When I used to be the Drafting Studio manager for a mid-sized architectural firm, if we had an unusual project-type that we hadn't tackled recently I'd take some 11x17" graph-paper and cartoon-out at half-scale (assuming your full-size plotted-sheet is 36x24" Arch=D) of the typical sheets the project might require; block out each major drawing elements' basic block-size (just a simple representative shape or rectangle), and what scale we'd need to draw it at. A good cartoon of a complicated (or simple) drawings set lets you have a feel for how many pages, what drawings or sections might be needed, etc.. We also used it sometimes to estimate the time/calendar man-days the project might require. It also can clarify in your mind what really needs to be documented, and what can be addressed with a simple note.
We had a short drafting cheat-sheet that outlined our text-sizes, which colors/thickness we used, and basic office standards. What fonts for each major type of label or notation, it's size and aspect, etc... Once you have the basics you can re-use it over and over.
Some important suggestions;
Remember that what on paper in the field is typically the only important thing.
- Be graphically-consistent. - Continually update and improve your office drafting and style-standards, write them down.
- Lineweights (
on the printed page) are your friend, be generous with them.
- Text needs to be large enough to be clearly legible, and use a clearly-read font.
- "Overshoot" helps a-lot reading the drawing once it's on paper.
- Paper is cheap, use more pages rather than over-crowding the drawing-sheet.
Frank Ching's
Architectural Graphics is always a good place to start.
http://www.amazon.com/Architectural-Gra ... ncis+ching All of the drawings that leave my office are inkjet-printed on 11x17" ...typically at 1/4"-scale, 1/8"-scale or 1/16"-scale ...and lettering at an appropriate size of 8" to 10" at 1/8"-scale in a hand-lettered Font. Basically an equivalent to 24x36" Arch-D hand-drawn reduced 50% to 11x17 Tabloid. In 15-years, I haven't had an AHJ complain in any of three states I practice-in. Usually they like the smaller size and easier-handling of 11x17" tabloid since it can be three-hole-punched and kept once-folded in a std. ring-binder notebook. . .rather than a huge 24"-long roll with rubber bands. And the savings in repro cost is amazing since 11x17" can be copied in-office or at Staples/Office Depot, etc... for 9 -- 18-cents a page, versus many dollars per page at the repro-house for engineering copies at 36x24".
I find that a "sufficiently-furry"
Architect's font, generous overshoots and a steep-gradient of line-weights and linetype-spacings helps with in-the-field and homeowner/contractor legibility. A typical floor-plan drawing or building-section might have 5-different lineweights from 0.5mm or 0.7mm down to 0.08mm at 50%-density, and a number of linetypes and generous fine, hairline hatch-patterns. Recently, I've thinking of going to an even-steeper gradient of line-weights in the pen-table and bolder page graphics. . .maybe a taller/larger letter-height and font too.