Essential Technical Skills for Designers: A Primer

Having worked as an architect and product designer for the past 15 years and having taught at various post-secondary institutions of design over the past 12 years I have noticed a vital and important resource that is missing in all the curriculums and professional libraries that I have come across, and that is a comprehensive manual that shows designers and especially students of design how to master proper modeling, lighting, rendering and fabrication as it relates specifically to the design industry (architecture, interior design, product design, landscape design, etc). A proper workflow includes initial digital concept design and development, 3D modeling, visualization and CG graphics, post-production, fabrication, as well as the many accompanying digital and technical skills someone involved in design must know in order to be competitive in today's ultra fast-paced design industry. All too often, the problem starts at school, with students being given very little resources to learn from and being left to their own devices to learn a "proper" digital workflow. Most often nowadays, students are given a 1 or 2 week crash course in school taught by a T.A. or a loose collection of tutorial videos and PDFs to serve as their fundamental resource to acquiring knowledge of digital skills. I have personally seen a drastic reduction over the years of core courses that properly prepare design students for the technical and digital skills they MUST have in order to succeed not only in school but afterwards as young design professionals.

Introduction and Purpose. Learning to Observe the World. The Importance of Drawing. 3D Modeling. Rendering. Post Production. Model Making. Glossary. Endnotes & References. Resource Materials. Index.