editorial

contributions

home

back

Drawing from visual thinking: Mike Bradshaw

The growth in communication technology is changing our perception of the relevance of

traditional drawing programmes.

At LCP, within the context of this change, we are currently working towards establishing

alternative ways to introduce the importance of drawing alongside established drawing

conventions within the curriculum offer.

Our current drawing programme provides students with a vehicle in which to learn the

conventions of technical handling and is balanced by encouraging experimentation towards

the discovery of limitations, possibilities and visual qualities offered by the media and

material they use.

The practical discipline of our drawing programme is also important in providing students

with a frame work to freely explore and build on the expression of their ideas, feelings and

reactions in response to both perceptual or conceptual experiences. Why then, are we

loooking at alternative ways to deliver this programme?

The Foundation course at LCP has evolved through a strategic response to a steadily

increasing demand for a traditional diagnostic Foundation course experience, which has its

focus within Graphic Design and Media Production. In Graphics and the Media, drawing is

seen as an important part of the dialogue designers have with themselves in generating

ideas, a notation or carrier of messages rather than an end in itself. Depending on their

prior experience of drawing, students often find it difficult to make the initial transition

from observational studies giving an end result, to the generation of sketches and notes

based on visual thinking. With this in mind we embarked on a research project. Funded by

the London Institute we have been investigating and reappraising the hypothesis that there

are particular approaches to drawing from visual thinking that are fundamental to the way

Graphic Designers record the generation of ideas.

Visual thinking in the context of our research to date is defined as the process of taking

visual conception to physical output and its interpretation through drawing.

We conducted a survey of current working attitudes to drawing held by learers, teachers

and design practitioners. This exercise confirmed our need to reappraise specific areas of

the curriculum content in design and include alternative approachs to the way we teach

drawing. Through analysing the patterns and diversity of opinion evidenced from the

survey, and selecting visual notes and sketches produced by students in response to a

range of project trials, the project findings edeavour to illustrate the importance of visual

thinking as a method of helping students individual development in establishing a greater

understanding of the design process.

We are currently recreating clearer definitions for the parameters and conventions of

drawing practice used in Graphic Design and in this way, we are begining to devise a

methodology to encourage learning and build confidence in drawing. Students are learning

to see and appreciate image as a notation of visual thinking and understand the

importance of this in relation to image as end result. In our teaching in the School of

TRACEY - thinking - Bradshaw http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sota/tracey/journal/thin/bradshaw.html

1 of 2 21-Nov-2013 8:53 PM

Graphic Design we were very aware that if students are not expected to challenge or have

a view of what they are observing, their work may lead to superficial outcome.

In parallel to the research survey we set out to test the students ability to learn how to

challenge themselves in drawing.

We began by introducing drawing through a range of exercises where the observation was

based on their analysis of what they produced, and their experience of producing it.

Drawing introduced in this way became essential to the communication of visual thinking.

Interpretation could take various forms from expressive communication in the use and

exploration of marks and media, to the communication of ideas through the use of

diagrams, sketches and notes. All the exercises were designed requiring perceptive

responses based on a range of experiences from touch through to memory.

By introducing media experimentation through this drawing methodology we were also able

to help students learn to establish their own values with regard to the way media is used in

graphic design, to deliberately enhance or mask communication. Through understanding

these qualities in their expeience of drawing in this way, students were able to develop

their own visual language and codes to clarify the message or evoke an abstract response

in their design work.

As the project goes into its next phase we are starting to work with some of our feeder

secondary schools in testing some of the exercises with a younger group of students as

well as develop further curriculum initiatives for both the Further and Higher Education

Courses at the LCP. To build on and extend our current understanding of Drawing in Design

Education, we would welcome a broadening the discussion and are open to ideas for future

collaborative research from other interested practitioners. If you have any ideas or would

like further updates on our progress please contact the LCP directly on 0171514 7662 or by

e-mail to m.bradshaw@lcp.linst.ac.uk.

A detailed analysis of the survey and responses to the trails will be published in the new

year.

top ^

Mike Bradshaw

FE Programme Director

School of Graphic Design,

London College of Printing,

London Institute.

TRACEY - thinking - Bradshaw http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sota/tracey/journal/thin/bradshaw.html

2 of 2 21-Nov-2013 8:53 PM