Drawing for Product Designers

Book excerpt: With its tutorial-based approach, this is a practical guide to both hand- and computer-drawn design. Readers will learn to think three-dimensionally and build complex design ideas that are structurally sound and visually clear. The book also illustrates how these basic skills underpin the use of computer-aided design and graphic software. While these applications assist the designer in creating physical products, architectural spaces and virtual interfaces, a basic knowledge of sketching and drawing allows the designer to fully exploit the software. Foundational chapters show how these technical skills fit into a deeper and more intuitive feeling for visualisation and representation, while featured case studies of leading designers, artists and architects illustrate the full range of different drawing options available. Hundreds of hand-drawn sketches and computer models have been specially created to demonstrate critical geometry and show how to build on basic forms and exploit principles of perspective to develop sketches into finished illustrations. There's also advice on establishing context, shading and realizing more complex forms.