As an engineer, you need to be able to communicate your ideas with others quickly. Often we do this by explaining our idea in words, but this can lead to misunderstandings and confusion.

Instead we need to have the ability to communicate visually with simple sketches that show the salient features of our idea.

The Benefits of Learning to Sketch:

Imagine that you have an idea you are excited about and you share it with a classmate or colleague and they immediately understand it. That is the power of being able to sketch well.

Benefits of Sketching:

• Clear visual communication

• Non-technical people understand immediately

• No jargon or engineering acronyms block understanding

• Significant time savings

• No CAD needed

• Ability to iterate through many ideas quickly

• Ideas flow as fast as your hand

• No tools necessary other than a writing instrument and paper

• Portable idea creation

How you can learn to sketch:

1. Practice sketching random objects every day

2. Take a sketching course

I have been taking Marius Kindler’s sketching course and it has been a lot of fun. I believe sketching is a powerful skill for an engineer and am working to develop it in myself.

Some more examples of sketches by Marius Kindler:

Photo of the Week:

Action Steps

How can learning to sketch make you a better engineer? It will help you communicate more effectively, invent better products, and make you a valuable employee to your team. I believe sketching is a vital skill for engineers that will differentiate you and make you more effective.

P.S. If you are finding these articles helpful, please share it with a fellow engineer today! The Engineering Way exists to make engineers well-rounded and successful.

Rock on,

Camden