Designers Should Read Tintin

When young designers ask me for a book recommendation for designing that’s what I tell them! Read Tintin. Yes, the comic book Tintin. It helped me immensely & it will definitely help you! Actually, read a comic book everyday. It got me into two very important habits - reading and sketching! Two habits that every designer should and must adapt. 

I still believe I picked up the habit of reading because of comic books. And somehow that’s how I got into design as well…I started drawing because of the beautiful pictures inside these books!

I got introduced to Tintin during my high school days. One of my well-to-do friends had this comic set at home and one lucky day he showed them to me. I was so mesmerised with the book, the drawings, characters, setting…I literally begged him to give me one book a day! It changed my life. 

Buying Tintin back then was an expensive affair for me. But I was so much in love with the books that I had to read them all. I joined a library so that I could get them to read. And that’s how reading became my habit! I started reading them everyday, and slowly because of the pictures & designs, I got into the habit of reading up on everything on design as well. 

Tintin is a masterpiece created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. It's one of the best comic books I have come across till date! Hergé has mixed the real and fictional lands into his stories seamlessly. The detailing in the drawings and the research he has put into the drawings are just marvellous! Which is what gave me my second habit - drawing. I used to copy those illustrations in my drawing book.

Here’s a small personal fact - as I started working and got my first salary, the first thing I did was buy the entire set of Tintin. It remains my most favourite & cherished possession to this day.

Here’s the reason why you should read Tintin as a designer - first it teaches you the importance of storytelling. If you follow up with the design trends, you’d know that it has become one of the most important styles in UX design. It’s important to tell a story with your designs, because as human beings, we relate to it on a level that the experience becomes memorable.

And second, I find so many designers jumping into design the first thing. A good design starts with research first and then sketching - what we call wireframes. When I started my journey into drawing, thanks to Tintin and its beautiful inspirations, I understood the importance of sketching. Putting pencil on paper gives you clarity on the way forward like nothing else. 

Designers, Tintin helped me be a better designer - it will help you too!

So pick up a comic book, read, draw. It won’t disappoint you! Rather, it would end up cultivating the best of habits in you.