Supportsoft Glossary

Sketching Thumbnails

A thumbnail sketch is a small, rough drawing used to explore ideas quickly. It focuses on layout and concept rather than detail or artistic perfection. 

Before we touch a computer, we draw "thumbnails." These are tiny, rough sketches—literally the size of a human thumbnail. They aren't about art; they're about thinking.

We sketch 20 bad ideas in 5 minutes to find the one good layout. It prevents us from wasting hours polishing a bad concept in Photoshop. If the layout works as a one-inch scribble, it will likely work as a full-screen website. It’s the brainstorming phase of design.