The Sketching Game Show — Sketch or Not Sketch

Welcome to the game show where we help you learn all about sketching. Each episode will be focused on a specific aspect of sketching. These games will test your mettle, dispel myths, and push you to greater heights. It’s just you vs. you in this match of knowledge. The winner gets to come back play in the next episode.

Instructions for Sketch or Not Sketch:

I will show you a series of images and you need to shout out if it is a sketch or not sketch. Simple right? Let’s go!

Question 1, sketch or not sketch?

Answer: Sketch. Very good.

Paper prototyping is a great way to get quick feedback on your idea and sketching the prototype helps you keep the work with speed.

Question 2, sketch or not sketch?

Answer: Not Sketch. This looks sketchy (no pun intended) but not a sketch.

Some wireframing applications have a feature that takes a straight line and makes it squiggly to mimic a hand made sketch. This isn’t fooling anyone. Sketching by hand has unique qualities such as the roughness of the sketch and the lack of details which send the signal to the viewer that things haven’t been decided and that you are still in exploratory mode.

Question 2, sketch or not sketch?

Answer: Yes. This is a sketch.

Sketches help you share your ideas. They help you communicate them in a visual, verbal, and written form. Stay in the sketching phase as much as you can and until you have answered important questions to gain the most benefit.

Question 3, sketch or not sketch?

Answer: Not sketch. Just checking to see if you were paying attention. Goats are cool, let’s continue.

Question 4, sketch or not sketch?

Answer: Sketch.

Sketching can be used to show all types of ideas, processes, method, concepts. Use sketching to help your audience visually connect with your ideas no matter what type it is.

Question 5, sketch or not sketch?

Answer: Not Sketch. This is a wireframe. Awesome, you’re good at this!

Even though it says sketch in the title and has some features of a sketch such as labels and annotations it isn’t a sketch. You might even come across someone who incorrectly calls this a sketch. Please stop the conversation right there and let them know what’s up. It’s our duty to educate.

How did you do? You know what, it doesn’t matter if you got one correct or all five, hopefully, we have helped clear up some of the confusion around sketches. Goats rule!

Stay tuned for the next episode of The Sketching Game Show.

Keep on sketching!