Your guide to sketchnotes

1. Hook your audience’s attention with sketchnotes

You feast with your eyes first. Sketchnotes are a powerful way to stand out and make your information memorable. Getting people to engage with your content is a challenge. You can use sketchnotes to turn long/complex ideas into a single visual to quickly explain, educate your audience, and build excitement around your brand & information.

Types of sketchnotes

Informative sketchnotes

For awareness and brand building. Informative sketchnotes showcase information that you want to share with your audience. Think of it like a poster or a social media post. For example, you may want to announce that registration is now live for the event you’re running. This sketchnote would include key elements like the event name, date, venue, entry fee, where to buy tickets, etc. Another example use for an informative sketchnote is to showcase your business. You could include your purpose, mission, vision, and values, as well as your flagship products/services, company history, location, who you serve, and most importantly, how your audience can contact you. This sketchnote could sit proudly on your website, feature in marketing materials, and act as a business card. Informative sketchnotes are a great way to shout about your offerings effectively with real audience engagement… without that slimey feeling.

Educational sketchnotes

To communicate ideas simply. Educational sketchnotes introduce your audience to something new in a way that’s quick and easy to understand. You might be running a conference and need to explain how you want your visitors to navigate the event. You can break this down into an easy-to-follow sketchnote. You could educate your audience with historical key facts that are relevant to your business, separate myths from facts, share highlights of using your products/services, or re-energise your teaching materials and course content with module summaries. Educational sketchnotes are helpful for memory aids and making information easier to digest, especially for visual learners.

Entertaining sketchnotes

To engage your audience. Sketchnotes can be used to entertain your audience through storytelling and visual metaphors. For example, you could sketchnote a familiar challenge that your customers face and throw in a dollop of humour. Or narrate your day, tell a story, or share a recipe/activity for your audience to enjoy. By presenting your content in a creative, and sometimes unexpected way, you will hook your audience’s attention, hold onto it, and be remembered long after.

2. How to create your own sketchnotes

You can sketchnote anything. If your content is quite simple and there isn’t much information to condense, your can let your imagery carry the page. And if you’re nervous about starting, look at other sketchnotes, play around and find your own style, and use drawing materials that you feel comfortable with. Even a simple black biro can create works of art.

The 5Ws for creating your own sketchnotes

Everyone will have their process for creating sketchnotes. Personally, I prefer to make a rough plan, then polish the content into a complete sketchnote. You might prefer to wing it and stick with your first draft. I use the 5Ws method for pulling together my sketchnotes - Why? (purpose), Words, Works of art, Wrangle your ideas, and Whittle down (simplify).

STEP 1: Why? (purpose)

Thinking about why you’re creating the sketchnote will help you make decisions more easily. Are you trying to get across your ideas? Promote something? In other words, what do you want your audience to take away? This will help to answer questions like, what information do I need to gather? What information needs to stand out? Before you start, it’s also helpful to think about where you’re going to use your sketchnote so you can set up your blank page with the appropriate dimensions. If you’re unsure or want to use you sketchnotes in a range of places, a square format can adapt well for most dimensions.

STEP 2: Words

I think in text first, then images second. Start putting down the key ideas first that you want to get across through the sketchnote, then flesh them out later if space allows.

STEP 3: Works of art

Illustrate the words you’ve written down. This can reinforce the meaning behind the words, as well as fill up the page aesthetically. This will make your audience happy - who doesn’t love looking at a human made illustration? A word of warning, AI images antagonise a lot of people. If you’re creating your sketchnote and you don’t think you’re ‘good at art’, a wonky stickman is better than anything stitched together by a computer based on real people’s artwork.

STEP 4: Wrangle your ideas

This is the layout and overall impression left by your sketchnote. Think about the finishing touches, like colour, white space, uniformity, spelling, etc. When working with clients, I use their brand colours (usually a primary and secondary colour), their logo, my signature (‘sketchnoted by Sam Warburton’), and my handwriting font consistently.

STEP 5: Whittle down

Make the sketchnote as simple as you can without losing meaning. Can someone with fresh eyes understand your sketchnote without any context?

Wrangling and whittling are the trickiest parts to master, but elevate you sketchnotes. Good luck! The beauty of sketchnotes is you can redraft and keep polishing to improve your skills, but don’t worry about perfection. The best pieces of artwork have wonky bits.

3. How to work with me to create your sketchnotes

If you’d like to work with me to create your sketchnote(s), I’d love to hear about your project. I’ve outline my process below with some helpful tips.

STEP 1: Book an initial chat

Book in a 15 mins initial chat to discuss your sketchnote(s). Let me know your availability by sending a few dates and times to my email address, hello@SamWarburton.com.

STEP 2: Initial chat

We’ll have a video call to discuss your project and I’ll gather all the information I need to complete your sketchnote, including:

• Purpose of the sketchnote. E.g. business summary, event promotion, etc.

• Sketchnote dimensions

• Your brand colours, logo, call to action, and any other assets you’d like to include

• Timeframes, pricing, and T&Cs.

STEP 3: Agreement and first draft

Following our initial chat, I’ll email an agreement for you to sign to say you’re happy to go ahead with the sketchnote as planned. Then I’ll create and send you the first draft as a high res JPEG in an email.

STEP 4: Feedback, sign off and amendments

My preferred method of receiving changes is one list written in an email. If you prefer another method of feedback, let me know during the initial chat. I’m happy to do three drafts as a maximum included in the original price, but then need to charge a £25 amendment fee for any subsequent draft. All feedback with edits must be made within a month of receiving the first draft please. If you need any updates to your sketchnote in the future, get back in touch - I can make any reasonable edits for the £25 amendment fee.

STEP 5: Share with the world

When I send your first draft, I’ll also attach my invoice and ask for a testimonial. I’ll use this to promote our collaboration on my website and social media. I’ll also reshare when you release your sketchnote into the wild. You can tag me on LinkedIn (@Sam Warburton) and Instagram (@SamWarburton_Illustrator).

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.