Have you ever taken your notes with arrows, attention calls or colors? Maybe, you were unawared of the fact that you were sketchnoting. We understand by ‘sketchnoting’ the resulting mix of handwriting with other types of expression, such as drawings, handmade typographies, boxes, arrows, lines, etc.

A creative tool

Nowadays, to make the understanding of the message easier, it is quite common the collaboration of sketchnoters (usually illustrators) who make live sketches during events or speeches. We can also find videos using this technique, for example, the "Draw my life" challenge, where many youtubers related their lives by drawing. In the educational field, visual notes allow the students to a better understanding of the concepts. It is also helpful to identify the most relevant information and to relate it to other ideas. Both sides of the brain are stimulated at once and, as our brain is fundamentally visual, we assimilate faster the information.  

The benefits

Although drawing is a universal language, truth is that it works different from one person to another. Some people are fond of visual information, others prefer more text. By taking handwritten notes, motor, visual and cognitive skills are stimulated, so it helps to retain knowledge. In addition, drawing facilitates mnemonics by connecting images with data.

Sketchnoting and doodling

Using images in handwritten notes contributes to understand key elements and connect ideas. This enables to synthesize and condense information. Its use is also interesting to solve learning problems in people suffering from dyslexia. Moreover, another variety of sketchnoting is doodling. When we doodle, we usually turn down to certain images (spirals, circles, figures ...) that help us to focus.