World Sketchnote Day Date in the current year: January 11, 2024

Sketchnotes are rich visual notes that combine handwriting, drawings, hand-drawn typography, shapes, and other visual elements. The creative and graphic process of creating sketchnotes is called sketchnoting or visual note-taking.

The use of various visual elements in note-taking has been common for a long time, but the term “sketchnoting” is relatively new. It was coined in 2006 by author and designer Michael Rohde. Rohde found traditional note-taking that leans heavily on text stressful because it didn’t allow him to capture every detail, so he decided to make his notes more memorable by combining traditional note-taking with doodling.

Rohde named his new method sketchnoting because it combines words and sketches to capture ideas and make them more memorable. After perfecting sketchnoting for several years, Rohde wrote and published The Sketchnote Handbook in 2012 to introduce others to sketchnoting and encourage them to give it a try. It was followed by The Sketchnote Workbook in 2014.

Sketchnoters use a variety of basic elements to make their notes visually appealing and memorable: text, emphasis text (for example, bold or capitalized), basic shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles, etc.), containers (banners, boxes, thought and speech bubbles), connectors (arrows, dotted lines), icons and symbols, sketches and illustrations, shading, and colors.

The process of sketchnoting consists of five main steps:

• Planning (what elements to use, note-taking materials, etc.).
• Listening to the speaker.
• Processing the content and deciding what should be written down.
• Writing the key ideas and relevant parts down. Your handwriting should be fast but legible.
• Visualizing. Adding drawings and other visual elements to supplement the written content.

Sketchnotes can prove helpful in a variety of settings, including work meetings, conferences, classes in school or college, etc. Many teachers and educators have adopted sketchnoting because it helps retain information and maintain attention, encourages critical thinking, and provides a creative outlet. Sketchnoting might not be for everyone because different people process information in different ways, but visual learners should definitely give it a try.

World Sketchnote Day was created in 2016 by Mike Rohde and Mauro Tosellio of Sketchnote Army, a project dedicated to connecting sketchnoters from around the world and showcasing their work. The idea behind the holiday is to raise awareness of sketchnoting and encourage people to give it a try.

You can join the celebration of World Sketchnote Day by learning more about sketchnoting if you’re new to it, sharing your experiences with sketchnoting and showcasing your work, splurging on new stationery, teaching someone your favorite sketchnoting techniques, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtags #WorldSketchnoteDay and #SNDay.