Make your Message Joyful with Visual Notes

Tanya Hankinson creating a traditional graphic recording of a podcast using brush pen and watercolour


What are visual notes, and how can they help you get your message out into the world in a way that stands out?

Visual notes (also known as sketchnotes or graphic note taking) combine visuals and hand written text to summarise and portray information in an engaging and memorable way.

Do Visual Notes Have to be ‘Live’?

Not at all! The skills which are needed for visual note taking lend themselves to the visual synthesis of information in general, in whichever form that may take. This absolutely does not have to be live!

Check out this example. It’s a resource created to provide a checklist and instructions to Key Stage 3 pupils for a drawing assessment. It includes a visual list of everything they need and some top tips. It is much easier on the eye than printed text and therefore much more accessible.

Synthesising information into a distilled combination of hand written text and image makes it STAND OUT.

AND we know that distilling key information into its essential essence helps you to absorb that information more deeply. So in a world where 90% of the information transmitted to the human brain is visual, if we add the power of illustration to this summarised information, we’re on to a winner!

Hand drawn key stage 3 handout for Lucinda Rogers mark making assessment.
GCSE Art and Design resource for artist pages. Hand drawn infographic in the school corporate branding colours. A combination of hand lettering and hand drawn icons.

How Visual Notes Can Help: Before, During and After the Event

  • Before

    Invites

    Illustrations for presentation slides

    Itineraries

    Holding presentation slide

    Event programme

  • During

    In-person live illustration (digital or traditional)

    Online, virtual live illustration (even if your event is in person)

  • After

    Illustration of a recording of the event

    Infographics/flyers for attendees to take home

    Illustrated reports

    Illustrated FAQs

Visual notes can enhance both parents’ and pupils’ ability to understand what is involved in the run up to a busy school trip. Here a 10+ page itinerary provided by the tour company was condensed into an A4 page, combining hand drawn text and illustrations. Since this was an art trip, I also provided the department with a drawing activities guide for their drawing journal. Each pupil was given an A5 sketchbook containing the itinerary and the drawing activities guide, and a screen printed t-shirt with a hand drawn logo on the front and back.

get in touch illustrated hand lettered icon witth letter motif