Now with the first infographic project done and out of the way, there is time to think about this next bigger project for the second half of the semester, and how I can properly prepare for it.
First I will talk about the evidence I have that sketching is a very good thing for your project and now it can save you time, not waste it in the end.
People might think that sketching your idea over and over with some variations is kind of useless, but it is not. Exploring your options while seeing what sticks is a valuable way to progress through your designs. To fit the pieces of the puzzle together, you have to see what fits properly with the concept. The idea doesn’t exist unless it is recorded in some form, the simplest being a pencil and paper sketch. Any less than that, and your idea is liable to float away in the wind, never to be seen again.
As the book Creating a Brand Identity– by Catharine Slade-Brooking describes-
“Embrace pen, paper, and pencil and watch how fast the ideas come. The experience of this , when concepts seem to pour out of you, is sometimes known as ‘being in the flow”
This is almost impossible when you are doing this in Photoshop, Illustrator etc, due to the fiddly technical nature of the process, and pen and paper let you draw what you want.
Brooking also states that- “The first idea is rarely the strongest, and that we must develop the idea a lot further and draw more sketches. It is a vital first stage in the creative process.”
From these tips, you can see there is never any such thing as ‘too much sketching’ for an idea, and having more sketches increases the likelihood of a solid idea, and you get more of a grasp of the concept you are leaning towards.
For my previous infographic project, I did a grand total of 2 sketches. 2! That’s pitiful! I only did 2 sketches due to already being happy with my first idea. But that was a mistake because I dug myself in a hole for the prototyping stage and having no idea what to change since I was already dead set on an idea, and I couldn’t suddenly pivot around and start from the ground up again 5 weeks into a 6 week project.
The two sketches I did 
It worked out in the end since I liked my original idea, but I would have been free of stress and ‘what ifs’ if I had properly sat down and sketched all of my ideas and possible layouts for the project.
This also ties into the fact that I just personally don’t like following strict methods and steps of doing things, since I felt that it could limit creativity. However, doing a step by step process ensures that you don’t get lost in that creativity, and achieve the desired goal of completing the project to a high standard. These steps are ‘safeguards’ to make sure you accurately check every box off your list.
Amely Koenig's Blog and Art 