5 ways designers can strengthen their analogue skills

It seems like every day we are confronted with new ways of working that force us into a world that is more programmatic, more algorithmically driven and more “artificial”. 

I started design school like forty years ago, when everything we did was done by hand. We were the last cohort at Sheridan College to be 100% analogue. Through the years, as I learned one new digital tool after another, I had the memory of doing the process in the traditional way as a reference point on whether what I was doing made design sense.

But over the past decade, the pace of change to a completely digitally created and produced design world seems to accelerate, and I am worried we are losing that connection to where we have come from and the design principles that inform our work.

So, my 2026 resolution is to work with physical materials regularly. I would encourage you to join me in setting aside time each week to sketch by hand, work with paper prototypes or explore traditional media like markers, paint or cut paper. The tactile feedback and constraints of physical tools help us problem-solve in ways that digital work can't replicate.

The following are five things’ designers can do to keep their analogue skills strong as our workday becomes more influenced by AI and digital tools. Note that all the links are for in person classes on these topics—the point is to help get you off your computer.

---

Be a practicing mid-century designer

Letterpress, screen printing, bookbinding and hand lettering were once an almost daily part of being a designer. These activities and skills connect us back to design's material history and impart patience, precision and an understanding of how things are physically made. Mastering these skills in their analogue form helps you to work better in your digital work because you understand production realities.

Take workshops in traditional crafts. Many Art and Design schools such as OCAD, Alberta University of the Arts, NSCAD and Emily Carr have extensive Continuing Education programs where you have access to both teaching and full studio resources and materials. There are also a range of smaller studios such as Kid Icarus in Toronto for silk screen printing or Porchlight Press in Vancouver for letterpress where you can either learn or extend your skills in a single discipline.

Reference Workshops:

Kid Icarus
https://kidicarus.ca/services/workshops-at-kid-icarus/

Porchlight Press
https://porchlightpress.com/pages/workshops

---

Draw something every day

Keep an active sketchbook and take it everywhere you go. When you have some spare time, pick up your sketchbook rather than your smartphone. Use it for observational drawing, visual note-taking or working through ideas. The act of drawing from what you see around you sharpens your ability to see and perceive the world around us. For generations, designers have kept a sketchbook close to them so they could capture an idea, a setting when the inspiration or observation hit them. Creative sparks don't wait for us to be sitting at our desks.

One way to help you become better at observation is to take urban sketching courses offered by smaller studios and organizations across the country, including Luminous Elephant in Vancouver, Urban Sketchers in Calgary and the Toronto Society of Architects.

---

Write your own graphic novels

Push yourself beyond single images to think about sequential storytelling—controlling pacing, emotion and narrative flow across multiple pages. Doing this exercises your skills in visual metaphor, character development and how audiences process information over time. All these things directly translate into a practice of creating brand narratives, user journeys and multi-touchpoint experiences.

A graphic novel literally helps you find your own voice—getting all the stories running around our heads into a form we can share with others. Canada has a rich history of graphic novels in both English and French. Recently, Subplot Design created a collection of 4 stamps celebrating renowned Canadian Graphic Novelists.

Not sure how to get started? Major Canadian Art Galleries, Art College Continuing Ed programs and even the Toronto Public Library offer courses in comic book making, zines and graphic novels.

Drawing Printmaking Comics, Posters & Zines Course by AGO

---

Cinematic thinking for graphic designers

You can also adopt the cinematic rigour of directors like Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson, who meticulously storyboard their visual narratives. These filmmakers map every camera angle, composition and transition before shooting. This process reveals pacing issues, awkward transitions and missed emotional beats that sketch alone might hide.

Storyboarding forces us to think sequentially—considering how one scene flows to the next, how information unfolds and where attention should land. It transforms static layouts into choreographed experiences, ensuring every visual decision serves the broader narrative arc rather than existing as isolated moments of beauty.

And if you really want to test some of your storyboarded ideas, consider buying an old 8mm film camera and making a short film. Without the easy ability to do extensive editing or post-production work, these short films provide a true expression of your creative ideas in their rawest form.

Ready to unleash your inner Tim Burton? There are a number of different ways to learn more about “making movies” without going back to Film School, from College Continuing Ed programs to specialist groups such as the Liaison of Independent Film Makers of Toronto or The Cinematheque in Vancouver.

---

Start projects analogue-first

Begin brand explorations, layouts or illustrations with pencil and paper before moving to the screen. This removes the temptation to rely on digital shortcuts and forces you to think through fundamental design decisions about composition, hierarchy and form without software assistance.

For prototypes and testing physically—for packaging, environmental graphics or anything with a physical presence—build mock-ups by hand. Cutting, folding and assembling teaches you about materials, scale and user interaction in ways that 3D renders cannot capture.