When I start a new site design, I first grab paper, a pencil (or my purple Pilot pen…not ideal but its *always* on my desk) and sketch out ideas which I add to throughout the design process. By the time Im done, I have a stack of papers full of ideas with detailed notes and a coffee cup ring or two…or three. Or four.

Im working on a new website for a client, and today the design concept took on new life. Considering the complexity of the project I know I need to make a rough draft to present my ideas. So then Im about to venture into a world I thought Id never see…revealing my chicken scratch… er, I mean concept sketches for approval.

I seriously need help with that… So that my rough draft isnt met with shock and gasps of horror I went on the hunt for some articles about website concept sketching. Interestingly theres very, very little information out there about this…thankfully, what little information I found was incredibly helpful!

ComputerArts offers a fantastic tutorial explaining how to head to Photoshop with the sketches to clean up pencil lines, create layers to separate the different elements as well as simple colouring and shading to help bring the focus of the concept to life. It includes a PDF tutorial, as well as a zip file of the project files.

PSDTuts – The Role of Sketching in the Design Process is an incredibly helpful blog post I found in which it says:

As a tool or skill, sketching has its role in the design process. That role will vary depending on the end-product being created, the size and scope of the project, the individual designer’s style, experience, and workflow, and the client’s expectations. Find out more about how sketching is used in the design process within multiple design disciplines.

The best part is to me is where they say you dont need to have amazing..or even good drawing skills to work out a composite sketch before bringing it into Photoshop. *WHEW!*

As part of the design process with a client, its a great way to present your ideas to be sure of the direction your client wants to go. Even if its just for yourself…its a lot easier and faster to make a bunch of chicken scratch on paper to draw ideas out of your brain rather than staring at the blank white space on Photoshop while mumbling “what to do, what to dooooo…?!!!” (or is that just me?)