what do you all feel??
Is the presentation and designing better by hand or the use of modern computer tools a better alternate?
Personally I fell computer takes away the subtleness and the human touch that a hand provides.
what do you all feel?
The computer is just a tool… just like a pencil. They both have their limits. Sometimes its better to use one over the other.
Design isn’t any better or worse if you are using your tools properly. Hopefully you are more efficient in presenting your idea with your tool of choice.
agreed.
I wouldn’t do my initial concepts in Rhino, or illustrator, or even in foam for that matter.
And I wouldn’t present a final concept on a napkin either.
Appropriate use of your tools is important, don’t be hitting nails with sledgehammers, or taking down walls with forceps.
A good designers will know how to do both. Emplyers want to see that you can create quick sketches and be able to show your ideas, and also want to see more refined computer work. I would work on both, without the other, your only half as good as your competitors.
The “subtleness and the human touch that a hand provides” is not going to help you get a better product to market. At some point a computer or toolmaker will be involved in interpreting your subtlety into control drawing and ultimately parts or molds–wouldn’t you rather control that?
hand job is always better than computer jon 
job I meant 
a toolmaker will be involved in intrepreting your design no matter what, even with the tightest ProE work I’ve never not had to make corrections to the factories re-work of my ready for production, tool-path ready proE files. Just the way it is, if the factory is in China or in Italy, they all like to mess with it a bit.
but you want to do a thorough exploration so that you can rest assured that the design that you will be refining with engineers and toolmakers over the next 12 months is worthwile. Those explorations usually contain the most diverse thoughts on paper. Balance your skills so you can be proud of your results.
afterall, it you try to polish a turd, all you get is crap on your hands.
You need both but don’t just sketch to impress potential employers, do it to improve your design skills. Industrial designers are today probably the only creative technical people in industry today refining their thought process and problem-solving through this most spontaneous activity. Engineers usually create by mathematical models and other non-designers develop strictly by “feel” in the shop.
Good quick sketching done frequently demonstrates a refined and thorough creative mind, demonstrates that much-needed persistence and rigour required to go where others have failed to or never dared to. I for one would never hire a designer unable to demonstrate his creative process through simple pen-on-paper sketches, be they on rendering boards or toilet paper rolls. The CAD is obviously a must but comes later and only to refine and validate, NOT to explore as many out of school now do.
Drawing, if you master it, is still the quickest way to express yourself. If you don’t, well, you’ll always come up short in what is design’s most crucial phase.
Hi . My sketching skills are terrible. It never comes out as I have in my mind. So I always scribble on paper, then Immediately try it in 3D with Rhino. Quick shade and then scibble again. The only thing I ever show clients is a nice presentation page with renders and annotations done in illustration. I never show my hand drawings. So far, they like it that way.
What school graduates designers who can’t draw? This is pathetic. Labored renderings for every possible idea … though it works fine when you only have one or two solutions to a design problem. You’re an illustrator, pal.
you just made my day, thank you.
My sketching skills are terrible. It never comes out as I have in my mind. So I always scribble on paper, then Immediately try it in 3D with Rhino. Quick shade and then scibble again. The only thing I ever show clients is a nice presentation page with renders and annotations done in illustration. I never show my hand drawings. So far, they like it that way.
Just went on another interview this Friday. This guy (a designer) was more interested in my thumbnails than in my finished work. This has happened on every interview including the informational ones… Why? Because they want to see ideas.
Of course I am applying for design jobs and not production, illustration or 3D modeling positions.
Would I show clients my thumbnails? Most likely no but I would not do a finished rendering for my rough presentation. My roughs tend to be computer generated but are still very rough.
Just as I inferred in my first post (didn’t sign in though) The computer is just a tool… just like a pencil. Use the one that is most efficient for the job.
Oh, but Frank Gehry would be an exception to my rule:
…But he’s one of the few design-gods that can get away with scribbles. Plus he has the requisite staff ready to carefully interpret his intentions which are worked out in maquette form.
An interesting aside: Gehry’s architects use CATIA Industrial Design software instead of AutoCAD to describe the structures–something the contractors love to gripe about.
The “subtleness and the human touch that a hand provides” is not going to help you get a better product to market. At some point a computer or toolmaker will be involved in interpreting your subtlety into control drawing and ultimately parts or molds–wouldn’t you rather control that?[/quote]
yeh
sheesh
you don’t wanna be a cadmonkey do ya though ?
CMan