Stupid artboard

As technology evolves, we’re being told to “make” faster. Use Adobe shortcuts, generate, iterate, but digitally, always digitally. It’ll be quick if you build that in InDesign, even quicker if you pull it up in Illustrator. Conquer designer’s block by avoiding that literal blank page.

Here’s the thing – I don’t “make” like that. Digital tools are necessary in the world of design. But I still find myself staring at a blank artboard. Everything I make I can just as easily delete. That line is ugly. Delete. That text box is too big. Expand it. Change the font, kerning, spacing, weight.  Or just delete. And then it’s gone. And I’m looking at that stupid, blank artboard again. It takes me longer to hand-draw concept maps, but at least it’s permanently imprinted on the page. I know it existed and that I actually did something.

I’m not advocating going back to purely traditionally methods, only observing that I work faster when I “draw it out” first. I figured this out last week, but the signs were there. All my notes are in ballpoint; most of my papers for undergrad were handwritten before I typed them up. Now, I’m going to sketch in pen to avoid the blank artboard. Then we’ll get digital.