Purpose and requirements
Each student is required to have a designer’s logbook and maintain an up-to-date record of project progress. Students are expected to have their logbooks with them at every Design Studio meeting.

The purpose of having a logbook is to create a single source of information for the progress of the design project and to support individual project needs together with team efforts. It is a place to record your independent work. As the project progresses, the mass of detailed information pertinent to the project will all mix together into a single whole. In some cases, group members may recall events differently, often in contradicting ways. The logbook will serve as an instrument to resolve and complement contradicting ideas and keep information organized and available. When it is time to prepare a progress or final report, the logbook will become an invaluable reference: all of the information needed to compose a report will be collected, organized, and contained in the logbook.

Therefore;

  • Keep the notebook up to date.
  • Preferably use a bound (stitched binding) notebook. DO NOT use a loose-leaf binder or spiral bound notebook!
  • Use ink rather than pencil.
  • The title, project name, and book number (if applicable) should be accurately recorded.

Ideas by others which may or may not be adopted

  • Notebooks serve to document your progress as you are making it and are primarily intended for your consumption.
  • A hasty reconstruction of events over the past three or four weeks or days, just prior to class will not serve any purpose. To be effective, a logbook must be kept current at all times and entries should be made continuously as the project progresses. If done correctly, the logbook will become a good friend.
  • The notebooks contain;
    • important calculations,
    • sketches,
    • test results,
    • summaries of contacts with vendors or experts,
    • verbal and graphical sketches of concepts.
  • It is intended that this book be used in situations such as
    • phone conversations,
    • group meetings,
    • meetings with faculty consultants, and
    • plant visits.
  • All data is to be recorded directly into the notebook. Notes and calculations should be done in the notebook, not on loose paper. In the case of an error, draw a single line through the incorrect data. Do Not Erase or use correction fluid. All corrections should be initialed and dated.
  • Use Both sides of a Page.
  • You would use your notebook as a memory aid when compiling progress or final reports, or to substantiate when and how you performed a piece of work if this work is being questioned.
  • Your name and contact information should be prominent in the beginning of the notebook. If it is lost you want it to be easy for someone else to contact you.
  • Keep a list of important contact information in an easy to find place. Some people like to start this kind of information in the back of the notebook, and work toward the front as more material is added.
  • Go back through your notebook periodically and fill in details of hastily written notes. Make your notebook a repository of valuable information, not just a collection of bound scrap paper.
  • Add summary comments to calculations and put boxes around important results. That way, when you consult your calculations at a later date, you won’t have to reread all the details just to get the important points.
  • Give citations for design equations, technical data sheets, and other critical design data. By taking a little extra time when you add the information, you will save time later if you need to double check or expand on your calculations.
  • Consider photocopying and gluing information (such as manufacturers data, figures from textbooks, computer printouts you have generated, etc.) into your notebook instead of transcribing it by hand.
  • The bulk of the material is notes from meetings!
  • Entries for any group meetings should include a list of members attending, in addition to any notes that you may take during that meeting. Because not everyone hears the same things at a meeting, each project team member should record notes of meetings.
  • If your concepts are potentially patentable, a witness’s signature would be helpful. Your notebooks embody your personal style for organizing thoughts and technical analysis.
  • After entering your data, sign and date all entries. Witness or witnesses should sign and date each entry. The witness must observe the work that is done, and have sufficient knowledge to understand what they read. Names of all who were present during any demonstration should also be recorded.
  • Never leave any White Space: “X” out or Crosshatch all unused space, and don’t forget to initial & date same.
  • It can mean the difference between Owning the Patent Rights to your Work, or NOT!
  • All contents of the notebook should be kept strictly Confidential. It should be kept in a Protected place to safeguard against Loss.