CREATING A DILBERT COMIC
“dialogue first. block like a director. color last.”
The Lesson
Creating a comic strip is like directing a movie. (1) Write the dialogue first. Know what needs to be said. (2) Block out the characters. Who's in the scene, where are they standing, who's talking? This is directing, not drawing. (3) Rough sketch for positioning. Indicate close-ups, wide shots, background elements. (4) Multiple refinement layers. Each pass improves the previous. (5) Color is the LAST step, not the first. The creative work happens in the writing and blocking; the drawing is execution.
Real-World Example
Building a product demo is the same process. (1) Script the key messages first. What must the user understand? (2) Block out the screens. Which features appear in which order? (3) Rough wireframes for flow. (4) Multiple iterations with feedback. (5) Polish and brand colors last. Founders who start with colors and pixels before nailing the script waste cycles. Dilbert's process: message first, execution second.
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