Project ideas that show shape and form

Hi all, long time lurker/advice taker, first time poster

My ID program in the UK didn’t teach sketching at all, not one class and they let us get away with bad sketching for the duration.

I can sketch ok but it is nothing to the standard of grads in the US. My work relies heavily on conceptual thinking and user research which potential employers always compliment.

I have just been turned down for an internship at a well known consultancy even though I was one of the top due to my lack of sketching. They wanted someone to do the sketching, not too much of the thinking.

My interviewer was kind enough to suggest I work on projects that concentrate on developing shape and form, iterative problem solving and form sensibility.

Can anyone recommend some quick projects I could work on that demonstrate this and doesn’t rely too much on research. My instinct leads me towards kitchenware or headphones…

Thanks

I think there is a difference between simply sketching and doing form development. However, they do supplement each other. One way I would approach these smaller projects is to pick a theme. So instead of saying just headphones or kitchenware, do something like, “rugged headphones for the extreme sports activists” or “kitchenware fun for kids.” This way, you can really drill down on the form, sketch with a clear purpose and goal.

Hi Dave(?),

Where did you study?

It’d be great to see some of your sketches you presented at your internship interview, and some more recent ones after starting your exercises.