There is so much software and development tools being made currently. It’s tough keeping up with everything and also trying to figure out what program to use and what one is best for you. But in the discussion of wireframes and creating thumbnail sketches, there is a result that you can get from no other way but by sketching.

It may seem old fashioned, but it’s important not to forget the necessity of it.
The better you understand your own design, the better you’ll be able to communicate the message. Designers are experts in a language that  doesn’t use words (If we’re talking about layout, functionality and pixels).   

How I process a new project is to sketch and write in my moleskin. That way, every idea possible is on paper and tangible.

Then I start with thumbnail sketches and wireframes. I  do quick boxes and shapes to get my ideas flowing. During this process I think about the receiver of this message. How will they react, feel, and navigate through my page that I have created.

I think designers get lost in designing and forget that design is a way to communicate. We are the communicators of an invisible language. That’s why its a challenge and so important to start out with pen and paper. Authors don’t just run to the publisher and hand them a completed Word document that isn’t proofed yet. No one would want to read that novel! Same with our designs and websites. No one is going to want to navigate a through a congested website or look at design that doesn’t have balance.

More than anything this is just an encouragement to not forget about your pencils and notebooks. I am sure they miss you and so do your creative ideas. There is more creativity in you than you think and sometimes you just need the right tools to help bring it out.