Experience Illustration logo with the word Sketchnoting inside

Sketchnoting (or visual scribing, or graphic recording) is the practice of making visual notes of an event, usually "live" , in person and in real time. It's something I used to do privately, when I went to conferences. Now it's something I do at work, for colleagues, and offer as a service to clients.

Graphic scribe of 2019's Natural Capital Summit in Queensland

This piece from the Natural Capital Summit was the size of a huge wall, and done over two days with markers.

"That must be tiring!", people often say when they hear about sketchnoting. Yes, it is! It requires long periods of deep listening. But the goal isn't to capture every word said — it’s to capture the mood of the room and the major themes of the talk/s.

I'm genuinely curious about people and the interesting work they do, so I enjoy listening to their stories, and I like the challenge of trying to sum it up with a pen, on the spot, "without a net".

I often sketchnote with a couple of markers, on paper or a whiteboard, but I can also do it digitally, have my work projected to a screen, etc.

Some clients are keen for a Big Final Piece (like the Natural Capital Summit outcome above), but I also enjoy creating multiple smaller illustrations. These colour ones above are from a Women in Physics conference which took place online during Covid. Shorter talks make for more readable scribes, in my opinion.

I also like to go beyond official talks, and join in conversations happening on the day -- between talks? At lunch? -- and add those to the mix as well.

Any kind of event can benefit from sketchnoting. I've done corporate talks, professional development days, co-design workshops, consultations with vulnerable youth, lunch-and-learns, political action groups...

People tell me they get a lot out of looking back at their events in visual form.

They often like to end the event by talking through the sketches. Sometimes they ask me to talk through what I heard, which is a bit mind-bending when you've just been scribing for 6 hours!

Yes, I'd like to do some drawing with you! Have a think about the following:

  1. The outcome. Do you want the sketchnoting visible while the event is happening? Are you more interested in using the final art for something? Do you need it as soon as possible after the event (or while the event is still going on)?
  2. The venue. What kind of room will we be in? Will there be room for a whiteboard or flipchart? Will it be in the way of your tech? Can we attach things to the walls?
  3. The material. Are there scripts or background material you can provide me so I can bone up on industry jargon and think through some visuals before I arrive?
  4. Collaboration. Are there ways we can tie in the sketchnoting to the rest of your program? I can work with your facilitators on more "interactive" stuff.
David, a man in a t-shirt and a black mask, at a whiteboard sketchnoting.

Any questions? Want more details? Shoot me a message.

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Experience Illustration

David Blumenstein
+61 (0)422 509 144

317-329 Dorcas St, South Melbourne, Vic 3205

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