What are Visual Notes?

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

How: Visual Notes are created live and in-real-time by a trained Graphic Facilitator, like Virginia Montgomery, who uses design-thinking and visual storytelling methods to break-down complex themes into digestible key points.

Why: Visual Notes are memory retention tools that boost audience engagement and serve as fantastic, educational takeaways.

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

Very likely, yes! With 15+ years of experience working across North America, I’ve created Visual Notes for hundreds of clients from Non-profits and Fortune 500 companies. My clients span different industries such as healthcare, hospitality, technology, energy, agriculture, public policy, education, and consumer goods. My client list includes Ogilvy, Design Gym, PwC, Slack, Salesforce, IBM, AutoNation, Teen Vogue, Kenneth Cole, Pepsi, Chobani, SXSWi, TEDx, and The United Nations, among others.

Curious if I can draw subject matter from your unique sector? Let’s chat! hello@bigbrightvisuals.com

What is the value of Visual Notes?

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? Visual Notes are big, bright and colorful. They are drawn large-scale and make content POP at events. 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 online community participation.

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

Yes! The real skillset behind Visual Note-taking is deep listening. As an experienced Graphic Facilitator of 15+ years, I can simultaneously listen, think, and draw at the same time. My well-honed Graphic Facilitation skillset enables me to rapidly process, draw, and create dynamic Visual Notes “on-the-fly.” Think of me as a skilled improvisational Jazz musician, except I work “visually” with inkmarkers instead of musical instruments.

As a skilled scribe, I keep pace with multiple speakers presenting on a panel talk. I 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” to ensure every brilliant idea gets drawn out.

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 (2008-2018) that I spent working inside Manhattan’s fast-paced advertising culture helped me become the pressure-tested professional that I am today.

I have over 15+ years of experience working around the USA for clients spanning sectors such as 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.

Today, my well-honed experiences enable me to translate any conversation into dynamic Visual Notes.

Where are you located? 

Big Bright Visuals is located in Austin, TX and I also work across the USA. I am happy to travel to your event wherever it is: California, Colorado, New York, Georgia, Florida, and beyond. As long as your event location is accessible by airplane, car, train, or boat, I can be there to draw for you.

Do you work in-person and virtually?

Yes! I provide note-taking services for both in-person and virtual meetings. For in-person meetings, I draw with special ink markers on large (40" x 60") foamcore boards. For virtual events, I draw on my iPad with an illustration application called ProCreate.

Is everything hand-drawn by a real artist?

Yes! There is no AI involved in my visual note-taking process. All of my illustrations are original drawings that are created free-hand by me, Virginia Montgomery.

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 for a custom qu