Insights from a first time Sketch-noter

I have had the opportunity to attend a fair amount of design events in the past one year and I have the tendency to take notes during the talks given by various speakers, I typically write down motivational or inspirational quotes. Last Friday (27.07.2018), I had the opportunity of attending two talks 1. Talk on Designing for World Market from India by Niyam Bhushan at Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology and 2. Designing for India hosted by IXDA and Google India #googleixda. I decided to try my hands on sketch-noting and why did I decide to do that? Well, honestly the sole reason would be, to break from the monotony of the talk and keep myself occupied ( I get bored easily if I sit through something for too long ) and also inspired by how Rasagy Sharma documents his experiences through sketch notes ( At last! I am making it public )

Here’s my story on what I got out of the experience.

Insight #1 — An Optical Representation of the Event

I maintain a separate book for events I attend, and write down key information such as a witty quote or something new that I discovered etc. Honestly, I never refer back to it because they are just mere sentences, but after sketch-noting last week, I went back to the book to refer and it was straightforward to find what I was looking for and remember it easily which brings me to Insight #2

Insight #2 — Acts as a Visual Cue

When somebody asks you, “ Hey how was the event?” followed by the statement, “ tell me more…..”. This is the hardest bit when I have to make an effort to think and share the experience verbally. This time it was different, after documenting the talk through sketch- notes, I realised that sharing was effortless. As designers our right side of the brain is superior and influential, hence recalling visual information is not difficult.

Visual cues make a difference in how we remember and process information, so developing a “visual vocabulary” is a helpful no matter what you’re doing.

Insight #3 — Paying Attention to what moved me

This is very essential. I have seen a lot of examples of sketch-notes in the past and love the clutter on paper and thought that when I begin to sketch-note, compiling the entire event on my book is going to make it aesthetic or in other words; sketch-note worthy. Well, sketch-notes are not about extensive sketches and getting everything on the sheet. I realized that sketch-notes are about what matters to me primarily and also helping other people see those things clearly.

Insight # 4 — It’s not about the details

Sketch-notes is not an art. By definition: Sketch-notes are purposeful doodling while listening to something interesting. Since this is my first time, I started with typography. I aligned the quotes and key texts in an appealing way but I hope to progress into drawing in the future. For those who are wondering how to start, start off with basic shapes and texts and connectors. I have seen people draw anatomy, but I guess that comes with experience.

Overall, Sketch-noting made me feel like an active participant. Sketch-note is not about possessing that artistic skill or perfecting the look and feel and then showcasing it.

Sketch note is personal, it’s for you! It’s original and your version of your experience.