In 2007, designer Mike Rohde was sitting in a dull conference session, drowning in text-heavy slides, when he decided to stop writing words and start drawing pictures of the ideas instead. He called the result “sketchnotes” — a hybrid of visual art and note-taking that captures ideas through sketches, icons, typography, and connectors alongside written words.
What started as a designer’s experiment has become a legitimate, research-supported note-taking strategy embraced by educators, students, and professionals around the world. Sketchnoting is not about being a good artist — it’s about engaging with ideas visually to understand and remember them better.
The “picture superiority effect” is one of the most robust findings in memory research: images are remembered significantly better than words alone. Research by Paivio (dual coding theory) shows that information encoded both visually and verbally occupies two separate memory pathways, making it more retrievable than information encoded in only one format.
Additionally, the act of creating a visual representation of a concept — deciding which image captures its essence, how to show relationships, what the hierarchy looks like spatially — requires deep cognitive processing. You can copy words without processing their meaning; you cannot draw a meaningful visual representation without understanding what you’re representing.
Sketchnoting forces comprehension rather than transcription.
You don’t need artistic skill. Sketchnoting uses a limited visual vocabulary:
Simple shapes: Circles, squares, triangles, and lines can represent virtually anything. A circle with two dots and a line is a face. A box with a slanted roof is a house. Abstract concepts become concrete with even crude visual representations.
Icons: A lightbulb for ideas, a magnifying glass for analysis, arrows for direction or causality, stars for important points, question marks for uncertainty. Develop a personal vocabulary of 15–20 icons and use them consistently.
Typography hierarchy: Use different letter sizes and styles to indicate hierarchy. Big bold text for main ideas, smaller print for supporting details, italics for examples or quotes.
Containers: Boxes, bubbles, and banners organize and separate ideas visually. A key point in a starburst shape draws the eye immediately.
Connectors: Arrows, lines, and dotted paths show relationships between ideas.
Sketchnoting live is more demanding than sketchnoting from a text you can pause. Strategies for success:
Don’t try to capture everything. Unlike Cornell notes or traditional note-taking, sketchnotes are selective by nature. Their value is in capturing the key ideas and relationships, not comprehensive coverage. Let some details go; focus on what’s most important or most interesting.
Develop visual shorthand. For your most common concepts and course-specific terms, pre-develop icons before class. An economics student might have standard icons for supply curves, demand curves, equilibrium, and market failure. Having these ready prevents in-session bottlenecks.
Process, then draw. When an idea is complicated, write the key word first and come back to draw the visual representation when you have a moment. Don’t let drawing delay keep you from capturing core content.
Use the “squiggle bird” principle. A squiggle (curved line) with a circle on top and a triangle beak is a recognizable bird. The brain is remarkably good at pattern recognition and will interpret crude approximations as meaningful representations.
Mind mapping: Mind maps and sketchnotes overlap — both are visual and non-linear. The key difference is that mind maps have a strict radial structure (everything branching from a center), while sketchnotes are more freeform, using visual hierarchy and spatial arrangement rather than explicit branching. Sketchnotes can incorporate mini-mind maps as one element within a larger visual composition.
Cornell notes: Cornell notes use a strict, linear structure optimized for active recall during review. Sketchnotes sacrifice the structured recall mechanism for greater visual expressiveness and memorability during initial encoding. A hybrid approach — using Cornell structure with visual elements in the notes column — captures both benefits.
Linear text notes: Traditional text notes capture more volume but are less memorable and less engaging. Sketchnotes are slower (you’re drawing as well as writing) but tend to produce better understanding and recall of what is captured.