Extended drawing (learning from the in-between)

Drawing, undisputed still at the core of the designing process, is gradually transforming itself into a hybrid activity. Where designers used to explore and communicate embryonic (1) design through handmade sketches, the thinking process, nowadays, seems to be driven through combining different graphical tools and techniques. This evolution constitutes a change in attitude towards graphical exploration and thinking processes within emerging design. The proliferation of digital drawing and editing tools, the emergence of online search engines and the availability of digital photography has changed the status and value attributed to handmadedrawings (2). The notion of extended drawing is based on the notion of extended techniques within musical practices: extended techniques are performance techniques used in music to describe unconventional, unorthodox or "improper" techniques of singing or playing musical instruments (3). The project researches strategies to approach hybrid forms of drawing within embryonic design processes and inquires the change in attitude towards the assessment of these expressions. Through a combination of research within design practice and applied thought processes through drawing the project intends to explicit an updated approach towards graphical thinking and exploration within design and it’s teaching. Keywords: hybrid drawing, design sketching, design thinking, craft knowledge and improvisation. (1) Embryonic is used here as a metaphor to define the early stage of design where the (design) problem is stated and no explicit actions have been undertaken. Within this stage everything is possible and ideas are built upon intuitive concepts. The project will inquire graphical explorations of ideas within this preliminarystage. (2) see Bryan Lawson (2004); Marc Treib ed. (2008): there is a concern amongst researchers, practitioners and tutors within design that a changed status of the craft of thinking through drawing is changingthe way designers think within design processes. While authors acknowledge the change, it seems uncertain as to it implies for the future of the thinking within the practice. Through active inquiries within graphic processes of design the project intends to explicit possibilities to approach hybrid processes within design. (3) source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_techniquestatus: publishe