Brainstorming and Graphic Recording, Visual Practitioner

Graphic recording is the act of live illustration of a spoken discussion, conversation, or speech for gatherings large and small. The purpose of the visuals is to connect ideas, issues, and comments.  Graphic recording helps event attendees solve problems and visualize the entirety of a conversation in a single image or multiple images.

Recording happens in the same room and while a speaker is speaking or a discussion is taking place. But yes, we support virtual or hybrid events with live-streamed digital sketchnotes!

We use big paper or foam core boards, thick markers, and exceptional listening skills to create these visual records. Consider these large sketchnotes or mindmaps of your meeting, conference, roundtable, community discussion, or strategy meeting.

Graphic Recording in front of an audience

Graphic Recording can occur in the back of the room or front and center in tandem with a speaker.  Location is a client choice and often depends on speaker expectations and ease of moving completed work into shared spaces.

Graphic Recording Attendees Love
Reinforce verbal statements
Add clarity to audience members
And add a level of fun and excitement to a meeting

70+% of us are visual learners. That means that visual reinforcement of ideas and concepts is essential to convey messages, solidify meaning, and improve retention of information. Visual Engagement through graphic recording verifies an event attendee's thoughts, experience, and memory of a discussion or session.

Graphic Recording 2021

As we return to normal in 2022, it's exciting to be with people again. But as mask use continues for the near future, it's essential to have visual touchpoints for event attendees to gather around as conversations may prove more difficult to start! We've all been at home for months and have to get over some phobias!

Live Illustration for a Two Day Conference- the Output

Graphic Recording need not be for prescribed conversations but conversations of new concepts and new ideas. The ability to see ideas take shape on a board and understand the breadth of a discussion at large is hugely beneficial for brainstorming, strategy sessions, and other open-ended conversations.

I had no idea what the heck you guys were talking about until he drew it for me.

Graphic Recording on Stage

Photo Credits: Every Angle Cleveland

Graphic Recording with Graphic Recorder

Increase Meeting Energy, Improve the Messaging, and Add a Little Color!

Graphic Recording for Conferences and Seminars

When a Conference Speaker has access to and utilizes graphic recording - everyone benefits. Speakers themselves find an audience that is more in tune with the messaging, the audience message retention improves exponentially, and the conference itself benefits in three ways:

  1. A visual target for social media sharing of the live event
  2. Exceptional imagery to be used for future conference promotion
  3. A memorable point of differentiation among other conferences

Graphic Recording for Company Meetings

Geographically or functionally separated individuals can see a meeting as an exciting avenue for friendship and spreading ideas.   Management can fail to inspire or fail to convey the right message as the purpose of the meeting.  Visual Communications via graphic recording can add that flare ( and beats death by PowerPoint EVERY DAY)

Big Paper can draw and color alongside a suite of speakers throughout a meeting or can work with your team ahead of time to prepare and outline visuals that reinforce the messaging. A pre-planned graphic recording is just as live and engaging, however more thoughtful and visually interesting.

Companies use Big Paper for

  1. Meeting Recording
  2. Strategic Vision Casting
  3. Customer Journeys and Flow Maps
  4. Sales Whiteboard Design
  5. Brainstorming

Big Paper Strategy's Matt Orley has experience in engineering, manufacturing, nonprofit fundraising, web marketing, and interior mural printing.  He might not be an expert regarding your specific industry, but his broad background makes him flexible.

Graphic Recording for Roundtables and Community Discussions

Events that seek community input offer a pace of discussion that fits well with graphic recording.  Group and public discussions + rountables gather input that floats around topics, flow with a skilled moderator, and bring together many opinions.  Graphic recording offers participants a cohesive and centralizing view of the conversation.  Clients include community panels, churches, event tour stops and nonprofits.

 

Benefits of Utilizing Graphic Recording at your Event

Event Attendee Engagement

Visual Learning aside,  graphic recording encourages and honors those who contribute to an event's content (a single keynote speaker or a public discussion participant).

Because of increased participation, actions, decision-making, and content comprehension are developed and clear. Graphic recording honors people's contributions - in a permanent marker kind of way!

Creativity

Hiring a Graphic Recorder shows a commitment to creativity, playful attitudes, and a willingness to explore ideas and thoughts in new ways.

Entertainment and a Fuller Experience

While we capture content, Big Paper Strategy is on location to perform. It is powerful to see someone capture ideas as they are occurring in real-time. People enjoy watching an individual live illustrating- they make meetings or conferences more fun.   Enriching and deepening the group experience by going beyond business-as-usual and thinking outside the box, graphic recording provokes more participation and a more profound thought process.

Big Picture

Graphic recording distills ideas to their essence and increases clarity. It organizes ideas by drawing connections and relationships, enabling participants to see links between ideas and understand the bigger picture. All content is visible and can be referred to simultaneously, while slides and talks are fleeting and quickly.

Sharing

Illustrations created live give a fast overview of the event's content for those that could not attend.  - it gives them an insightful overview of what was said. Illustrations act as the basis for further conversations around topics, enabling a cascade of information and knowledge both during and after the recording.

Ask a question!

  • Desired dates, best time to reach you... and starter questions!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the process start?

A phone/ zoom conversation or two will help tailor a program to your needs, identify any preliminary project work, and work out logistics.  Preliminary work includes conceptualizing and mapping out drawing components prior to the meeting, research, and reviewing presentations and speech notes as available or pertinent.

You will receive a proposal via email to review. A 50% deposit invoice will be available to secure your meeting date.

Upon your request, we will also send a standard Non-Disclosure Agreement, or, if your legal team prefers- we can review and sign your standard document.

Live Illustration is fun to watch; however, it need not be the center of attention.  So the answer to 'where does a graphic recorder / live illustrator stand?'   Matt has stood on the stage behind speakers, on the side of the room, or far in the back.

If graphic recordings boards are to be moved quickly from a ball/conference room to a common area- it is a good idea to find a location with a quick and easy path between both.

We draw on paper, whiteboards, and foam core material.  We utilize easels and our own set of moveable wall panels.  Preliminary conversations will define which material is best for your event and how we will get it on site.

Matt will load and bring all materials for most events within driving distance of the Big Paper Studio.  When plane travel is required, we may work with your event team to secure a drawing surface.  We utilize art supply stores as well as national supply distributors to secure materials.

Depending on the project and location, we may ask for the provision of easels - which are generally available at hotels, conference centers, and other typical meeting locations.

Lastly, a small table and low chair are requested to set materials on during a live illustration.

 

A vast majority of human beings are visual learners. While PowerPoint presentations are helpful, a unique and eclectic creative experience can engage meeting attendees in new ways.

Hiring a live illustrator or visual practitioner shows investment in your people. Being able to hear "Wow, I didn't think they thought we were worth this much" shows your employees that they are valued.

Having a live illustrator practically guarantees that meeting takeaways will not be forgotten.  Attendees often snap photographs of Big Paper creations.

Bringing in an outsider brings a new perspective to any meeting. Not only do we help ask the stupid questions no one else is seeking, but our loyalty rests solely with the outcome, Asking tough questions and being a No-Person in a series of Yes-men is freeing to all people involved.

Bringing a mind with other-industry knowledge, a wide array of experiences, and both left and right brain thought helps head in new directions and inspire creativity.

Photographs of big paper strategy sheets can be used for internal communications, slide share presentations, reports, sales tools for future event ticket sales, and even leveraged in print on coffee mugs, awards, and more.

Our work is often hung or placed in corporate offices, employee lounges and reflects past events and excitement.  Some clients professionally mount graphic recordings in frames behind glass or clear plexiglass.

Images can be recreated digitally in high precision vector format- making it applicable for mural work and prominent signage.  See examples of our virtual/ digital sketchnotes (popular during the pandemic) to get an idea of our vector art style.

Graphic recording is the act of creating live illustrations that follow the verbal components of a meeting, talk, or conference through summaries in both written word and graphics.

A graphic recorder will use large surfaces ( foam boards, paper, chalkboard, whiteboard), high-quality markers, and other marking tools. Images are either created as a performance in front of a group, in the same room as the event and revealed just afterward, or developed over multiple days and displayed at the conclusion of the event.

Using concepts of visual storytelling, a graphic recorder will translate facts and figures into characters, emotions, metaphors, and dialogues. The resultant imagery creates stories that viewers can involve themselves with, as opposed to forgettable bullet-point lists.

The result is also an understandable large format image or set of images. Because real-time work is time-sensitive, clients should not expect fine art but relatability and understanding of the content.

The three skills involved with graphic recording are listening, synthesizing, and drawing, most often in real-time. Leading businesses and event organizers around the world seek out deeper engagement for their visual learners.