Week One

What is Drafting?
 Objective

• This chapter discusses what drafting is

and why it is used by interior designers
 Introduction

• Graphic communication
• The art of putting ideas to paper in picture
form to create instructions
• Universally recognized symbols and
protocols enable all to interpret the
drawings in a consistent manner
 History of Drafting

• Originated when the first designer needed

to give instructions
• Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans sketched
elaborate structures onto papyrus
• Modern board drafting have been largely
unchanged for the past 200 years
• Early 1980s: computer-aided drafting
(CAD) software replaced board drafting
How Drafting is Used
in Residential Design
• Lay out a floor plan
• Design an electrical plan
• Describe Elevations, Sections, and Details
• Show a furniture arrangement
• Custom-design kitchen cabinetry
• Describe a window treatment
• Show specifics, such as sizes, locations,
and features
 Types of Drawings

• Presentation drawings
– General purpose drawings
• Production drawings
– Contract documents
– Construction or working drawings
• Shop drawings
– Fabrication or millwork drawing
Presentation Drawings

• Show drawings
• Used to sell ideas to clients or as exhibits
– Understood by layperson
– Consist of:
• Floor plans
• Interior elevations
• Perspective drawings
• Fabric swatches and material samples
Production Drawings

• Aimed at tradespeople who will implement

the ideas
• Technical and highly detailed
• Descriptive drawings such as details,
sections, and elevations
• More technical than presentation drawings
• Complex dimensioning
• Instructions for building
 Shop Drawings

• More detailed than a production drawing

• Done by the person who will be doing the
actual work
• Shows the designer precisely how the
ideas in the production drawings will be
implemented
 Specifications

• Written instructions
• Complement the drawings
• Describe the quality of the materials that
the drawings show
• Contain details that would clutter up
drawings
• Presented in a separate document
 2-D vs. 3-D
• The floor plan is a two-dimensional
drawing: length and width
• An interior perspective is a three-
dimensional drawing
– Presentation
– Closest to how the space is actually seen
– Easily understood by client
• 2-D drawings: used for production
• 3-D drawings: used for presentation
Why Draft on Boards?
• Drafting is all about problem solving
• Easiest for most beginning students to
problem solve learning a new software
• Board thinking and problem solving skills
will always be valuable
• One must know how to construct a floor
plan and create an elevation
Importance of Legible
Drawings
• Graphic instructions are carefully drafted
to industry standards
• Clear, legible drawings with carefully
lettered notes will reduce the chances of
misinterpretation
• Drafted documents are legally binding
What Does “Standard”
Mean?

• The dictionary defines “standard” as

something established by authority,
custom, or general consent as a model or
example
 Summary

• Drafting uses analytic thinking and drawing

to explain ideas
• Graphic instructions are tailored to
different audiences
• Standardized ways of presenting
information have evolved to make
drawings readable no matter where they
are created or read