Drawing Moves

What is a move?

Broadly speaking, moves are actionable strategies, steps, or maneuvers that people take to accomplish their goals.

Drawing moves refer specifically to the ways in which visual communicators deploy the elements of drawing -- color, line, shape -- to communicate meaning.

We already use the term “moves” to denote what players do in games and sports. In the same way that a dancer might move his body to express a feeling, or a chess player might move a piece to advance her position on the game board, one can deploy various moves in drawing.

This guide is a compilation of “drawing moves.” It was written to teach you how make choices that align with and support your communication goals.

List of Moves by Element

Color

Line

Shape

List of Moves by Function

How to orient the viewer

How to express motion

How to express change over time

How to make verbs visible

How to examine or compare nouns

How to express cause and effect

How to guide the viewer’s eye through your drawing

How to create icons that represent ideas

Key Terms and Concepts

Color

Line

Shape

Principles of Design