Sketchnoting

Abstract

In the last decade, a method of notetaking incorporating hand-drawn visual elements has become an increasingly popular technique for recording information from meetings and presentations at conferences. Why has it become so popular? Proponents and practitioners describe benefits including enhanced information retention and recall as compared with conventional, text-only notes. In a time when laptops appear to be the preferred method of notetaking from the classroom to the boardroom, it is curious that an analog skill like handwritten notetaking incorporating typography and sketches of simple figures would gain such popularity. Moreover, while simple notebooks and pens are all that is needed to create visual notes, tablets with drawing apps are becoming an increasingly popular mode for making visual notes. In this article, I will discuss the elements of sketchnotes, the benefits of sketchnoting as described by its proponents, and how sketchnotes are being used. In addition, I will describe my own personal 30-day experiment begun two years ago in which I made one sketchnote daily - and why I have not stopped this practice.