The Power of Pens in Graphic Design

‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ -

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Being a designer, the most used tools are always digital. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. Considering the use of pens and paper should also feature in your creative process. 

To most people, this application may be completely lost on them seeing as they don’t see the need. Using your pen to create amazing designs has a power of its own and presents amazing advantages.

The best way to learn more about how the use of pens may influence your work is by applying it yourself. Give it a try and see if they’ll be any significant changes. If you’d like to learn more about the power of pens in graphic design, here are a few points to get you going.

 

Makes the Design Process More Personable

One of the reasons why using your pen as your first tool in the creative process is the feeling it gives your work. Most designers will be drawn toward using their tablets and computers to get their ideas fleshed out.

However, finding a good pen shop and buying a fountain pen, putting it to paper and designing out the ideas will make your design process more creative. It will give you the perfect opportunity to brainstorm with ease and work freely without putting too much thought  into it or pressure.

Your design ideas will flow easier seeing as you’ll not be too concerned about perfection. Doing this will also help you distinguish between what ideas are carefully thought out and those that just flow. Additionally, using your pen and seeing your work before getting to the computer to perfect it is more satisfying.

 

Improves the Development Process

As a designer, with any project you’re working on you’ll need to come up with ideas to fit what you need to produce. This is mostly done by researching on the web to get inspiration from what has been by others.

However, at times this may prove to be a distraction that steers you away from your goal. When presented with a problem that you need to solve with a creative design, your ideas need to be as unique and accurate as possible.

With the amount of research you take on, you find that you may end up copying something that has been done before. This ends up being a plagiarized project and may also take away from the project’s concept.

However, if you embrace the use of pen and paper in your development process, you’ll be in a better position to produce quality. This will allow you to think of a unique way to solve the specific problem before you. All the third party distractions will not influence your work making sure you stick to being original.

 

Makes Sketching Easier

Once you have your ideas in check and are ready to start bringing them to life, sketching is the best way to do this. Sketching on an application on your computer is possible but it completely takes away from the experience.

It also presents the need to attain perfection even when it’s not yet required. The best thing to do is to take your pen and start sketching by hand to achieve the idea you have. Granted, your sketches will not be anywhere close to the result but you’ll have a foundation to work with.

You can then computerize your sketches and edit them to perfection and ensure they meet your specific standards. Additionally, if using a pen and paper is not ideal for you, consider using a stylus pen. Stylus pens are a great resource when using your tablet. They’ll work just like the traditional pen to paper only that you’ll be working on your design digitally.

 

Helps you Stay Focused

No doubt working on a digital platform with access to the internet comes with its share of downsides. You may find yourself scrolling through things that have no relation to your current project.

This in turn leads to procrastination and hinders you from meeting your deadlines as you’d planned. However, with the use of an old fashioned pen and paper, you find that you can stay focussed and flesh out your ideas with ease.

This ensures that you can deliver quality in all assigned projects. Additionally, with a focussed mind, you can give it your best and also meet your deadlines.

 

Allows you to Bring a Unique Perspective

Graphic design has evolved and is mainly computerized and comes with a lot of perfection. This has made people crave having vintage logos that are not as perfect. With such designs, you find the businesses stand out from their competition.

With this, you can take advantage and come with a unique approach to your designs. Take your pen and sketch out a design that is solely hand made.

Once you’re done, you can upload it to your computer and make very slight changes to make the resolution and quality better. Doing this will allow you to present a unique and original design to your client that they will highly appreciate.

 

Makes Noting Inspiration Easier

Inspiration is something that may hit you at odd times when you don’t have your laptop to sit down and start designing. However, with a design diary and a pen, you can easily get to work and take advantage of the inspiration you get. With this, you’ll be in a better position to work on what you noted down when you get to your laptop.

 

Conclusion

Graphic design involves creative processes that require you to be very mindful of how you choose to go about them. This is why embracing the use of pens in your creative process is so important.

It will allow you to enjoy benefits that are not readily available when using your digital tools. You’ll get to be more focused by cutting out all the distractions and noises while also producing some of your best works.

 

Take your time to ease into using your pen to ensure that it complements your current design process. Enjoy using your pen as you take advantage of the power it presents to your design work.

 


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