So what happens during Visual Note-taking?
Taking Visual Notes simply means that instead of relying on blocks of text and bullet points to convey our message, we dare to take that content apart in order to structure, link, and illustrate it in new ways.
Visual Note-taking doesn’t have to happen in real-time, like Graphic Recording or Live Illustration, it can be from text notes, captured from recordings, or used as a tool to summarize a great deal of information from several sources.
Why choose visual notes?
With 65% of the general population being visual learners, I’m often amazed why we’ve been taught to take notes the way we do as a default. Taking Visual Notes allows us to interpret the information in our own way, to how it most makes sense to us.
These Visual Maps can not only hold all of our creative associations, but easily convey the hierarchy and connection between elements in ways beyond the scope of simple text. As a result, Visual Notes can help to make the information last longer and be easier to recall.
What skills does one need to take Visual Notes?
I truly enjoy this process because it requires a great deal of my skills (and personality!).
Systems Thinking skills - distilling and organizing the information, creating a logical layout and composition
Visual Thinking skills - inventing witty visual metaphors to illustrate the key points
Artistic Skills and Talents - the varying visual styles I choose from to tell the story
People Skills (of course!) - communicating with my clients along the way and making sure we're aligned on the direction. Often, new insights will arise as we go, and it’s always great to see how things fall into their place along the way!
What's my purpose with Visual Notes?
I use Visual Notes to communicate the essence of one’s message in creative and memorable ways. It fills me with joy to see a Visual Map which effectively and beautifully summarizes the key ideas; thus, helping people make sense of the information and remember it for longer.
From an artistic point of view, I love how I always get to shape the styling and colours to fit the story the visual wants to tell. After all, how the graphic looks and feels will have a major impact on how it’s received. That's the reason why all of them are so different!
If you're interesting in getting started on taking taking Visual Notes, I suggest giving this article a read!
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