It can be helpful to make a distinction between three typical uses of illustrations or hand drawn images in meetings and workshops. 1. Wall Decorations: seek to evoke emotions or express wishes The brilliant work of @GapingVoid. The mans a genius.
+ Done well, they can inspire an outlook, or attitude and help set a context for a meeting. - They can seem trite or trivial to some people, especially if they are not done well or don’t match the culture of a group.
2. Graphic Recording: record in pictures and words what is heard A graphic recording by @scriberia at the 2013 UK Active conference + Capture key points visually and record what was said in a way that is engaging and memorable for some people.
- They can look messy and unstructured, and often do not offer a hierarchy of importance in the information they provide.
3. Strategic Illustration: seeks to bring to life key points to help explain them
A detail from an strategic illustration created during a ProMeet workshop.
+ Done well they give clear and memorable ways to remember and ‘see’ often complex information.
- They require more thought and time to prepare. The illustrator needs guidance in order to show the key ideas.
They can be animated as ‘cartoons’ too - see “The truth about dishonesty”, from the RSA Animate series, for a great example of this.