Design Thinking Drawing

“A wonderfully accessible introduction not only to the processes of drawing, and urban design, but to urbanism itself.’”

“This book is a doorway straight into the brain of a model hardworking urbanist. Peter lets us see through his eyes—and confirms that his design process and his freehand drawing process are really one simultaneous, continuous action. This book reveals how an urban designer manages to think about a lot of things at once, and how he learned to use command of the drawing media to sort through the baffling complexity of real design problems, filtering noise, finding surprises. The passage about thinking (and drawing) at multiple scales reveals Peter’s gifts and discipline; you can see how he’s learned to focus on what’s most important first, preventing doorknob-level details from shrouding the city-sized big picture. But it’s not all discipline. Magic and method, in equal measure, make up this book.”

“Peter Richards, like no other, connects the mind with paper, but only after it has wandered through the creative, rational and sensory recesses of the brain. In an age of digital blandness this book refreshingly enables urban designers to give expression in an unfiltered and personalised manner. It intelligently distils a comprehensive and integrated approach to graphic communication into a series of simple practical instructions.”

“As the master of integrative designing through hand-drawing, from the scale of the house to the city, Peter Richards now produces this startlingly clear and appealing revelation of how he does it! This book should leverage and unleash massive improvements in design and built outcomes.”

“For our cities to survive as human habitats, creativity and rigour are essential, but not enough. Communication is critical. Peter’s drawing skills are not just powerful exploring and analytical tools but also intensely human means of communication in a highly technological and technology-loving world. They are both a means to thinking and communicating and a source of pleasure.”

“I am torn between reviewing this rich compendium of educative text and seductive images as a short hand introduction to good urbanism or a guide to the potential of drawing as a communicator of thinking. On both counts, this book is a must on the desk (not shelf!) of anyone with any kind of role in the complex and integrated process of creating urban settings – the stage of life of most of the world’s population.”

“DesignThinkingDrawing is a personal compendium that celebrates the act of sketching and hand drawing as an essential action of designers. It presents a wide ranging scope of how and where certain drawings are appropriate, and generously provides a guide to the techniques to achieve drawing quality. It will be a great resource for students. Congratulations Peter.’”

“It does not matter if you are beginning the journey, or well down the path, this book is an essential resource for everyone who seeks to eloquently visualise and communicate urbanism and urban form through drawing and design. The carefully scaffolded theoretical and practical knowledge provide the skills and techniques to make the complex process of design while drawing uniquely accessible. It is an inspiringly illustrated book which reveals both a personal and collaborative collection of drawings from a man who is passionate about, and cares deeply for his craft.”

“Peter Richards understands that drawing is so much more than a way of making pictures and illustrating things: it’s a way of seeing, deeply, and understanding the places in which we live. If we just did what Peter suggests in his book, the world would be a far more delightful place.”