by Emily Mills
EXERCISE
In your notebook or on a piece of paper, copy the container examples shown here; then think of 10 new container styles and draw them on your own.
NUMBERS
If the content you’re listening to is delivered in a list format, such as “5 things to do to grow your business,” you’ll want to include numbering. Though it’s obvious how numbering helps visually direct, it can be difficult to accurately capture the numbers. In my experience, presenters often forget to specify the number they are on, but will continue to list their points. Here’s what I mean:
Wait… what happened to the second point?!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written out the numbers first, ready for the presenter to list off each point… only for the list to get jumbled up or for something to get missed. To combat this problem, I recommend not writing any numbers down until the list has been captured in full—or jot them down in pencil as you go. This way you can go back to any block of text and add the appropriate number. If the numbers don’t add up with what you’ve written, just don’t add them at all!
Here are a few numbering examples.
ARROWS
Using arrows in your visual notes is one of the easiest and clearest ways to visually direct people and call special attention to information. Arrows don’t have to be plain though! Use an arrow as a title, to contain blocks of text, or even to subtly guide your viewer to the next place you want them to look.
EXERCISE
Draw 10 different types of arrows. Next find some old notes you’ve taken and use arrows to connect blocks of text and visually direct your reader to the next point.
FINDING INFORMATION FAST
You might ask, “What do I do with my visual notes after I take them?” Even if you never show your visual notes to anyone else, it’s still a good idea to revisit what you captured for your own retention. Visual notes are much easier to read than traditional written or typed notes, and there are two methods you can use to find information in your notes faster. The first method is the use of icons and the second is indexing.
ICONS
Consider the map. A map is host to a lot of information and uses small graphics (icons) to indicate specific things that might be of importance. Those icons are displayed together in the map key to tell you what each one means. When you take visual notes, you can do the same thing!
Icons are simple, small drawings that bring clarity and help visualize common concepts, categories, or actions. If you’ve tried bullet journaling, the use of iconography will be familiar to you.
EXERCISE
Practice the examples of common icon categories shown here. Come up with your own way to draw each one. Then consider what other icons you might use in your visual notes and practice drawing them.
In my visual notes, I don’t want the icons to draw focus away from the information, but I also want to visually link the information together. I keep them easy to recognize and relatively small.
INDEXING
After taking visual notes for several years, I found myself with a stack of sketchbooks full of great information. Unfortunately, when I wanted to look back on a specific page of visual notes, it took a long time for me to find them. I decided to try creating an index to keep track of my visual notes. Here’s how it works:
1. When you start a new sketchbook, write the date of the first notes you take on the inside cover or the first page. I write only the month and year.
2. As you take notes, write the title or event name of each note in a single column in your index. You can be as specific or general as you’d like—just be sure to create an index you’ll understand later. If your sketchbook has page numbers, include those!
3. When you fill the last page in your sketchbook, write the date of the last notes you took on the inside cover or first page after the date of the first notes. Now you have a timeline for how long your sketchbook spans! If you knew you took visual notes in April 2018, all you have to do is find the notebooks with that date in the timeline. Look down your index to see where it might be in the sketchbook and flip to it fast!
OTHER WAYS TO INDEX
Another method for indexing is to purchase thin sticker labels and place them on the spines of your sketchbooks. This way you can see the dates without having to remove it from your shelf. If your sketchbooks are spiral-bound or too thin for a sticker, place the label on the front cover instead. You could also use white or metallic pens to write date ranges on black sketchbooks.
LEVEL UP YOUR INDEX
One way to level up your index is to use icons. You can draw the icon next to what you wrote in the index to indicate where the notes are from.
EXERCISE
If you have an old sketchbook you can index, create one now. If you haven’t filled a sketchbook yet, create a mock index using the space below, describing at least eight things you’d like to take visual notes for. Maybe you have a favorite podcast, a conference you’ll be attending, or a dream client. Next create some icons to help categorize your index. Some categories to get you thinking: event, conference, sermon, lecture, podcast, book, or personal. The possibilities are endless!
VISUALIZING INFORMATION IN DIAGRAMS
When it comes to lecture-based visual notes, it’s rare that I capture an entire diagram. Diagrams are full of complex information that takes time and focus to draw accurately, and I’d rather focus on listening for big ideas than capture details. Diagrams typically have an overall message, such as “sales are increasing” or “it took three years to recover from the recession.” In my opinion, it’s better to capture the overall messages found by looking at diagrams, rather than capturing the diagrams themselves.
However, there are instances where it’s helpful and even necessary to visualize information using diagrams. The goal with visual notes is to increase retention, so anything you can do to help the information be understood is a win.
I’ve found there are five main types of diagrams. There are other methods of charting data, but these are the most common and effective methods for visual notes.
FLOWCHART/MAP Often used for mapping organization, processes, actions, or journeys.
GRAPH Can be line, bar, or scatter. Best if you have X and Y axis information, such as “revenue (x) over time (y).”
LISTS/CATEGORIES Groupings of data under specific categories.
PICTORIAL Often metaphorical, like filling a thermometer. Images are also used to represent different amounts of data.
PIE CHART Most often used to show allocations of a larger whole.
TIPS FOR LECTURE-BASED SCENARIOS
If you’re taking experience-based visual notes, capture as many diagrams as your time allows. Remember not to get too detailed—your visual notes should highlight only the main ideas. Lecture-based scenarios are different. Here are a few tips:
• If the presenter moves quickly through diagrams, don’t panic! They probably don’t need the audience to remember each one in detail, and you don’t need to copy each diagram.
• If the presenter spends a long time explaining one diagram, take a picture of the slide on your phone and leave some space in your notes, just in case you decide to capture it later. You may find that you don’t need to capture the diagram at all because the overall message is made clear in the rest of the presentation.
• If the presenter shares a lot of different numbers, try to give those numbers a matching visual to help the audience comprehend the information. The presenter is telling, but you have the opportunity to show.
• A “worst-case scenario” is that the presenter shares a ton of specific data, and it is important to capture it all. This is common for sessions like financial reports or annual reviews. Have your phone handy to snap pictures of the slides, and keep up as best you can. Jot down numbers quickly in pencil if you need to, and revisit after the session is over when you refine your notes. If you know you need to capture diagrams, be sure to leave plenty of space.
S
HOW VS. TELL
Hearing a string of statistics like “65 percent of our web traffic came from mobile, 20 percent from desktop, and 15 percent from tablets” is easy to forget. But a pie chart showing just how much more web traffic came via mobile than desktop or tablet makes a difference in how it is remembered.
HOW TO CHOOSE A DIAGRAM
It’s easy to capture a diagram given to you by the presenter, but sometimes you have to come up with the right one on your own. Like most skills, this comes with practice. Follow the process below as you figure out what type of diagram is best to use.
1. Identify goals for the diagram. What is the message? What type of diagram will show it best?
2. Figure out what data needs to be shown and the amount of detail needed.
3. Organize and categorize the data.
4. If a diagram is not immediately obvious, try different kinds. Edit, refine, or simplify if needed.
EXERCISE
Come up with the best diagram for the following pieces of information. After you finish, try a different type of diagram to see if another format is more clear.
1
• Customer enters website
• Customer clicks “A” or “B”
• “A” customers have a choice of product 1 or 2. “B” customers have a choice of 3, 4, or 5.
• Product 2 is 20% off
• Product 4 is 30% off
2
• For every paycheck I receive, 50% goes to mortgage, 10% goes to charity, 15% is saved, and 25% is for my other bills and expenses.
3
• People with red shirts: Dave, Sue, Bill, Jane, Karen
• People with blue shirts: Tim, Evan
• People with gray shirts: Allison, Mike, David, Jeff
YOUR VISUAL LIBRARY
When you regularly take visual notes, you may notice some of your drawings repeat themselves because they apply to a lot of different situations. This is called your visual library—it’s a mental bank of all the images you know how to draw and use on a regular basis.
Maintaining a visual library is helpful because you never know when you’ll need to draw something completely out of the blue! When you already know how to draw something, you don’t have to waste time looking up reference images in the moment to make sure you get it right.
BUILD YOUR LIBRARY
“How do I know what to fill my visual library with if I never know what I’m going to need to draw?” The more you learn how to draw in general, the easier visual notetaking will become. Remember to start with the basics—dots, lines, and shapes—and level up as you gain confidence. Go for recognizable over realistic!
EXERCISE
As you build your visual library, start by drawing things around you. Wherever you are, draw the 10 things closest to you. Draw objects from home, work, and other places you frequent. After you’ve drawn everything around you, draw for specific industries. What would you draw for Science? Healthcare? Military? Arts? Marketing? You can never run out of things to draw.
PRACTICAL TIPS
• Capture your visual library in once place. Your visual library is already building itself into your memory, but it’s also a good idea to make a tangible library, as well. You can keep a few blank pages in a notebook, snap pictures and keep them in a digital folder, or create a set of index cards. It’s unlikely that you’ll completely forget how to draw something, but it’s a good idea to have your drawings in one place so you can review and add to your library.
• Update your library. Ask if there are things you can do to make a drawing better or more clear. If so, level up your drawing. Also, check if your drawings are still relevant. For example, everyone used to have flip-style mobile phones, and now everyone has a mobile phone that looks like a flat rectangle. Watch for rapid changes in things like hairstyles, technology, fashion, or city skylines.
• Practice regularly. Keep your drawings fresh by changing them up and trying to improve them each time. This is especially important for anyone taking visual notes professionally! Your clients won’t want their notes to look like what you’ve done for everyone else. There are easy changes you can make, such as size, proportions, direction, perspective, style, or color. Know how to draw something, and know how to draw it several different ways.
Here are a few of the most-used images in my visual library:
BOOKS
BRAIN
CITIES/BUILDINGS
CLOCK
COMPASS
COMPUTER
CONSTRUCTION
DOORS/DOORWAYS
HANDS
HOURGLASS
KEY
LIGHT BULB
MAGNIFYING GLASS
MARKER
MEGAPHONE
MONEY
PEN
PENCIL
PEOPLE/FACES
PHONES
ROAD SIGNS
ROCKET
TROPHY OR AWARD
EXERCISE
If you’ve been taking visual notes for a while, make a list of the 10 most-used images in your visual library. If you’re new to taking visual notes, create a list of 10 things you think you’ll be drawing frequently. Draw each item once. Then draw each item again, but try to improve it or make it different. Repeat this process until you have five versions of each drawing.
VISUAL METAPHORS
In art school, you’re taught that your first idea is never your best idea, because the whole point of creating art is to create something unique. With visual communication, it’s the opposite. You aren’t trying to create something unique, you’re trying to communicate clearly. Your first idea is usually your best idea, because visual communication is about finding common ground. One way to find this common ground is to use a concept called “visual metaphors.”
Visual metaphors create a more relatable and understandable scenario with pictures. These can be drawings of metaphors shared by the presenter, or drawings that you come up with to more clearly communicate the idea being shared.
WHY USE VISUAL METAPHORS?
You might be asking, “Why should I create visual metaphors? Can’t I just capture what’s being shared? Why do I have to do this extra work?” Truthfully, you DON’T have to create visual metaphors. You can capture what is being said exactly as is, but think of visual metaphors as a way of leveling up your notes. As a visual notetaker, you have a unique opportunity to help people make sense out of information. You’re not adding to the content being shared, like writing in your own quotes, thoughts, or bullet points. Instead, you’re arranging the information with images that create higher understanding. Humans love metaphors because they simplify complex information. Every time you use a metaphor—spoken, written, or visual—you’re doing your audience a big favor in the comprehension department.
Another way to think about visual metaphors is to ask yourself: “What would I draw to represent this topic?” That question helped me understand how visual metaphors don’t have to be complex—just a pictorial representation.
Presenter: “At MegaCorp, we cultivate and invest in our team. We hire only the best, and we quickly get rid of people that are toxic to our work environment. We have a great company culture fueled by happiness and helpfulness.”
Consider the example below. On the left are visual notes captured from what the presenter shared as-is. On the right, the notes were captured using a visual metaphor.
See the difference? Both sets of visual notes are clear and effective. Visual metaphors might be more challenging, but they’re often more memorable than a simple pairing of words and pictures. Don’t worry if you can’t master this concept right away. This takes intentional practice with your creative imagination.
DEVISING USEFUL VISUAL METAPHORS
• Your first idea is usually your best idea.
• Pick key words that might inspire a visual metaphor. In the example, I focused on the word “cultivate” because it reminded me of a garden.
• Try word associati
ons or synonyms.
• Don’t force a visual metaphor to work. Visual metaphors should be obvious and simple.
• Don’t distract yourself from actively listening.
EXERCISE
Look at the list below and come up with a visual metaphor to represent each one.
Here are a few examples to get you started:
• Courage
• Passion
• Community
• Leadership
• Innovation
• Empathy
• Creativity
• Failure
• The team must solve this problem together
• Relax! Let your mind drift
• It’s important to find a work/life balance
COURAGE
INNOVATION
TEAM PROBLEM-SOLVING
HEADERS
Headers are the areas at the top of the visual notes canvas, and they’re a perfect way to introduce the concepts. Headers give the viewers more context, so put them where they’ll be read first. Putting a header at the end of a sketchnote is like putting the cover of a book on the last page!