The psychology of representation and the information design applied into the architectural diagram analysis

Abstract

Sketches are contiguous tools for architects during the design process, especially in the conception phase whereas they are able to convey agile a mental idea. Taking into account that to concept is, for many architects, a fundamental part of the process, the research focus is concerning the usage, often natural, of diagrammatic resources. These media are fundamental to express and to order the complex amount of information inherent in the architecture project, in its various phases, such as in sketches, for the purpose of becoming communication increasingly more synthetic.Toward sketches analysis, a chart was design, based on psychology of representation studies and information design. Both areas analyze technical, communicative and cognitive aspects of drawing, considering the intrinsic relation between the representation, the conception and the perception of the project. The result suggests that each sketch has a specific purpose and a concept to be clarified, which is directly influenced by the type of representation, adopted by a certain perception of the architect.