The Accidental Line. One Key to Original Designs

Design Process.

While I sketch (pencil on paper) out design ideas it is often an accidental elbow bump or mental distraction that results in an accidental line. That line sometimes leads to the freshest details or at least a new iterative path to pursue.  This is the magic blessing that comes from sketching on paper.  It is a feature I miss having when drawing out ideas on the computer using any CAD program.  I remember a conversation with a former head of the Architecture Department at KSU where he shared a similar respect for the accidental line. On a page full of quickly drawn iterative sketches an imperfect arc or misplaced line stands out.  It is the attention it draws to stand out that hints at the potentially unique creation. 

I believe many of the new and inventive original ideas are the product of pursuing an unexpected inspiration or accidental line.  That old solutions survive for so long without improvement doesn't mean they are good,  It means no one has stumbled across a simple but vastly better alternative.  My patented inverting TV tray table design was the outcome from an accidental sketch line.  TV Tray Table

So sketch, Sketch a lot.  Don't trust using a mouse with a PC app to leave an accidental line.  I concede that there are tablet apps that you can sketch on with a stylus or your finger, and some come close to mimicking what is possible with pencil on paper.  Don't get distracted with the color options and line width options and so on as they steal attention away. There is grace in a simple session between your hand and a piece of paper via a simple pencil. Shy away from mechanical pencils with skinny leads. The relatively fat lead in a wood pencil that you have to sharpen is where line width and shading and random marks live. I know there are tools in most drawing programs for effective iteration. I have yet to see any app that occasionally puts a line somewhere you didn't intend or expect it to be then lets you start a new iterating branch of sketches inspired by that accidental line.  

Sketch pads (the paper kind) come with blank pages to sketch on. There are also pads of graph paper with a light grid you can use to maintain relative scale of your sketches on.  I prefer the latter.  On a blank white page a beautiful sketch of something you want to make may prove less appealing when adjusted to fit actual final dimensions. I often start my sketches with a light rectangle or perspective cube drawn to desired scale on the grid. Then I know what I sketch within will remain constrained to the desired final proportions.  

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The value of Iteration and Prototyping.

Iteration:  As it relates to design, iteration is a sequence of sketches or models, with each intentionally a little different than the previous one. The iterative sequence continues until one reveals a functional solution not previously discovered or imagined.  A useful iteration may then become the base for a new iterative sequence that looks to solve an additional problem or add a new function or simplify the basic detail. Aesthetics may also be the goal of iteration, with each step seeking a better aesthetic. A refined composition or shape.

Prototyping:  Making a sample of an initial idea often reveals something about the idea that could be simplified or improved.  A sample may reveal flaws that can't be deduced from a sketch.  Prototyping iteratively, compared to sketching iteratively adds testing and interaction with and manipulating the design at each step. While not every product needs exhaustive modelling the best way to discover an unconsidered function or flaw is through iterative actual (not virtual PC) modelling. 

3D printing is one way to produce samples of a product idea.  I've had an idea for a jig that could be used to help install another hardware product I invented.  My initial idea was for a jig with a critical variable fixed in position.  Once 3D printed I was able to test the initial jig idea, and it revealed to me the value of making that fixed detail into an adjustable detail.   A new prototype was designed and printed that allowed the position of the detail to move.  It revealed that a way to lock the detail into position would eliminate the need for an accessory clamp to hold it in position.  A third prototype was printed to stiffen up the back plate of the jig.  It also modified and simplified the insert end to ease insertion and get out of the way of the drill bit being used.  It is not unusual that it takes 3 or more prototypes before homing in on the best solution. Often the early prototypes reveal opportunities for improvement that weren't obvious or initially considered. 

Base Drawing:  If whatever you are designing has some known, fixed properties that won't change through iterations, then a sheet of copies of just those properties drawn can help you iterate though variations efficiently without accidentally changing a fixed property.   This base drawing can be copied many times before starting to draw over one.  In an array of sketches an accidental line may be the spark that reveals the path to a great solution.  One danger of NOT using such a base drawing is that one or more fixed details may be forgotten in an iterative sequence. Another danger is that a concluding solution may no longer work when adjusted to account for the known fixed properties.  I like to sketch on graph paper as the uniform grid lets me maintain the same scale and dimensions of each iteration for accurate comparison.

Elevations views are a good place to start with iterations of a table design.  As a table will have height, width, and depth then 3D perspective or isometric views are recommended for final aesthetic refinement.  Minimally you should work with orthographic front, side, and top views of a design at the same time.  I've seen many furniture designs that looked great in one elevation, but looked awkward in perspective reality.  Design continuity breaks down when the shape of a table top looks unrelated to the base beneath it.   In life we rarely see just a direct elevation view of a product.  Try to anticipate how a design will be viewed when approached and iterate through perspective views from that approach viewpoint. 

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Comments and questions are encouraged and appreciated!