7 Tips To Create Documentation That Explains Drawings in Plain Language

Technical drawings are powerful. They capture detail, precision, and design intent. However, not everyone reading those drawings is an engineer, architect, or designer. Clients, contractors, and even new team members may look at a page of lines and labels and think, “What am I looking at?”

Documentation can help. It can bridge the gap between highly technical drawings and real-world understanding. Here are seven practical tips to make your documentation as clear as your designs.

1. Start With the Purpose of the Drawing

Before you dive into dimensions or symbols, explain what the drawing is for. Is it a site plan? An assembly diagram? A wiring layout? A one-sentence purpose statement gives context so the reader knows what they’re looking at before they get lost in the detail.

Example: “Drawing A shows the electrical layout for the second floor, including outlet placement and breaker assignments.”

2. Translate Symbols Into Words

Technical drawings are full of standardized symbols. The problem? Not every reader knows what they mean. Always provide a key or legend, and if possible, explain the most critical ones in plain language.

Instead of assuming the client knows what a triangle or dashed line represents, try:

“Dashed lines indicate hidden pipes, not visible once installed.”

Clarity saves questions (and mistakes).

3. Break Down Complex Views Step by Step

A drawing often shows multiple perspectives: Top view, side view, and cross-section. Don’t assume everyone can mentally stitch those together. Add step-by-step explanations alongside the visuals.

For example:

1. “This top view shows the overall layout.”

2. “The cross-section highlights how the flooring layers connect.”

3. “The detail view shows the anchoring system at scale.”

Guiding readers through a step at a time helps them follow the logic instead of guessing.

4. Use Plain Language, Not Shop Talk

Engineers love terms like tolerances and datum points. Clients do not. Translate technical words into everyday explanations without losing accuracy.

• “Tolerance: The acceptable range of variation. In this case, the part can be off by 0.5mm and still fit.”

• “Datum Point: The starting reference for all measurements.”

Plain language turns drawings into tools for collaboration, not just reference sheets.

5. Highlight What Matters Most

Every drawing has a few critical details that will make or break the project. Call them out clearly in your documentation:

• Critical safety features

• Measurements that must be exact

• Parts that interface with other systems

Bold, box, or bullet these items so they don’t get lost in the noise.

6. Add Visual Aids Beyond the Drawing

Sometimes a quick photo of the actual part, a rendering, or a 3D model does more than a drawing ever could. Supplement with visuals that give non-experts a way to connect the lines on paper to the real-world object.

A side-by-side “drawing vs. finished product” image is often all it takes to make the lightbulb click.

7. Test With Non-Experts

The ultimate test of clarity isn’t whether your team understands the documentation. It’s whether someone outside your field can follow it. Hand your notes and drawings to someone new (a junior staff member, another department, or even a client rep). If they stumble, tighten the language until it’s foolproof.

Drawings may be technical, but your documentation doesn’t have to be cryptic. You just need to make them accessible to everyone, from engineers to end clients.

At Borrowed Pen, we take complex technical content and turn it into documentation people actually understand. Work with us, and let’s make your drawings as clear in writing as they are on paper.