designer because I don't always get my pencil out. And trust me, several posts I have seen recently DO imply that if you don't sketch on paper, your not a 'proper' (whatever that means) logo designer.

Utter poppycock. Thanks for your comment.
ImJustCreative

Edward> Love your comment, how its worded and what it ultimately means. There is no wrong or right. People have strong views, based on their own, sometimes 'limited experience' and can't appreciate that there is a bigger world with more than one way to skin a fish.

I have read two posts this week, on logo design process, each one pretty much stating how 'sketching' is the be all and end all. Hence this post. APpreciate your comment. :)
designtwit

By definition the word "sketch" is to quickly jot down or make reference without detail, to create a preliminary step when problem-solving. The computer or the pencil and paper are only tools to create the sketch. We get too hung up on the tool when the process of creation is really what produces results.

I often wonder how the artist's brains have evolved to handle concepting on a computer screen vs concepting with hand-to-paper? Design education believes students gain knowledge of the process through mastering fundamentals. One of those fundamentals would be drawing and sketching. A designer should learn how to kern a headline and understand why font proportion is important before grunging and deconstructing. But, the landscape has changed and I see the computer-as-tool merging into the process, changing how we see, create forms and communicate those forms. If you are creating a graphic that will only be seen at 72 dpi do you get better form results if you only see digitally? Both sides must meet in the middle. Do not discount fundamentals as steps that can work to see and think. But, don't discount virtual formats as being blind to detail and process. Eyes and brains are working in both formats.

Me you ask? I do both. And I tend to put more thought into a design when I start in my head, move to the pencil sketch, read some more, then sketch it out in illustrator, then revise, revise, revise. And that is before my client sees it... usually as a PDF, not color printed and spray mounted to foam core with a tissue flap and an agency logo stamp in lower corner. Did I infer hard copy is old fashion? LOL>
nataliav

Totally agree, I think that every designer must find the best working method according to their own skills and likes. Typography is important in logotype design, and it's very hard to work it by hand.
Carter Harkins

This is really a discussion about creativity and creative process, which is as widely varied and multi-flavored as it gets. It cuts right to the core of what animates each individual human being on the planet. So to say that there is only one way in which to be creative, or to achieve creative productivity seems incredibly stifling to me.

Last night I purchased my first wacom-like writing tablet. As I played with it, trying out different brushes and strokes in Photoshop, I was amazed at how differently it caused my brain to think about the task I was attempting. The simple substitution of a pen for a mouse suddenly had me trying and doing things I never would have thought of otherwise.

I'm also a multi-disciplined musician and songwriter in Nashville. It has always amazed me how differently I write, depending on what instrument I am using to approach a song.

Those of you settling for a sketch-first dogmatic approach to creativity: Free your minds, and use ALL the different tool sets at your disposal, and stretch your concept of what makes for creative brilliance. Self-limitation often masks itself in long-accepted rules we don't even realize we've embraced. Challenge them. Break them. Surprise yourself and fall in love with the creative process all over again.
Massimo Marolda

"Once I do go to the computer, the challenge I give myself is to create a logo that doesn’t necessarily look like it is computer-generated."

Jeff centered the main argument, "computer-generated" opposed to something more classic, "hand and mind crafted"

like this, http://gallery.panorama.it/gallery/campionati_m...

[for me a really BAD] Logo winner of a local contest opposed to mine for example http://www.massimomarolda.com/index.php?/proget... deemed "too important and philosophical"

You have to control your pencil and use your mind

and

You don't have to be forced to think as the software you're using...
A lot of people become slave of their softwares. Drawing can help to avoid this :)

Graham keep the good work on :)
Follow me on twitter, /adloram
Massimo Marolda

In those times overpopulated by fake graphic designers and meaningless stealings and copies, i think sketches, a great creativity and a good graphic-culture are essential to be distinguished from them :)

My studies and my school badly forced me to draw, sketch and create on pure paper to enjoy the real essence of paper as readers who avoid the ebooks and prefers the printed book...

I saw your illustrations, and i have a question,

why avoid pencils or markers and manual sketches when you're good enough to use them?
kelvinwins

The problem I have is that on my Graphic Design course they see sketching as a necessity and will fail us if we fail to do so.

I hate how they try to mold our design process.
zulusafari

Graham> History tells us that the most famous painters I have studied first sketched their paintings on the canvas before painting. Very often they had multiple sketches on one canvas before coming to their final version. All this before putting an ounce of paint to the canvas.

VERY much agree that sketching is NOT a must, but I still think it's very valuable. I can't freehand worth a lick, but sometimes it is good just to brainstorm (with my stick figures) more freely. I feel like my digital tools limit me.
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

While I often encourage people to spend time concepting through sketching, it's much more about experimenting to find what works best for them - rather than being a MUST.

I very seldom sketch. It just doesn't really work for me. My ideas percolate in my head - not by sketching on a piece of paper. When the concept comes together - which is seldom when I am sitting at my computer - I'll grab whatever is near me (scraps of paper, envelopes, cash register receipts, Post-It notes, newspapers, grocery lists, meeting notes, etc.) to doodle out the idea quickly. About 80-85% of the time that concept becomes the finished logo.

Once I do go to the computer, the challenge I give myself is to create a logo that doesn't necessarily look like it is computer-generated.
Kostandinos

Likewise, I sketch out ideas as they come to me, even if it's on a napkin or scrap - though I usually carry a notebook with me.

Had a good day at Borders yesterday... amazing how reading or seeing one thing can trigger several others off on a tangent.

A lot of times I sketch AFTER I have initial logos on screen. I usually start out in InDesign and then move to Illustrator... I'm sure this would upset a lot of people as not being "the right way" either.

I think sketching is a must when one's in school, but after that it becomes a luxury or is not needed at all or as frequently. The more time spent working in a program, the easier it gets and you CAN just jump in! :)

Love seeing your process and ideas. I feel it helps validate my own and can only make me better. Your passionate posts like this one are eagerly looked forward to... I'm sure you help a lot of people out to realize that the only true right way is the way that works for them. :)
kelvinwins

I myself find it very hard to sketch ideas. I'm not naturally comfortable using a pen/pencil and find myself using my mind to visualise rather than getting it on paper.
Chris Rossi

I am an adamant sketcher for most things design and love it. It is my favorite part. However...when it comes with logos I am with you. I start with the fonts based on a concept and I find it Illustrator the best way to explore this. Funny though, when I studied graphic design, most of our projects were done via technical pen, stat machines etc---old school. In my mind a slow and messy process.
In interior and furniture design however, CAD I think is TOO technical and restrictive to use for designing 3D objects. I ALWAYS sketch for those.
Pete

I agree wholeheartedly with you Graham. I find that working on the computer gives me inspiration more than sketching. I am very visual and it helps my process more to play/work on the computer than to sketch. I still have to translate the image to the computer if I sketch. I too start with a file with may "ideas" on it. I guess you could basically say that that is sketching on the computer.
Edward Terry

Good post Graham.

We live in a digital world now, and one process does not fit all. In the old days of the 20th century, it may have been easier to sketch because computers didn't react the way we needed them to and data entry (design implementation) was a slow process.

However, computers and new iterations of software tools allow us to "sketch" directly on the screen. I used to use a Wacom graphics tablet years ago until it died and this was basically a digital sketch pad. I even used to design "live" with clients sometimes to help crystallise their input into design revisions. They thanked me for it as it gave them a valuable insight into how the design process worked.

IMHO the value is in the designer themselves - their creative ability - not in the process of implementation. I agree with you Graham, advice about the process is perfectly valid, but laying out an immutable process seems diametrically opposed to the general nature of the creative world of design.
ImJustCreative

Lorne> thanks so much for your kind words, really appreciate it. :)
ImJustCreative

Franz> Im not against sketching, im opposed to people saying 'its the only way to design a logo'. The post is more a rant about how some people are too set in there own ways, or too easily influenced by others and not prepared to explore alternative methods because they have been told to 'not sketch is wrong'. That is in my opinion, a pretty narrow minded to say the least.

As you mention, I have a moleskin to hand in my bag everywhere I go. So I do sketch but its out of necessity rather than choice.
Naldz Graphics

I agree. I was gonna try to practice sketching up first coz thats what they have said. but i find it more uncomfortable. I realized, not all people have the same practices and techniques. And i find more flexible if im working direct to my computer.As long as you have the skills and talent then theres no prob with that:)
Daniel Campos

The same question is a theme of discussion in Brazilian Designers Group "Design-se".
ImJustCreative

David> But you are already assuming that other methods are problematic. Why do people assume this?

I think heavily about the logo project, I reasearch it, I read all the answers to the questions I put to the client. My thoughts then form visual ideas that I translate on to the canvas.

No different from a artist who may paint his thoughts and ideas straight onto the canvas as well. I can think and do at the same time. The valuable time you say is wasted doing, is actually valuable time saved, at least in my way of working. I have read so many books that proclaim this and that that ultimately, I do what I am experienced at, not what an author tells me to do.

Moving shapes and pictures around allows you to explore your own creative process and imagination.
David MacGregor

I'm a fan of a book called A Smile in the Mind. The problem with jumping straight onto the machine is that the valuable time spent thinking is undermined by doing - moving shapes and pictures around - desktop publishing.
Franz Jeitz

I agree. Though I am not as strictly against sketching as you are, but I know it is not the only way. People, like me, who's drawing abilities are mediocre at best can still design great logos. Some just feel more at ease with curves and shapes then pen and pencil. I still sketch some of my ideas. Mostly however when a computer is not at hand. I also like to make notes in my Moleskine about what the logo should express and what allusions could be used.
Rick Jesse

I do both. Sometimes I have to sketch it as it's the only way of getting it from the chemical process in my head out into the real world. However I also do exactly what you do, and work a design and variations from one cormer of the illustrator canvas to the other, duplicating and fine tuning as I go....you can't do that with a pen without wasting time.
Lorne Pike

Thanks Graham. Good point. We are indeed all different. Best wishes for the work you're doing there. First time I've seen your blog. Will make it a point to pop back later and explore.

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