The Role of Exemplar Sketches in Design Education

Abstract

‘Design review’ refers to the process of examination, appraisal and critical analysis of the student’s proposed designs undertaken by both the student and the teacher in studio sessions. Conventionally, many design teachers depend primarily on theoretical verbal criticism and neglect the role of their exemplar sketching as design praxis. This paper presents the role of ‘mouth’ and ‘hand’ as two complementary bases for design review. It suggests that it is essential for the design teacher to address simultaneously two parallel concerns: (i) the progress of design exercise; and (ii) the progress of the design student. The former necessitates teacher’s sketching on student’s design, while the latter demands a latent attention paid by the teacher to the student’s imitative learning from such sketches. To conclude, the teachers are encouraged to mentor students by complementing their verbal teaching with sketching on the drawing board.