What are Visual Notes?

What: Visual Notes are strategic hand-drawn illustrations designed to amplify insights from meetings, presentations, and workshops.

Why: Visual Notes are memory retention tools that boost audience engagement.

How: Visual Notes are created live and in-real-time by a trained Graphic Facilitator who uses design-thinking theory and visual storytelling methods to break-down complex themes into digestible key points. Any subject matter can be translated into Visual Notes.

And finally, Visual Notes are awesome! They educate, engage, and fight meeting fatigue. Visual Notes keep audiences focused and make events memorable.

Do you have experience working in my specific industry, sector, or subject-matter?

As a professional Graphic Facilitator, I am trained to listen and translate all ideas. Think of me as your "visual language" translator. Just like a language translator at the United Nations who can rapidly translate key ideas between two different languages, like Finnish and Tagalog, I similarly translate key ideas from "verbal language” into "visual languages” of text, color, and imagery. This unique process utilizes my Graphic Facilitation expertise in design-thinking and visual storytelling.

Over my 10+ years of scribing at events across North America, I’ve created Visual Notes for Fortune 500 companies spanning different industries such as healthcare, hospitality, technology, agriculture, politics, and consumer goods. My client list includes Ogilvy, Slack, IBM, The Community First Foundation, FLYN Consulting, Teen Vogue, Pepsi, and The United Nations among others.

Curious if I can draw subject matter from your unique sector? Schedule a virtual drawing demo with me at hello@bigbrightvisuals.com

What is the value of Virginia’s Visual Notes?

Virginia Montgomery’s Visual Notes bring clarity to meetings and enhance memory retention. Visual Notes break-down themes from complex presentations into digestible graphics. Each single Visual Notes "board" can be quickly read for key insights. Can't remember yesterday's Zoom meeting? Or last year's keynote address? Check the Visual Notes!

Visual Notes also make a big impact. Want your ideas to stand out at your next event? Virginia Montgomery’s Visual Notes are big, bright and colorful. They are drawn large-scale and make content POP at events. Virginia’s Visual Notes boost engagement at public conferences, private co-creation sessions, interactive ad-boards, and virtual sessions.

Visual Notes expand your reach. Want to share your ideas with the world? Visual Notes are perfect for digital sharing to increase community participation.

Do you really draw "on-the-fly" without knowing what people will say? 

Yes! The real skillset behind Visual Note-taking is Graphic Facilitation. As an experienced Graphic Facilitator of 10+ years, I am an expert in design-thinking and visual storytelling methodology. I also draw incredibly fast and I am an excellent multitasker!

As a professional scribe, I can simultaneously listen, think, and draw key insights from presentations. (In fact, I do not technically require any special speaker notes ahead of time to do my job, although I’m always happy to have them.)

To create my live Visual Notes, I expertly listen, think, translate, and draw out ideas that are shared by speakers. My many years of creative training and my well-honed Graphic Facilitation skillset enable me to rapidly process, plan, draw, and create dynamic Visual Notes “on-the-fly” while I am working in front of live audiences. Think of me as a skilled improvisational Jazz musician, except I work “visually” with drawing markers instead of musical instruments.

As a skilled scribe, I keep pace with multiple speakers presenting on a panel talk. I can also keep pace with brainstorming sessions where colleagues share ideas in rapid-fire succession. I move fast! And, all ideas, regardless of subject matter or who says them, can be translated into dynamic Visual Notes.

In my many years of working in live creative meetings, I’ve learned that you never know when, where, or how someone will share a brilliant idea with the group. So, I’m always ready to draw “on-the-fly” and capture everyone’s brilliant ideas in my Visual Notes.

Who invented Visual Note-taking and where can I learn more?

Visual Note-taking, also called Graphic Facilitation, is a specialized creative service that first started at a Silicon Valley consulting agency in the 1970’s. To learn more about the origins of Graphic Facilitation, check out Wikipedia here.

How did you get started?

As a young creative professional, I was trained in-house by a boutique New York City creative agency in the mid-2000’s. The decade (2008-2019) that I spent working inside Manhattan’s fast-paced advertising culture helped me become the pressure-tested scribe that I am today.

As a registered scribe with the International Forum of Visual Practitioners, I have over 10+ years of experience working for clients spanning retail, energy, healthcare, technology, hospitality, and education. I have worked at events big and small; I’ve worked in front of audiences of thousands at public conferences like TED Talks and I have also worked inside intimate brainstorming sessions discussing sensitive subjects between healthcare professionals and patients. Collectively, my well-honed experiences as a live Visual Storyteller enable me to adapt and translate any conversation anywhere to dynamic Visual Notes.

Where are you located? 

I travel across North America to scribe at public and private events in cities such as Miami, Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle. As long as your in-person event is accessible by train, plane, car, or boat, I can be there to draw onsite for you!

For virtual events, I work from home. My home-base is in sunny Austin, Texas.

Do you work virtually or in-person?

Both! For online events, I offer live virtual Visual Note-taking services via iPad or webcam. For in-person meetings, I facilitate Visual Notes onsite with special non-toxic, ink-based markers on large-sized (ie. 40"x60") white foam-core boards. And, I offer hybrid services where I draw onsite with both iPad and foam-core board.

Is everything hand-drawn by a real artist?

Yes! There is no AI or CGI involved in my drawing process. All my illustrations are 100% hand-drawn by me! :)

What are your rates?

My rates follow an adaptive model that takes into account event type, event location, and non-profit status. Email me at hello@bigbrightvisuals.com and let’s chat!