Diagramming the Big Idea by Balmer, Jeffrey; Swisher, Michael;

Short description:

Becoming an architect is a daunting task. This book

Long description:

Becoming an architect is a daunting task. Beyond the acquisition of new skills and procedures, beginning designers face an entirely unfamiliar mode of knowledge: design thinking. 

In Diagramming the Big Idea, Jeffrey Balmer and Michael T. Swisher introduce the fundamentals of design thinking by illustrating how architects make and use diagrams to clarify their understanding of both specific architectural projects and universal principles of form and order. With accessible, step-by-step procedures that interweave diagrams, drawings and models, the authors demonstrate how to compose clear and revealing diagrams.

This newly revised edition features:

• An expanded array of global and contemporary works of architecture as precedents that demonstrate fundamental aspects of architectural composition.


• Significantly enhanced coloration throughout, including 1400+ revised and new illustrations across 330 pages.


• Three new illustrated essays adding depth to additional components of design thinking.

"With each new iteration of this ambitious work its intentions become clearer and its content more generous. Of particular note in this third edition are the additional precedents provided to support the design strategies explored. These include, amongst many others, some fascinating spatial analyses of Ottoman mosques presented in the form of delicate geometric watercolours. There is also a new chapter illustrating the fruits of this innovative teaching method through the built works of former students."

Simon Unwin,