You wouldn’t hire a pilot without ensuring he or she know how to fly a plane would you?

How can a hard working patent illustration company better serve its clients and their clients? It can sometimes come down to hiring people with that inborn ability to quickly and accurately visualize the most complex shape, and put it down on paper (or these days on a computer screen) without relying on the crutch of technology.

People often mistake the ability to use drawing and drafting software for the ability to draw, but they are two quite different things; the computer is, as the saying goes, ‘just a tool’ like a pencil or ruler. The real process takes place in the mind of the artist.

For this reason, the best illustration companies will actively test candidates for drawing ability early in the hiring process. Such a test can be as simple as asking for a 10 minute hand sketch of a common consumer item such as a telephone or watch. Does the sketch reveal good perspective? Does it show good proportion? Was it done quickly? These are the clues to look for, clues (among others) to future success as a patent illustrator. And, of course, it helps to give the same test to all candidates systematically, making it easier to compare the results.