1. ArchDaily
  2. Sketchbook

Sketchbook: The Latest Architecture and News

This Carefully Crafted Minimalist Sketchbook Is Perfectly Designed with Architects in Mind

As all architects know, there are few things in life more valuable than a good sketchbook. That's why the Architools Notebook, a sketchbook now raising funds on Kickstarter, was designed from the ground up to suit an architect's workflow and sense of style. From the design of the covers (which incorporates the golden ratio) to the type of binding (which allows the open book to lay flat for double-page sketching or scanning), the Architools Notebook has considered all the little things that can help make a sketchbook the perfect companion.

What Does Your Sketchbook Say About You?

The sketchbook: it is probably the first thing you buy in architecture school, and, the thing you hold on to most dearly. It is one of the most important tools to help document, problem-solve, and archive your journey as an architect. The sketchbook is the physical extension of one’s architectural mind, and the way one organizes it says a lot about the holder. What does your sketchbook say about you? Read on to find out:

Sketching Tutorials to Keep You Filling up Your Moleskine

In an increasingly paperless world, architecture still relies on channeling ideas by hand. Sketching has endured as the method of choice for designers to communicate with clients, the public, and each other. As we have previously reported, the George Architect YouTube channel, managed by Reza Asgaripour and Avdieienko Heorhii, is devoted to bringing sketching techniques and ideas to the wider world, with a series of tutorials on everything from light and shade to three-point perspectives.

Why Sketchbooks Still Rule in a Digital World

In his articles for ArchSmarter, Michael Kilkelly comes across as something of a technophile: some of his favorite topics include Revit macros, coding, Excel, automation and... Moleskine? In this article, originally published on ArchSmarter as "Why I Still Use a Sketchbook," Kilkelly explains why despite all the technology, sketchbooks remain one of the most important tools at his disposal.

I was in a full panic.

I got to the hotel when realized I left my sketchbook in the cab. I was freaking out. I called the cab company and explained, with a mounting sense of urgency, what happened.

“You forgot your sketchbook? What’s that? Some kind of laptop?”
“No,” I explained. “It’s a notebook with good paper. I sketch in it. You know, with a pen.”
“Why don’t you just use an iPad?”
“But I like to draw. I like the feel of the paper and it never runs out of batteries” I replied.
“Whatever. I’ve got a great sketching app on my iPad. Plus like a thousand games. And I can read the newspaper. And check my email...”

Top 10 Apps for Architects

Following our readers poll last year, here's an updated list of what we think are the best ten apps for architects. From condensed versions of large scale programmes architects and designers use every day, to blank canvases to scratch ideas down onto, you might just find an app that could improve the way you work.