The Sketch Effect

09/02/2026

Quick question: when your team brainstorms, do ideas actually go somewhere?

If things feel a little scattered, this is worth revisiting. Our blog on mind mapping breaks down how to organize thinking visually so teams can align faster and make decisions with clarity.

It’s especially helpful for workshops, planning sessions, and those “we have a lot of ideas… now what?” moments.

Still one of our favorite tools for bringing structure to creativity.

Read it here:

Discover how mind mapping helps teams organize ideas, improve visual thinking, and bring structure to strategy, planning, and collaboration.

09/01/2026

In Graphic Recording, timing is everything!

If you’re new to graphic recording, you might have found your boards get crowded near the end of the session.

That’s why time management is so important!

Before the session begins, divide your board into 4 quadrants.
Each quadrant represents 1/4 of the total session.
Set your timer for the time of each quadrant.

This small tip will help you pace out your content and make for a cleaner, more concise board!

Remember: Great graphic recording isn’t just about drawing—it’s about listening, thinking, and creating at the perfect pace!

08/31/2026

Every strategist has a different move. Some prefer the straight path. Some take it one step at a time. Some love a move nobody sees coming.

The best teams don't just tolerate that mix, they need it.

That's the real challenge in strategic planning sessions: getting every kind of thinker in the room to see the same board.

Graphic Recording does exactly that. As the conversation unfolds, we capture it visually in real time — turning scattered ideas, competing approaches, and half-finished thoughts into one shared picture everyone can actually see and align around.

Different strategies, same board. That's what great facilitation, and great visuals, make possible.

08/28/2026

The energy in Atlanta over the past few months has been electric! ⚡️

Our team was thrilled to partner with Georgia Power for an incredible event celebrating the excitement around the 30 year anniversary of the ATL Olympics and FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta. From capturing engaging sessions to bringing interactive questions and ideas to life, it was such a fun event to be part of!

We love creating that extra wow factor that makes an event memorable. 🎨✨

Thanks, Georgia Power , for trusting our team to help bring your event to life!

08/27/2026

Did you guess it?

AI is the topic that just won't quit — and honestly, we don't blame anyone for talking about it nonstop. It's changing a lot of how teams work.

What hasn't changed: the value of a real person listening, synthesizing, and turning your conversation into something visual in the room, live.

Some things AI can support. Some things still take a human with a marker.

08/25/2026

Straight from our CEO, William Warren — a favorite exercise he uses to show why visual thinking changes everything. 👇

If I said "draw an apple," what would you draw?

This is one of my favorite warm-up exercises in my visual thinking workshops.

Why?

Well, if I said "draw an apple," you would obviously draw an…apple.

Right?

But would you draw the… fruit? 🍎

Or perhaps the computer logo? 🍏

Or maybe the actual computer? 💻 A smartphone? A watch?

I've seen participants draw all of these, and it proves a powerful point:

When we use words, we assume others understand what we mean.

But that's rarely the whole story.

"Apple" is a simple term…yet it can be interpreted in many different ways.

Now imagine how more complex ideas could be misinterpreted.

Verbal communication is full of landmines of misunderstanding.

Visuals help us clear those landmines and establish a shared baseline of meaning... absolutely critical for any team that wants to align and collaborate effectively.

The next time your team is talking past each other, stop talking. Start drawing.

A simple sketch can do what a hundred words can't: get everyone on the same page, instantly.

08/20/2026

Ever wonder what it looks like when a conversation turns into art?
This is our graphic recorder's time-lapse from a session on the business of being a veterinary technician.
Watch as ideas take shape, connections emerge, and understanding grows into one complete visual story.

Watching it come together is honestly the best part of our job. 🤩

08/17/2026

Monday meetings hit different when you're not even sure why you're there. 😅

Here's to a week of fewer unnecessary meetings and more actual progress.

Who's with us?

08/14/2026

There’s something to be said about seeing a talented artist create something right on front of you.

That’s what we have over these AI models: We’re real flesh and blood humans.

And that has our clients and their audiences turning heads.

Don’t believe us? Bring us to your next live event and watch how we draw the attention of all your attendees.

08/12/2026

Every meeting seems to have one of these…

The Facilitator keeps things moving.
The Idea Machine has three new ideas before the first one is finished.
The Devil's Advocate asks the question nobody else wants to ask.
The Note Taker captures every detail.
The Silent Observer doesn't say much—but when they do, everyone listens.

Which one are you? And which one did we miss?