Just for today.

Similarly, as a UX professional, I can sketch with whatever stylus and surface happens to be available at the time because communicating the idea is often more important than the aesthetic quality or fidelity of the resulting sketch.

Lately though, I’ve been thinking a bit about how I can improve my sketching ability and make life a bit easier for myself while improving my sketch-based communication.

Now, it’s no secret to anyone who’s ever worked with me (even for a very short time) that I have something of a stationery fetish, so it’s not like I ever need an excuse to buy more/different/better supplies, but I’ve been experimenting with different pens, to see which ones work best, and in which situation.

Making a Point

For a while, I’ve been using a set of Stabilo 88 Pens that I got from Sainsbury’s and they’re fine up to a point, partly because of their fine point.

They’re great for taking notes, sketching in Moleskines and for adding fine detail to larger sketches, but they’re not so good when you’ve got a whopping great expanse of Goldline Marker pad and you’re trying to quickly get an idea across.

Enter the Sharpie

If getting engaged was the most exciting bit of my trip to San Francisco last summer, browsing the stationery section of WalMart is definitely up there in the top five.

I was persuaded that 24 colours of Sharpie were more than enough and returned to the UK with more colours than are available on this side of the pond, and I’m really glad that I did, because they’ve got me through a couple of fairly sketch intensive projects.

The downside to this is that I’ve discovered that I like to sketch in grey/pastels rather than black/brights and I’ve completely knackered the two grey pens and now can’t get hold of replacements.

Fiddlesticks.

The Sharpies also start off nicely sharp and then get blunt, meaning if you’re doing a set of sketch based paper prototypes, the last sketches are often less detailed and neat than the first ones.

So, they’re not perfect either.

Double the Fun

Most recently, I was in a craft shop and wandered across Copic Ciao Markers, which are double pointed and bought a few, in the colours I thought would be most appropriate for the work I’ve been doing recently: black, two greys, two blues, a green, a red and a yellow.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realise the tip I thought was Sharpie-like was actually more of a brush. It’s not a huge deal-breaker, but it’s just not quite what I was hoping for. They’re still nice pens though.

Three’s a crowd?

After a bit of a conversation with m’colleague Fred I was reminded of Letraset Tria markets, which have three nibs.

I’d seen them before but always written them off as too expensive, but that was before I found Cowling & Wilcox and their better than half price sale.

Needless to say, I fell in love at first sight.

After a bit of dithering, I bought the Product Design set, because I felt like it would give me the best range of colours for sketching in greyscale as well as a decent range of colours for adding meaning, where appropriate.

I haven’t had much of a change to use these in anger yet, but I’m hoping with the double whammy of being able to a) refill them and b) get new nibs for them, they’ll last me for years and be worth the investment.

I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours

Of course, tools are a very personal thing, and while I think this might be the thing that works for me, I’m always interested in how other people work.

What’s your “Go To” sketching kit?

- Raymond Loewy

via Design Quotes Display

Le Corbusier thought sofas and armchairs were a terrible thing — the softer and cuddlier, the worse.

“What [modern man] wants is a monk’s cell, well lit and heated, with a corner from which he can look at the stars,” he wrote.

He designed what he called “machines for living,” buildings that served all of the functions that a human putatively required.

They were a beautifully austere, scientific vision.

They were hated, and abandoned.

People don’t want to live in scientific certainties.

Sofas are what people want.

And “machines for living” don’t honor the messiness that a human life represents.

Don’t listen to Le Corbusier—or Jakob Nielsen

So you need a typeface?

Fabulous. Worth viewing full-size. Via Inspiration Lab

Abstract Comic and Appreciation

I’ve been in love with sketchnotes for ages, but I think the concept of creating abstract art based on talks is really interesting (though potentially less obviously useful).

The bare essentials for the graphic designer

Saw it, loved it, bought it.

When you’re forced to be simple, you’re forced to face the real problem. When you can’t deliver ornament, you have to deliver substance.

Paul Graham, Taste for Makers

When I first saw the pictures of this on engadget I wasn’t sure whether or not it was a hoax. I’m now pretty sure it’s real, but not entirely sure it was an accidental loss. I’m also slightly regretting upgrading my iPhone 3G to a 3GS in February. Ah well.

Six Revisions: Will This Be The New Google Web Design?

via @iA

Step by step walk through of screenshots of what seems to be Google’s new home page design, apparently being A/B tested at the moment.

Managing UX Teams: me, make, meet: how to manage a ux manager’s calendar

A methodology for making sure you’re still able to do rather than just manage when you’re a UX manager.

…just because, you, as a designer, seek novelty for it’s interest; remember users want to USE, not do, the UI

@GoodSenator (Robert Fein)

It’s an interesting thing for two reasons. Firstly, it’s the first photoblog design of this kind that I’ve seen (and there are some really lovely UX touches demonstrated in the video) and secondly, the site hasn’t gone live yet and only displays the video itself.

How very meta.