Doodle me this, Adman
My journey into expressing ideas though little drawings.
Drawings are the oldest form of communication. Well before the documented written word, cave paintings and carvings were used to document events, illustrate ideas and pass along important information. I, being a somewhat simple man, am no different from my ancestors. I am not saying that I always speak in grunts… but, I still use drawings to communicate my ideas.
A Kid with a Knack for Doodles
Looking back, I always knew that I could draw. While other kids my age were filling their parents’ refrigerators with stick people and boxy houses with triangle roofs, my 72 pack of Crayolas were helping me sketch realistic cars, animals, goofy characters and architecture. I was around six years old when I learned that an object that is closer appears larger than one that is far away. This led to all sorts of other discoveries including that we live in a three-dimensional world were nothing is flat, everything has volume, and the world is all seen in perspective. That little discovery changed my life.
Types of Doodles
Since that revelation, I have been using my drawings to help with my career, solve household carpentry issues, and amuse my friends. Nine times out of ten, before I get started on any project I draw up a series of doodles. These little thumbnails are often goofy (and I assume look like the work of a madman). Other times, the drawings are detailed, full of resolution and look almost like a carbon copy of what the final will be. For the purpose of this blog, I will separate my sketches into two categories: the quick doodle and the tight sketch.
Quick Doodles: The quick doodle is very personal. This style of drawing allows me to work through a series of solutions, while not getting side tracked by the minor details. They are often loose and full of notes, arrows and drawn over lines. I crank these out as fast as my brain can comprehend the task at hand, and they are often evolving and spread over a bunch of sheets of paper.
The Tight Sketch: A loose doodle is great for laying out a brochure, the framework for a website or cranking through 1,000 logo ideas. But, when it comes time to refine the chosen direction, my doodles get tightened up and refined. The strokes of the lines become fluid and full of volume. They start looking more like the end result I plan on refining on the computer. At this point, the light table comes out and the angles and arches are thought through. Outside of the obvious speed this allows me to work at, I have also noted that lines feel more natural when I am drawing them by hand rather than defining them on the computer.
Doodling as a Form of Note Taking
Many times during a meeting, you will see me doodling out notes and sketching in real time. I have been doing this since I was a kid. While other students would be vigorously writing down notes and keywords, I would take notes in doodle form. Many of my teachers thought I wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying, but had to quickly recant their remarks when I would regurgitate a lecture simply by looking back at a doodle. That said, I would occasionally get caught drawing a something completely off subject like a dragon wheeling a bulldozer that’s shooting flames.
Silly-ness aside, both purposeful and creative doodles still have have a place in my career. For instance, I still use that doodlish form of note taking in meetings, only now I share the doodles with coworkers and clients. I have found this to be an effective way to keep the group on the same page and flesh out an idea. Through these drawings, we are able to bounce ideas off each other and communicate visually as well as verbally. On a more selfish note, these sketches allow me to walk away with a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish as an end result. A map of sorts to accomplish the project. This little trademark often has unexpected results. When working alongside a client, being able to doodle out a thumbnail lets them see instantaneously what is inside my head and add to the conversation. This is especially important, since roughly 65 percent of the population consists of visual learners/thinkers.
To Put This all in a Nice Pretty Bow…
This thing we’ve come to know as “doodling” is really more than just a silly distraction or childish hobby. For me, doodling is a form of communication that enhances not only my ability to effectively brainstorm and create, but also my ability to clearly communicate with others. Give it try sometime—I’ll bet you’ll be surprised with the outcome, if not discover some artistic abilities along the way!
Moncur is a branding and digital agency. Working our magic to turn doodles into reality is our speciality. Learn more about what we do by visiting www.thinkmoncur.com today.
