THE INTEGRATED VISULAIZATION SYSTEM

Thornton Lothrop
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design

Over the past two decades Industrial Design and its processes have been revolutionized and accelerated by the computer. Designers have condensed product development schedules using similar software for design, visualization and engineering. The industry faces a problem, however, as students, required to learn more skills than ever before, are not gaining the drawing skills preferred by or needed for professional practice. Challenges in standardizing Industrial Design curriculum across the spectrum of design schools exacerbate the issue; as a result students are graduating with a range of less-than-ideal skill sets. (Amit, 2010; Garner, 1990; Oliver, 2007) This paper examines the phenomenon of drawing in the design process and proposes a novel concept for drawing pedagogy to augment or replace existing curricula for accelerating skill acquisition and better prepare the student for the design profession.  The study tracked the effects of respective changes in a second-year Industrial Design drawing syllabus at The Ohio State University.  The results indicated a positive improvement in both individual and aggregate drawing skills compared to a control.