From the course: Sketching for Product Design and AEC

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The power of line: Line weights for differentiation

The power of line: Line weights for differentiation

From the course: Sketching for Product Design and AEC

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The power of line: Line weights for differentiation

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- I've often mentioned darkening the outline of a sketched form once enough geometry was in place to help see it. The process of adding a heavier outline to better delineate a form not only helps you as the designer to see it more clearly, but also the viewer, whether that's a client, a colleague, or someone else. A slightly heavier outline works to enclose the overall form, which we are very much accustomed to recognizing as a whole. Just think of the power of a silhouette has in conveying form despite its flatness. Our brains are wired not only to detect outlines that enclose form, edge detection, but also color, texture, light, and motion. Line weight is like inflection in the voice. If we want something to be truly understood we say it loudly and crisply. If we want something to be kept secret we say it quietly. We don't speak in a monotone and we shouldn't sketch with monotone line work. I like to say that line weight is a language and when used effectively it automatically…

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