INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS DO IT BETTER

Industrial designers draw transparently. And this makes sense. They are designing objects. Their objects, although smaller than buildings of course, nevertheless need to be a complete enclosure. Industrial designers have many of the same sets of problems to resolve that architects do:
-form
-proportion
-weight
-longevity
-touch
-structure
-ergonomics
-cost
-etc.

This drawing of a flashlight was done by Sushrut Patgaonkar and this image is included on Transparent Drawing with his permission. Look closely and you will see that for a simple everyday flashlight that we have all used without even thinking about it, he has resolved in one transparent drawing:
-handle
-lamp
-switch
-contacts for battery
-battery compartment
-feet that it rests on
-etc.

Mr. Patgaonkar’s drawing does a lot of work. It satisfies the goal of describing how the object works. It is very effective and answers many simultaneous questions about the object’s form and interior volumes. We will continue to look at the work of other designers in other fields to to help us understand how Transparent Drawing fits into a wider cultural scope.