Whether anatomical drawings scribed by Michelangelo and Leonardo during the Renaissance or political cartoons rendered by Herbert Block (a.k.a “Herblock”) throughout the 20th century, sketching has long since been used as tool to work through and communicate ideas both complex and simple, macro and micro. It’s rudimentary implements make it one of most accessible and favored forms of expression.

Tuesday, Design Initiative met with a group of architecture students attending Auburn University’s Urban Studio to discuss the importance of sketching. We displayed several images from our sketchbooks representing a range of information covering programming and schematic design through construction details and meeting minutes. Some sketches were beautiful in nature while others were rough and textured, but all of them depicted levels of exploration that begin to offer insight into the project and inform decisions that shape the final result.