Hiring Patent Illustrators and Project Managers? Test for Drawing Ability

by Legal Advantage

You wouldn't hire a pilot without ensuring he or she know how to fly a plane would you? How can a hard working patent illustration company better serve its clients and their clients? It can sometimes come down to hiring people with that inborn ability to quickly and accurately visualize the most complex shape, and put it down on paper (or these days on a computer screen) without relying on the crutch of technology.

People often mistake the ability to use drawing and drafting software for the ability to draw, but they are two quite different things; the computer is, as the saying goes, 'just a tool' like a pencil or ruler. The real process takes place in the mind of the artist.

For this reason, the best illustration companies will actively test candidates for drawing ability early in the hiring process. Such a test can be as simple as asking for a 10 minute hand sketch of a common consumer item such as a telephone or watch. Does the sketch reveal good perspective? Does it show good proportion? Was it done quickly? These are the clues to look for, clues (among others) to future success as a patent illustrator. And, of course, it helps to give the same test to all candidates systematically, making it easier to compare the results.

ABOUT LEGAL ADVANTAGE: Legal Advantage’s mission is “To help Inventors the World Over Protect Their Ideas and Realize Their Dreams.” For nine years Legal Advantage has assisted intellectual property attorneys, patent agents, and individual inventors in fulfilling this mission. Legal Advantage is a leader in Prior Art Searches (patentability, freedom to operate (FTO), clearance, validity, invalidity, infringement and landscape analysis), Patent Illustration (Patent Drawing) and patent design Services, document review, technical translations (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and over 20 other languages), patent trial graphics, and Legal research. The real benefits derived from these services include reduced costs, faster project completion, and a higher quality end-product deliverable.

Founded by seasoned intellectual property attorneys and litigators, Legal Advantage combines unparalleled dependability, accuracy, and client service - resulting in a stellar client retention rate that is among the highest in the industry.

Legal Advantage is headquartered in the Washington DC suburb of Bethesda, MD and has offices in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Hyderabad, Ottawa, and Toronto.