Customer Reviews
Fantastic! 
2008-04-05
This is a great tool to use for design and is a great reference book for work if you are a drafter too. The drawings are very clear, informative and precice. We love this book for our office.
Drafting book for Design Students 2008-01-29
While Ching does cover some aspects of drawing outside of those needed for drafting, the primary focus is on architectural drafting. This is a technical book intended for design students. It is not a do-it-yourself learn-to-draw manual. Most often, this book will be a textbook in a design class. As such, it is excellent. The instructions are clear and well written, the drawings are simple and easy to follow, the flow of the book is natural, building from very simple to more and more complex drafting skills. This book can take you from elementary drafting skills to advanced if you use it as intended. All in all, this is an excellent book on design drawing. I highly recommend it for anyone entering the design field.
fun and interesting 2008-01-07
i purchased this book as required text for an upcoming class and got more than i bargained for...the book is informative, fascinating, and inspiring and i haven't been able to put it down...i am really looking forward to utilizing the book in the classroom setting to in order to explore some of the concepts presented, particularly those that are more elusive to grasp...because the book uses exercises to really cement in the main idea of each of its concepts, it is an invaluable learning tool...i highly recommend this book to anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding and appreciation of drawing and design.
Design Drawing 2007-09-08
This book is very good for designers, and you can learn many details of drawing from this book. Also, it was a very good price to buy it with Amazon (cheapest than other stores).
Not good for learning to draw 
2007-02-07
Way too fast for learning to draw. Like most of Chings stuff it lacks narrative and aims at getting you to think visually. However first timers need a bit of narrative hand holding so I would suggest something else. Might be good for a 2nd book to help reinforce concepts visually after you already have some base confidence in the drawing.
architecture students 2007-02-04
Design Drawing Book and CD - ROM Francis D.K. Ching with Steven P. Juroszek Author and architecture educator Francis D.K. Ching shares his unique command of visual language in this new presentation of drawing principles and techniques. Design Drawing is a comprehensive introduction to drawing and more-its innovative book-plus-CD-ROM package sheds new light on the relationship between perception, drawing, and design. In his distinctive graphic style, Ching takes us on an exciting journey through the process of creation. He unmasks the basic cognitive processes that drive visual perception and expression, incorporating observation, memory, and rendering into a creative whole. But the author sees drawing "not only as artistic expression but also as a practical tool for formulating and working through design problems," showing us how to apply "visual thinking" as a versatile tool for approaching design projects. Design Drawing covers the traditional basics of drawing, including line, shape, tone, and space. Different types of artistic conventions such as multiview, paraline, and perspective drawings are also lucidly explained. The final section, "Drawing from the Imagination," fuels the creative spirit to find its own direction. Throughout the book you'll find over a 1,500 hand-rendered drawings and exercises which reinforce the concepts and lessons of each chapter. The supplemental CD-ROM is packed with brilliant gems of information and instruction, elucidating a broad range of design drawing concepts through the communicative power of animation, video, and three-dimensional models. Intended for use with the book or as a stand-alone supplement, the CD-ROM includes 25 interactive lessons which demonstrate concepts and techniques in a way that a 2-D book format cannot. For example, the CD-ROM contains video of the author demonstrating freehand techniques in a step-by-step manner, as well as the author's voice throughout the CD-ROM explaining the various lessons. For professional architects, designers, fine artists, illustrators, teachers and students alike, this all-in-one package is both an effective tool and an outstanding value. System Requirements: Windows(r) Processor - 486DX 66 MHz (Pentium recommended) RAM - 16 MB Hard disk space available - 10 MB Graphics card and monitor - 640 × 480 SVGA display/256 ColorSound Blaser compatible sound card and external speakers Windows(r) 3.1 or Windows '95(r) 4X CD-ROM Drive Macintosh(r) Processor - 68040 25 MHz or PowerMac 601 (Quadra 650 or/PowerMac 6100 or better) RAM 16 MB Hard disk space available - 10 MB Monitor - 256 colors (640×480) Standard internal Mac sound (external speakers optional) Operating System: System 7 or later 4X CD-ROM drive
Too techincal 
2006-11-04
If you want to learn all there is to know about architectural and perspective drawing, this book by Ching is for you. However, if all you need is to figure out how to keep your drawings from looking "wonky" (technical term in the quilt world) then there are better books out there that are easier to read like "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards and "Drawing the Landscape" by Sullivan.
A drawing book 2004-07-27
When I read the title of this book I thought it will focus in the sketch as a tool for design....it's not.
Pretty sketches and great hand drawing techniques. I strongly recommend this book to somebody who wants to learn how to sketch, but look for other books if you want to get to understand and/or learn about the sketch as an idea in design.
A Wealth of Information 2004-04-05
This is one of the best drawing books that I've read in ages. The information on basic drawing techniques is simple, clear and beautifully presented. Fine Artists may find much of the architectural drafting information irrelevant to their needs, however I feel a the superfluous pages are worth paying for, for the extensive and useful material on perspective drawing and rendering techniques. Read more of my book reviews at http://drawsketch.about.com
Great Introductory book 2002-12-04
This book was recommended to me by an architect teacher of mine. After reading through it and browsing through the cd-rom that comes with it....I am very pleased that I got it. It contains all of the basics that you will need for drawing(perspective, isometric drawings, art terms).
