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White Paper: Take Your Drawings to a Higher Level

By Len Hordyk l.a.t.
Landscape Designer & Product Manager – DynaSCAPE Software

Summary: This article is intended to address the struggles designers have in making their work look professional. As designers we take every opportunity to check out other designers or architects work and compare it to our own. Many of the better designers out there also have great graphics and they know how to make their work look amazing on paper. We may think we aren't able to get there but the truth is that it is really not that hard once you understand a few key things.

The problem: A landscape plan is needed for communicating design ideas to a client and to installation crews. The graphics we use are the ‘language of communication’ for these ideas. Many of us have great design ideas but lack the tools to present them in a professional way. We prepare wonderful designs but our graphics are not where we would like them to be. We understand what our own drawings are communicating because we are the ones who prepared them, but we need to explain them to anyone who has to try to read them. As a result we often fail to inspire confidence when presenting our design ideas to our clients and it will inevitably affect our ability to sell.

The problem most of us face is that we don’t understand good graphics. We see these amazing drawings produced by others and wonder why ours don’t look that good. Most often it is because of a lack of understanding of how to use line weights and proper symbols. Both of these go hand-in-hand.

The solution: Let’s look at what it is that makes a professional looking design look professional. The first thing you will notice is that the drawing is easy to read and understand. The question is ‘Why?’ The answer is that most good designers and landscape architects will use graphic symbols that, over time, have proven to be effective at communicating the different materials used in the design. There are no hard and fast rules here and symbol styles will vary from designer to designer.

Complex graphics look ‘cluttered’ while simple graphics are much easier to read

The rule ‘Simple is best’ applies here to some degree. Avoid symbols that are too complex as they will quickly clutter a drawing up. Group your symbols together to help clients and crews identify the plants that belong together. This will also clean the drawing up considerably and give it a much more finished look. By using varying line weights within your symbols you can give a sense of hierarchy among your plantings. Let’s look at line weight in a little more detail:

Simple, ‘proven’ symbols work even better when grouped

Line weights are a critical part of every design and it appears to be the least understood. By using varying line weights the designer can give a 2-dimensional drawing some visual depth. This is not something new. In fact, line weights have always been a vital part of the technical graphics language. So much so, that they have been defined in national and international standards. Landscape design is no different than any other technical drafting field.

The benefits of using correct line weights are clear. They will undoubtedly make your drawings easier to read and as a result eliminate any confusion about your design ideas. You can use line weights to help show grade changes and hidden objects. Here are a few simple rules to follow to help you choose the correct thickness of line to use:

Use heavy line weights for tree canopies to create a sense of hierarchy – keep any other graphic within the symbol light to allow objects under them to be readable.
Add a heavy line and some shading to rocks to make them stand out from shrubs – rocks that look too much like other symbols get lost within the drawing.
Make faces of walls and steps heavier than the back of them to show a change in grade – add some shading to the wall or step to make them stand out from curbs or borders. If your walkway meets the driveway and there isn’t as step, keep the line that divides them light so that it does not appear as a step.

Use thicker line weights to show the face of walls and a thin line for the back

Patterns in stone or wood surfaces should be light – this is done so as to not overpower the key elements in the drawing. Use as thin a line as possible when drawing patterns.
The outline of your house or building should always be thick and dark to give it significance – this makes it easier for clients to orientate themselves with your design.
The inside lines that represent borders in paving or flagstone stone should be light – make them look the same as the patterns because they are part of the pattern. This way they will not appear as a curb. Curbs on the other hand should remain a little heavier.
Always make your titleblocks and drawing borders heavy – the borders should be one of the thickest lines on the drawing and any major titles should also be somewhat heavy.

The difference between single and varying line weights is clear!

Using Design Software: All this can be accomplished with hand drafting, if one has that skill. However, most of you are going to be much further ahead by adopting a software program that understands what professional graphics are all about. DynaSCAPE Design makes drawing like a pro very easy. DynaSCAPE uses time-proven symbols for plants, rocks and other items. Line weights are automatically set by the layers you choose when drawing and each symbol has been built with the correct varying thicknesses to achieve an impressive output.

DynaSCAPE makes using correct line weights easy

Using Layers to Achieve Correct Line Weights: As mentioned earlier, line weights are essential for creating a proper landscape drawing. In DynaSCAPE this is accomplished through the use of layers. What are Layers? Layers are a CAD term used to separate lines or objects on the screen. Layers are like having a whole set of pens or pencils, each with its own thickness, its own color and its own line type (solid, dashed etc.). DynaSCAPE drawings all start with templates that have all these layers preset so you don’t have to think about it. All you need to do is decide what you want to draw. If you want to draw a walkway you choose the ‘Walkway/Patio’ layer and it will draw a thicker line than if you were to choose ‘Plantbed‘. DynaSCAPE uses all landscape terms for the layer names so it is easy to find the layer that corresponds with the design element you are drawing. As a result, you don’t need to worry about whether or not you are drawing lines correctly, the software will do it for you.

DynaSCAPE’s preset Layer system makes it easy!

Professional Graphics: As mentioned previously, in addition to line weights, the graphic symbols you use are equally important for creating a professional plan. Over the years DynaSCAPE has developed a complete set of professional graphic symbols that have been grouped into libraries to help you find them. You will find graphics to represent every type of landscape element, including trees, shrubs, rocks, ponds, waterfalls etc. They are all drawn to scale with the correct line weights and styles, and all the plant symbols are drawn at a semi-mature size to assist in the spacing on your design. You can even add your own custom symbols to the existing 1200 figures that come with the software or just create a list of your favourites.

A sample of DynaSCAPE’s wide range of professional symbols!

Conclusion: The results always speak for themselves. Think about how much easier it would be to sell your designs when your clients can clearly read and interpret your designs. Your designs will inspire confidence in you and in your design ideas. If your drawings aren’t looking professional, what does that say about you and your company?

White Paper: Take Your Drawings to a Higher Level

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