Thanks again for the time you took out of your day to stop by.

Wish you all the best on your industrial design endeavors.

I know Jason White from working at Ford. He’s an amazing designer and artist. He also just released a preview of his book, “Old School Viscom: 20 Renderings in 20 Steps”.

Old school rendering is quickly (if not already) becoming a lost art. Sure, many designers still use paper and pen to develop the initial design. But, when was the last time you started a rendering on paper and finished it on paper?

For more pics and info about pre-ordering, check out Jason’s “Old School Viscom: 20 Renderings in 20 Steps” Facebook page. Don’t forget to “Like” it.

Using the iPhone to sketch with is fun, but using the iPad is a little closer to the real thing. I told myself I would wait until the next one came out, didn’t last very long. I broke down this weekend and picked it up. Now I’m kicking myself that I waited. Using Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro feels (may even look) like the first time I used a stylus with Photoshop – like a kid in a candy shop. This thing will never leave my side.

Link to app on iTunes.

I just started reading a great book, called Outliers. One of it’s grabbing quotes:

“In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.”
— Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers)

If you take this to heart, it means you’ll become an expert of anything after spending 10,000 hours doing it. If you want to become an expert sketcher/designer, all you have to do is get busy.

Just for fun:

I need to spend about 10,000 more hours sketching, but time is limited, so I’m always looking for new ways to fit an extra sketch in. Lately, I’ve been putting the iPhone 4 to the test. Finger paintings are kind off fun.

Drawn and recorded using iPhone 4 and the Brushes app.

“Zag: The #1 Strategy of High-Performance Brands”

by Marty Neumeier

I just finished reading the book, “Zag” by Marty Neumeier! I feel like my eyes have been opened, again. Marty gives great insights on defining a brand. Though the book wasn’t written directly to the ID-er, every aspect (and every page) can be applied to our field.

We live in a world of clutter, and it’s only getting worse. With millions of products out there, how are you going to create the next standout? In a nutshell, Marty’s book is about finding your “Zag”. He explains that the clutter comes from everyone following each other, which inturn creates a lot of “Zigging”. So, instead of putting all your effort into “Zigging” better, faster, and stronger than everyone else, why not “Zag”? It makes sense, right? This is where the challenge begins and where true product innovation comes into play. It’s not easy, but Marty’s book offers many great tips to help get the ball rolling. I highley recommend this book to the beginning and seasoned ID-er, alike.

Here’s a great video showing what industrial designers use sketching and rendering for. Also, this is a great video reminding current design professionals the role of sketching.

Title: The Back of the Napkin

Author: Dan Roam

I just started reading this great book and I’m already to page 123 – I can’t put it down. It has awesome insights on solving any problem by using hand drawn pictures. On of my favorite concepts so far is the 6 w’s, or “clumps.”

1.     Who and what problems

2.     How much problems

3.     When problems

4.     Where problems

5.     How problems

6.     Why problems

For further explanation into these areas I guess you’ll have to read the book !

Check back soon for tips and techniques in traditional and digital mediums.