Now Ready for Boarding – Please Turn Off All Electronic Devices

STORY BOARDING / BROADCAST DESIGN & ANIMATION / NO SOFTWARE

Exclusively using software to create storyboards is now so commonly practiced that it seems mandated by some imaginary law – most designers wouldn’t consider illustrating their concepts any other way.

Software makes the process easier after all – everything’s in one place, there’s nothing messy or toxic on your desk and all those filters and 3D tools help us figure out what shapes look like in perspective or as translucent or reflective objects – or all three combined. However, being tied to a computer, regardless of your technical prowess, is a self-imposed limitation.

There are times when speed and spontaneity take precedence and more traditional skills come into play. To produce boards that aren’t reliant on Adobe, Autodesk or (insert software company here…) for structure, content and polish – you have to get down to basics and let your concept and ingenuity take the lead. It may be ten times harder to generate a frame, but it’s also more creative and directly dependent on your imagination.

The best reason to give software an occasional rest is that it’s impossible not to design to the limits of technology – the more you utilize it to realize your vision, the more you limit yourself to its – and your – capabilities.

Here are examples of board frames (and research for boards) that, because of their fantastical, experimental or embryonic nature, were best generated with paper models, pens, markers and object photography.

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