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Fashion Research/Sketchbook 2016 - Za 'Ra

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Many high school Graphic Design students are unsure what to include within their sketchbook or how to present their assignments in an innovative and appealing way. This article provides examples of artist and student sketchbooks to motivate and inspire those who study qualifications such as IGCSE / GCSE Art and Design, A Level Graphics and NCEA Level 3 Design (Scholarship). It is written for those who are working in areas such as illustration, publication design (pamphlets, brochures, websites, magazine and book design, CD / DVD covers), corporate identity, advertising and marketing (logo and branding, promotional merchandise, posters, internet and television advertising), packaging design and/or symbol design.
An A Level Art sketchbook by Harriet James-Weed:
Sketchbook pages by graphic designer Claire Coullon:
An NCEA Design Scholarship workbook page sourced from NZQA: Character designs by Mike Butkus: An AS Graphic Design sketchbook completed by Jenny Ha while studying at ACG Parnell College: Sketchbook pages by graphic designer Susanna Foppoli, completed while studying a Post Graduate degree at the London College of Communication: An artist research page by Illustration student Jack Stevenson, completed as part of a Foundation Diploma course at West Thames College, London: An NCEA Level 3 Design Scholarship sketchbook page sourced from NZQA: Symbol design by Kendall Walston, a student of Kate LaMere, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at East Carolina University: This video walks viewers through examples of completed sketchbooks, giving invaluable insight into the design process. It stresses the importance of research, which helps to build an understanding of the subject matter and can inspire new and original thinking. The artist's typographic exploration involves the deconstruction and reconstruction of letterforms and the observation of shapes and forms. Each page is composed beautifully with a balance of creative pieces and annotation of work. A sketchbook by Graphic Design graduate Danny Haines:
A sketchbook exploring bats by product designer Chris Armstrong, a graduate of Art Center College of Design:
Logo development by Lucas Quijada, completed as part of a Masters Thesis exploring 'dual functionality within packaging', while studying at London Metropolitan University:
Logo concepts for Typedia by John Langdon (this image is sourced from an article containing the back-and-forth between designer and client - a wonderful, insightful exchange):
An NCEA Level 3 Design Scholarship exemplar sourced from NZQA:
A Graphic Design sketchbook by Mo Riza:

Need more sketchbook ideas?

This article is part of a series showcasing and celebrating outstanding sketchbooks by students, artists and designers. We have also published collections of excellent Painting / Fine Art sketchbooks, Sculpture and 3D Design sketchbooks, Photography sketchbooks and Textiles and Fashion Design sketchbooks. If you found this article useful, you may also like to read our Sketchbook Presentation Tips, which contains advice about how to annotate sketchbooks and an overview of what is appropriate within a high school Art and Design sketchbook.

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Graphic Design Sketchbook Ideas - 22 Inspirational Examples

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Many high school Graphic Design students are unsure what to include within their sketchbook or how to present their assignments in an innovative and appealing way. This article provides examples of artist and student sketchbooks to motivate and inspire those who study qualifications such as IGCSE / GCSE Art and Design, A Level Graphics and NCEA Level 3 Design (Scholarship).

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This student got a first class honours degree from

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Fashion Design Research File | Initial Ideas, Colour & More (1st class degree)

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Foundation Diploma in Art and Design portfolio showcase 1

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Art & Design Foundation Degree - Sketchbook Tour

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Art & Design Foundation Degree - Sketchbook Tour

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Sketchbook Tour 1 | Art & Design Foundation Degree | Georgia Holden

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Fashion Sketchbook - Central Saint Martins

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Fashion Sketchbook - Central Saint Martins

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Fashion Sketchbook | Central Saint Martins

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My University Portfolio \ How I got into CSM (GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION DESIGN)

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My BA Fashion and Textiles Year 1 Sketchbook

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My AS Graphic Design Sketchbook - A Grade

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Every designer has their own design process, but paper and pen is the first place to start for most. You can quickly sketch and explore ideas with no limitations.

Some designers may choose to work directly on the computer, but personally I find that designs can feel refined and perfected far too quickly without any real experimentation. Sketching on paper allows slight variants to be explored very quickly, and often small mistakes and scribbles can actually form the basis of better ideas. I spend most of my time on the computer anyway, so drawing in a sketchbook is a welcoming break.

The beauty of drawing ideas on paper is that you can scribble without worry. Nobody is going to see your work. You can scribble and doodle for as long as you want. Sometimes an idea might be rubbish, but who cares? Free your mind of those crazy ideas, and doodle until the perfect idea comes together. You don't need to draw perfectly or be an artist as long as you can produce the final piece. All that's being put on paper at this stage is the underlying idea, and its for your reference only.

Its rare to see inside a designers sketchbook, but for the purpose of inspiring others to learn logo design I am showing a few pages from my own, as well as contributions from other designers around the world.

A look inside my sketchbook(s)

I'm a big fan of sketchbooks, and I believe every identity designer should have at least one of them. Personally I have several for different purposes. Lets take a look...

The pocket sketchbook

I like to keep a sketchbook with me as much as possible, and having a small pocket sized version allows me to sketch on the move. I'm able to keep it in my bag so at random times though the day when an idea comes along I can sketch it down. When working on long-term projects I'm known to even keep it by my bedside so when I wake up with an awesome idea I can scribble it down and carry on sleeping.

The below photo show sketches for a personal project, an iPhone game called GooHoo. After several years its exciting to know its coming out this month ( click here for more information)

The A4 sketchbook

I have an A4 sketchbook which is great for use anywhere I want to spend my time. It's a nice size to use when working on logo design work at the desk, but also practical to take with me when on the move. Below are a few examples from recent projects; Geek Eyewear, AngloForma and Proofread My English.

My other sketchbooks

I have a slight obsession with sketchbooks, so have quite a few! As you can see from the photo below I also use an A3 pad, and a nice A5 pad too. I use them when its convenient.

A look inside other logo designers sketchbooks

I have asked other designers from around the world, at different stages of their career to kindly contribute photos from their sketchbooks for this blog. You will notice how everyone works differently.

Identity designer: David Airey

A personal idol of mine, David Airey kindly contributed the below sketches. For more on his design work take a look at www.davidairey.com or www.logodesignlove.com. Make sure to check out his books too as I'd highly recommend them.

Graphic Designer: Jacob Cass

Jacob offers some amazing advice for logo designers through his website justcreative.com. If you don't know his website, make sure to browse and learn from the great advice given. He has kindly contributed the below sketch.

Illustrative Designer: Von Glitschka

Von is an illustrative designer, but doesn't use a sketchbook as such, but instead scraps of paper. Here's what he had to say:

I don't like the confines of a sketchbook, I find it too constricting. I wish I could, I admire those who have a nice row of filled sketchbooks on a shelf. So all my sketches take place on pretty much anything around me at the moment of inspiration. These usually make it into my physical project folder and I than tend to isolate the specific directions I'll take and refine them again through more drawing. I have folders upon folders of sketches though. A whole flat file drawer is home to over a thousand sketched projects that I than created in digital form. I love logo design, and I love drawing because it's designs best friend.

Von has kindly contributed the below photos, showing his sketches for Filthy Look Films, Australia. For more on Vons illustration and logo design work visit Glitschka Studios at www.vonglitschka.com

Graphic Design Student: Kyle Funk

Kyle is a graphic design student at Central Michigan University, and he has kindly contributed the below photo from his sketchbook. You can follow him through twitter @KyleFunkDesign

Graphic Designer: Amy Pinney

Amy is a graphic designer based in Birmingham UK. She kindly sent over a number of great sketchbook photos. My personal favorite was her sketches for the Magic City Brewfest. A few examples from her sketchbook are below. For more information on Amy, visit her website www.apinneysaved.com

Logo Designer: Andy Bratton

Andy is a freelance logo designer working under the name of Escalator73. He kindly contributed a number of great sketches. For more information on Andy and his work visit www.escalator73.com

Logo Designer: Jim Gott

Jim is a graphic designer, and art director for Flipp.ca. He has kindly contributed the below sketches for Knuckles Industries.

Web Designer: Laura Kalbag

Laura is a freelance designer based in Brighton, England. She has kindly sent over sketches from her projects for Turbine (turbinehq.com) and Indie Phone (indiephone.eu). You can find out more about Laura and her work at her website www.laurakalbag.com

Graphic Artist: Sherwin Schwartzrock

Sherwin Schwartzrock is a graphic artist from Minneapolis in the US where he works with a team of talented crew of illustrators and designers creating commercial art for larger creative agencies. He has kindly contributed some amazing images from his sketchbook showing logo design work for Mitt Romney. You can find out more about Sherwin and his creative firm at his website www.schwartzrock.com

Hopefully the examples shown here will inspire you to start to learn logo design.

Share your thoughts on the use of sketchbook below.

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A Look Inside A Designers Sketchbook | Learn Logo Design

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Every designer has their own design process, but paper and pen is the first place to start for most. You can quickly sketch and explore ideas with no limitations. Some designers may choose to work directly on the computer, but personally I find that designs can feel refined and perfected far too quickly without any real experimentation.