what is graphic recording?
Graphic recording simplfies the complex and makes conversations visual.
Perhaps you’ve attended a live event and seen an artist illustrating conversations in real time with words and pictures. This artform is known as graphic recording, visual notetaking, or scribing.
Graphic recording does more than add a creative flair to an event or conference. It makes complex concepts and conversations more visible by communicating ideas in an easy to view format.
Graphic recording makes ideas:
More memorable
More powerful
More shareable
What are the benefits of graphic recording?
Graphic recording isn’t just about creating colorful images. It’s about ideas. A graphic recording is a visual representation of what was said at an event, summit, or gathering and has many benefits:
Simplifies complex ideas – Often, people are unwilling to read pages and pages of a text recapping what was said at a summit or conference. In contrast, graphic recording uses visuals that can communicate without relying only on text.
Validates participant conversations – When attendees are invited to state their opinions at a summit and they see their thoughts illustrated, they feel like they have been heard and that their voices matter.
Keeps conversations focused – A plain meeting agenda is likely to be ignored. If you create a visual agenda of a meeting, it’s easier for people to see what will come next and easier for them to stay on track.
Informed participants make better decisions – Participants who have heard opposing opinions and facts about a subject are more empowered to make the decision that’s right for them.
Promotes creativity – Visualizing ideas helps participants make better connections between concepts, as they can build on existing ideas.
Engages multiple parts of the brain – Graphic recording creates a richer learning experience because attendees aren’t relying solely on oral, visual, or written information. The more parts of the brain are activated, the more an idea is likely to be remembered.
Extends the reach of content – A graphic recording is more likely to be reviewed than a paper or a boring PowerPoint. So even if your associates did not attend a meeting or conference, they will be able to understand what information was relayed.
Who hires graphic recorders?
Graphic recording helps make the content of any event, summit, or meeting more accessible.
Graphic recording for conference planners.
Conference planners engage graphic recorders to illustrate keynotes and panels visually. The graphic recording is then posted in the lobby between sessions, allowing attendees to reengage with the content. The next time you go to an event, check the event hashtag afterward. Graphic recording maps are always the most photographed elements. And if you’re looking for a way to finance graphic recording, ask your sponsors to underwrite graphic recording at your event. It’s a far more memorable form of sponsorship than a coffee hour. And nothing makes a better speaker gift than a framed print of the graphic recording map of their session or panel!
Graphic recording for meeting planners
Meeting planners and facilitators can partner with graphic recorders to provide a visual record of an event. Graphic recording helps attendees stay focused and engaged with the conversations. Your C suite retreat or summit will be more memorable with graphic recording. Attendees frequently pin up printouts of the graphic recording when they return to their office.
Graphic recording for facilitators and consultants
Facilitators love partnering with graphic recorders because they can focus on their conversations with the client while the graphic recorder illustrates the dialogue. Team leaders and product development leaders can also use graphic recording to document a brainstorming process.
Graphic recording for speakers
Speakers don’t have to rely on a conference planner hiring a graphic recording service. By bringing in their own graphic recorder for their session, they will add an unexpected, interactive component to their keynote. Their message will also reach more people, as attendees are likely to share the graphic recording map of the session on social media.
Graphic recording for tradeshows
A graphic recording can make your sales booth stand out in a sea of sameness on the sales floor. The map provides a human, organic element in contrast to the manufactured slickness of most sales booths. Another option is to create a listening wall where insights of attendees are recorded. People will stop at your booth, engage with the graphic recording, and take photos of themselves in front of it.
What’s the science behind graphic recording?
When someone goes to an event, they love seeing graphic recordings. These hand-drawn infographics created in real-time make meetings more memorable.
But using graphic recording does more than add creative flair to your event, because it helps make your content more accessible, memorable, and shareable too. It’s not just art, as it’s based on science.
A whopping 65% of people use visual learning. In part, that’s because vision is our most developed sense, as 70% of our sensory receptors are related to vision.
We’re wired to love visuals.
Combining words with visuals fires up more parts of our brain, which can engage our emotions more and make what we’re learning more memorable.
People remember:
10% of what they hear
20% of what they read
80% of what they do and see
Graphic recording can support all four learning styles as people hear the speaker, see the images and text, and interact with the graphic recording. Graphic recording engages all four learning styles:
Auditory – People learn by listening
Visual – People learn by seeing
Verbal – People learn by speaking
Kinesthetic – People learn by physical activity
What is virtual graphic recording?
Now that we’re in the age of virtual and hybrid events, virtual graphic recording provides the same benefits as traditional marker pen and poster graphic recording: helping attendees remain focused on the session and providing a visual record of the event.
Virtual graphic recordings are created on an iPad or Wacom tablet and streamed live into a virtual meeting through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Mural, Google Hangouts, or almost any other virtual platform. The graphic recording can “attend” as a participant. That way, the graphic recording can be pinned during a panel discussion and attendees can watch it take shape while each speaker or panelist is talking. The graphic recording can also fill the entire screen while the participants listen to the speakers.
LiquidSketch Studio has had consistent success in streaming graphic recording live by linking an iPad via a VGA adaptor into a video card to a laptop. The video card causes the virtual stream to appear as another camera in any virtual platform.
How can I use digital graphic recording at a live event?
Imagine you’re sitting at a top industry conference with all your peers. As the CEO of a prominent corporation is giving the keynote, you’re mesmerized as a drawing is being displayed on a screen behind them illustrating the key points of their talk.
Projecting digital graphic recording images in real time is a new way to add energy to a live event. They’re visible at a large scale, so everyone in the audience is able to see them. And because the images are digital, they’re easier to share and extend the reach of an event.
Digital is more flexible.
Conferences used to be about speaker after speaker in a single track. Now there are multiple tracks, breakout sessions, table talks, and Q&A periods. With an iPad, it’s easy for a graphic recorder to go from room to room and simply plug into a projector.
Become part of the conversations.
It’s easier to record a roundtable discussion with an iPad because I can sit at a table, listen to conversations, and record feedback directly rather than being anchored to a wall or an easel. This allows me to hear more casual snippets of conversations.
Sharing is easier.
Because a graphic recording is digital, it can instantly be shared on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Images reproduce better on Pinterest and LinkedIn. Session notes from morning sessions can be shared in the main hall as attendees arrive for afternoon sessions.
Time-lapse videos are even cooler.
Video recordings of graphic recordings make mesmerizing videos that summarize 45-minute keynotes in 30 seconds. So, if you want to add an up-to-the-minute element to your event, check out the possibilities of digital graphic recording.
Do graphic recorders have to be subject matter experts?
How do graphic recorders draw in real time?
Does the speaker share their notes before the presentation?
How do you graphically record a subject you don’t know a lot about?
How do you come up with images for each idea so quickly?
Event attendees can be mesmerized by watching a graphic recorder at work as they draw out a presentation while it’s being presented. How do we do this?
Graphic recording is more about listening than drawing.
The key to being a great graphic recorder is learning how to be a good listener. You learn how to highlight the main ideas of a presentation and rely on visuals instead of words alone. Sometimes speakers help out with the structure of their talks when they say something like “I’m going to share five reasons why heart disease is on the rise.”
Graphic recorders are experts at simplifying.
A graphic recorder doesn’t necessarily have to be a subject matter expert in order to successfully record a session. Graphic recorders are able to listen to a complex idea and distill the big concept into a sketch with a few words. Graphic recording is more effective at capturing the big-picture ideas, not the nuts and bolts of a scientific formula (although there is a Sketchnote genre dedicated to recipes). And the ability to dive into a new subject and draw out themes is a skill that is perfected with practice.
The key to drawing fast: a visual library.
Graphic recorders can draw fast because they have developed visual libraries. I can draw on an iPhone super-fast because I have attended a ton of tech and social media conferences.
Digital Graphic Recording vs. Marker Pen and Poster Graphic Recording
Live events are back and we are so excited. When we book live events the first question is: would you like marker pen and poster or digital. Digital graphic recording is the new thing in graphic recording. It’s actually how I got my start. I offer both services—digital graphic recording and traditional graphic recording with a marker pen.
Digital graphic recording
With digital graphic recording, images are created on an iPad and can be projected live on a screen during the creation process. This can be very engaging during panel discussions at a conference, or you can capture conversations during an executive board retreat.
Images can also be shown on screens in common areas between breaks at conferences, and they can be shared easily on social media.
The benefits of digital graphic recording:
Baby, it’s digital – Images can be created faster and shared faster.
Easier to share – Images are easier to repurpose for social media, blog posts, and reports. Because they are created digitally, they’re easier to share. The white background blends seamlessly into a website. A PowerPoint filled with these images will be very popular!
Greater visibility – If images are projected on a screen, a larger audience can see them being created in real time.
Super-portable – It’s easy to move to breakout sessions.
Unobstructive – A digital graphic recorder can sit in the audience, and people won’t even realize what they’re doing.
Marker pen + poster graphic recording
This more traditional style of graphic recording is done on long strips of paper, foam core boards, or cardboard using marker pens. By the end of the event, multiple boards dot the room, showcasing the day’s content and conversations. Towers can be built very quickly using foam core boards and artist tape for an impressive summary of the day’s events.
The benefits of marker pen graphic recording:
Theatrical event – A human is standing in real time drawing a conversation. People can’t help but notice.
More ownership – Attendees and participants seem more likely to share their viewpoints.
Physical – It’s easier to display multiple boards so people can view all the content at once for an extended time. These are easier for people to photograph. You’ll see them in social media feeds.
Towers – Foam core boards + artist tape. So much fun!
Go digital – Pictures can be taken of boards and photoshopped for greatest flexibility in sharing
How to transform paper and poster graphic maps into digital images.
For many in-person events, poster and pen graphic recording maps provide the best way to experience the content in real-time. After the event, they can be digitized and shared via social media, email, video, and blog posts.
We don’t use a fancy-schmancy camera for this, just my everyday iPhone 7. (Okay, I’m a few editions behind on the latest technology. My iPad Pro, however, is the latest for digital graphic recording.) The key to a great photo is bright, consistent light. The best results come from natural light. So, at the end of the day, we set up an easel (hopefully facing a window) and take pictures of all the boards for consistent lighting. The digital images are then photoshopped with a white background and balanced colors.
This is the digital version! Ta-da!
How can I repurpose graphic recording maps?
Yes, easily. After an event, LiquidSketch will send you all the digital graphic recording images and photographs of graphic recording posters. You can color treat them and send digital photos of boards to use.
Compile these images into a colorful PDF and email it to the event attendees.
Use the PDF to capture email addresses.
A printed version of a graphic recording makes the ultimate speaker gift.
Display your graphic maps in your office.
Graphic recording images can also be used in websites, emails, and even print brochures. The images could easily give you a year’s worth of social media content.
Use graphic recording images to promote next year’s event.
Questions about hiring a graphic recorder.
How graphic recording is charged?
Graphic recording is considered out-of-business consulting and is charged accordingly. It is a strategic practice that takes substantial prep time. As a result, graphic recording is usually billed on a daily rate. Because of the preparation required, half-day rates are usually billed for more than half of a full-day rate.
If travel is required, clients can expect to pay airfare, hotel, and per diem.
Where is the best place for the graphic recorder to stand?
If it is at a conference, the graphic recorder can be on stage to the side or near the front. The graphic recorder can also stand on the side. It is less desirable to have the graphic recorder stand at the back of the venue or outside event (but it is more important to be able to hear the speakers than see them).
Should I hire a local graphic recorder or bring one in?
If you hire a local graphic recorder, you can save on travel costs. However, if you have worked with a graphic recorder previously, it might be more effective to bring them in, since they may be more familiar with content.
Books about sketchnoting, graphic recording, and graphic facilitation.
If you’re interested in trying out graphic recording or graphic facilitation with your organization, these are books written by pioneers and leaders in the industry. (And they’re way cheaper than some of the online training available.)
Mike coined the term “sketchnoting” and really brought this practice to the forefront. His contribution is a beautifully illustrated book that starts at the beginning: it’s about ideas, not art. He then takes a beginner through the basics of sketchnoting (and graphic recording) with shapes, containers and arrows for words. He then teaches how to draw simple figures and icons using basic shapes.
Even though this book is written for graphic facilitators, industry pioneer Brandy Agerbeck breaks down visual synthesis into the most basic elements. She breaks down a visual practice from the most basic elements. She describes scenarios where you might not draw. Her lessons on visual hierarchy are the clearest I’ve come across. I found this book extremely useful.
Author David Sibbet is the founder of The Grove Consultants International, the people who put graphic recording and graphic facilitation on the proverbial map. The book contains many clear examples and explanations on running better meetings to jumpstart collaboration and innovation.
This book offers activities to get groups to stop discussing ideas and make decision so they can take action. Gamestorming offers templates from many graphic facilitators and walks the reader through how to use these with their groups at work.
Tired of drawing hearts and lightbulbs? Dario encourages the visual practitioner to stretch beyond the standard icons you see in graphic recording. Prior to his graphic recording career, Dario was an advertising art director and that is evident in the way this book encourages graphic recorders to think conceptually, by combining two images to create new meaning in a new third image. Highly recommended.
LiquidSketchStudio.com offers graphic recording services for your in-person or virtual event.
LiquidSketch Studio is a Southern California-based graphic recording and visual notes boutique offering graphic recording and graphic facilitation services world-wide.
Let us draw out the excitement for your next event.
Contact us and we can brainstorm with you to figure out how graphic recording can make your next conference, summit, or innovation session more productive, innovative, and memorable!