This August I joined 170 people from 15 different countries at International Sketchnote Camp in Paris. Sketchnotes were ‘invented’ by Mike Rohde an American designer to help him take better notes in meetings, he loved them so much he wrote a book – the Sketchnote Handbook and started a movement – The Sketchnote Army – to share the concept around the world.
So what is a sketchnote?
Mike Rohde says:
Sketchnotes are rich visual notes created from a mix of handwriting, drawings, hand-drawn typography, shapes and visual elements like arrows, boxes and line. Sketchnotes are visual maps, they’re built from meaningful thoughts and ideas your mind collects and squirrels away during talks, panels and experiences.
I say that any time you want to remember more you can create a sketchnote to help embed the information in you brain!
Back to Sketchnote Camp…
The first day was opened by Mike Rohde who talked about the communities of sketchnoters developing around the world and how sketchnotes are being used in education. Here’s my sketchote from his keynote:
It was a wonderful event to be part of, I got to spend time with some of my fellow graphic recorders from the UK and also meet people from around the world who use sketchnotes in their work and lives in different ways. One of the sessions focused on Sketchnoting for Good – how we can use visuals to educate, influence, and effect change in our communities. I love this idea and am looking at ways to do this myself. Here’s my sketchnote:
We were so lucky to be hosted in the amazing BNP Paribas HQ just outside Paris – set in the beautiful grounds of a chateau where we had our meal on the 2nd night, the conference facilities and hotel have somehow been sunk into the ground so you can’t really see them on arriving at the venue – you just see the magnificent chateau and the grounds with chill out areas and seating under shady trees and canopies. We went out into the grounds for a lesson in urban sketching and where we were tasked with drawing with one line, with my left hand, using only straight lines and from memory. Much more practice required on my part!
I was inspired to share my love of sketchnotes with my wider community and as a result I am running my first Introduction to Visual Notes workshop this week on a test group before offering it as a half day workshop or 1 hour lunch and learn session.
The French Team did a wonderful job in 2019 and I’m already looking forward to 2020 in Brussels…
