MODULE 3: DESIGN COMMUNICATION

Dr. CIJIL B. JOHN

Asst. Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Jyothi Engineering College
Module 3 – Syllabus

• Design Communication (Languages of

Engineering Design):- Communicating
Designs Graphically, Communicating
Designs Orally and in Writing.
Mathematical Modeling In Design,
Prototyping and Proofing the Design.
 “Design is communication”
• Just like a writer or a speaker chooses their
words to communicate a message, good
designers choose the right visual elements to
also communicate a message.

• The larger goal and message for the design

and effectively communicating that message
is what makes good design, “good”.
 Importance of Communication in Design

• For a designer to be able to explain his work clearly and convincingly, it is very crucial
to communicate the ideas and thought process behind the work, be it with the team, the
organization or with the end users

• Information needs to be communicated in every phase of the design process. For instance
during the initial stages of the design process like information gathering, definition phase,
we find answers to questions like;
 Why are we doing this?

 Why does it matter to the user?

• Oftentimes, clients will ask for an advertisement or eBook with little to no instruction for
the design team, yet expect a finished design that meets their expectations, causing issues
for both the designers and the client.

• The designer ends up wasting time spent on the initial designs, including losing some of
the initial enthusiasm that comes with the start of a new project.

• Lack of communication in the design process can strain the relationship between a
designer, the project management team, and a client that can potentially lead to a
parting of ways.
• Sharing ideas and information is key to being successful within marketing. Graphic designers,

marketing coordinators, and the writing team need to be able to share information openly and freely

when it comes to implementing design into your marketing materials.

• Working together on collaborative teams make design processes much easier, as ideas can flow and the

team can give each other feedback as they work through the design process. Marketing directors and

project coordinators can give the creative and design teams the information they need to help

accomplish the project within its set parameters. The graphic design team then knows what information

they need in order to produce high-quality designs that will please clients.

• By speaking openly and freely with an effective flow of information and conversation your

design/marketing team can avoid miscommunication and provide the highest quality materials to

your company or clients.

 Communicating designs graphically -Engineering
Sketches

• Sketches and drawings are essential to engineering

design.

• Drawing is very important in design because a lot of

information is created & transmitted in the drawing
process

• Design drawings include sketches, freehand drawings,

CADD models that extend from simple wire-frame
drawings through elaborate solid models
 Drawings Vs Sketching

• Drawing is the process of putting “marks on paper.” These marks include both sketches and marginalia.

• Sketching is a freehand drawing that is done to create a picture with minimum details and a lot of
ideas/suggestions. Sketching is more about capturing an essence rather than lingering over details.

• Sketches are a less refined form of drawing. They are typically created as preliminary drawings in order
to prepare for a more finished work in detail.
Drawings
• Drawings enable a parallel display of information as
they can be surrounded with adjacent notes, smaller
pictures, formulas/calculations, and other pointers to
ideas related to the object being drawn and designed.

• The designer can provide information about her

assumptions, analyses that might be done, or even
about how the device will be fabricated
 Marginalia

• Marginalia (notes written in the margins) include notes

in text form, lists, dimensions, and calculations.
• Putting notes next to a sketch is a powerful way to
organize information, certainly more powerful than
the linear, sequential arrangement imposed by the
structure of sentences and paragraphs.
• Marginalia of all sorts are familiar sights to anyone
who has worked in an engineering environment.
Computer Aided Design & Drafting [CADD] models
 Functions of sketches and drawings
Graphic images are used to communicate with other designers, the client, and the
manufacturing organization.
• Serve as a launching pad for a brand-new design
• Create the shape or geometry of a design
• Support the analysis of a design as it evolves
• Simulate the behavior or performance of a design
• Communicate design ideas among designers
• Communicate the final design to the manufacturing specialists
• Ensure that a design is complete (as a drawing and its associated marginalia may remind us
of still-undone parts of that design)
 Sketching

• It’s a powerful tool in design as it enables us to convey

our design ideas to others quickly & concisely.

A. Orthographic sketches

B. Isometric or axonometric sketches

C. Oblique sketches

D. Perspective sketches
A. Orthographic sketches: Lay out the front, right and top views of a part.

B. Axonometric/ Isometric sketches: Start with an axis, typically a vertical line with two lines
30° from the horizontal. This axis forms the corner of the part. All lines in these sketches are
either vertical or parallel to one of the two 30 lines. Details of the part are added last.

C. Oblique sketches: These are probably the most common type of quick sketch. The front view is
blocked in roughly first, depth lines are then added, and details such as rounded edges are added
last.

D. Perspective sketches: Perspective sketches are similar to oblique sketches in that the front view
is blocked in first. Then a vanishing point is chosen and projection lines drawn from the points
on the object to the vanishing point. The depth of the part is then blocked in using the projection
lines. Finally, as in the other sketches, details are added to the part.
 Design Drawings

1. Layout drawings

• Working drawings that show the major

parts or components of a device & their
relationship

• Usually drawn to scale, do not show

tolerances, & are subject to change as the
design process evolves.
Design Drawings

2. Detailed drawings

• Show the individual parts or components of a

device & their relationship

• These drawings must show tolerances, & they

must also specify materials & any special
processing requirements

• Drawn in conformance with existing standards,

& are changed only when a formal change
order provides authorization.
 Design Drawings

3. Assembly drawings

• Shows how the individual parts or

components of a device fit together.

• An exploded view is commonly used to

show such “fit” relationships
Design Drawings
4. CAD Models

• Good for digital visualisation

• The making of 3D models in computer software is

called Geometric modelling

• Provides many features such as colour rendering,

shading, texting etc. which helps communicate the
design more closely

• Modelled part can be rotated, sectioned & zoomed so

that complex shapes can be communicated to another
person without confusion
 DETAILED DRAWINGS
• These drawings are required to communicate the details of our design to the manufacturer or
machinist, & contains as much information as possible.

• There are certain essential components that every detailed drawing must have to ensure that it’s
interpreted as intended.
• Standard drawing views
• Standard symbols to indicate particular items
• Clear lettering
• Clear, steady lines
• Appropriate notes, including material specifications
• A title of the drawing
• The designer’s initials& the date of drawing
• Dimensions & units
• Permissible variations, or tolerances
 Communicating Designs Orally & in Writing
• REPORTING is an essential part of a design project

• We communicate the final design results in several ways including oral presentations, final reports
(that may include design drawings, fabrication specifications etc.), & prototypes and models.

• The primary purpose of such communication is to inform our client about the design, including
explanations of how & why this design was chosen over the competing alternatives.

• While conveying the results of the design process, we must ensure that the final reports & presentations
are not narratives or chronologies of our work. Rather, they should be lucid descriptions of design
outcomes, as well as the processes with which those outcomes were achieved
 Guidelines for technical communication
1. Know your purpose

2. Know your audience

3. Choose & organize the content around your

purpose & the audience

4. Write precisely & clearly

5. Design your pages well

6. Think visually

7. Write ethically
 Guidelines for technical communication
1. Know your purpose

• This is the writing analogue of understanding objectives & functions for a

design artefact

• We need to understand the goals of a report or presentation, just as we want

to understand what the designed object must be & must do.

• Design documentation informs the client about the features of the design

• The design team may be trying to persuade a client that a design is the best
alternative

• A designer may wish to report how a design operates to users, either

beginners or professionals
 Guidelines for technical communication

2. Know your audience

• While documenting a design, it is essential that a

design team structure its materials to suit the targeted
audience

• Taking time to understand the target audience will help

ensure that its members appreciate your documentation
 Guidelines for technical communication
3. Choose & organize the content around your purpose & the
audience

• The key element is to structure the presentation to best reach the

audience

• There are many ways to organize information:

 Going from general concepts to specific details

 Going from specific details to general concepts

 Describing devices or systems

Once a pattern is finalized, the design team should translate it into a written outline. This allows the team to
develop a unified, coherent document or presentation while avoiding needless repetition.
 Guidelines for technical communication
4. Write precisely & clearly

• Some specific elements seem to occur in all good writings &

presentations;

 Effective use of short paragraphs that have a common thesis or

topic

 Direct sentences that contain a subject & a verb, active voice &
action verbs that allow a reader to understand directly what is
being said

 Opinions or viewpoints should be clearly identified as such

 Guidelines for technical communication
5. Design your pages well

• A long section divided into several subsections help readers to

understand where the section is going, & it sustains their interest over the
journey

• Tables should be treated as a single figure & should not go multiple

pages

• Simple & direct slides encourage readers to listen to the speaker without
being distracted visually

• It’s a mistake to fill slides with so many words that the audience have to
choose b/w reading the slide & listening to the speaker, b’cos then the
presenters message will certainly be diluted or lost.
 Guidelines for technical communication
6. Think visually

• Just like designers, the audiences are helped by judicious use of

visual representation of information.

• Given the enormous capabilities of word processing & presentation

graphics software, the design team should use visual aids in its
reports & presentations.

• A team should not allow clouding their slides with artistic

backgrounds that make the words illegible.

• It’s important to know your purpose and your audience, and use the
medium appropriately.
 Guidelines for technical communication

7. Write ethically

• All results or test outcomes, even those that are not favorable,
are presented & discussed

• Ethical presentations also describe honestly & directly the

limitations of a design

• It’s equally important to give credit to others, such as authors

or previous researchers, wherever needed