Visual notetaking may bring to mind adding doodles in the margins, but it is much more than that. Visual notes help people to clearly understand what has been written down. People worldwide understand pictures, so visual notetaking clarifies what may be a big block of text that people don't want to sit there and read all the way through.

The Art of Visual Notetaking is thorough and informative. Emily Mills starts with the basics of what visual notetaking is and why it's something to utilize, and takes you through the whole process from preparing for the notes to sharing the finished result. She includes different techniques and the tools that she likes, as well as why she prefers them.

I admit, I first thought that the book was going to be about adding pictures throughout the text, but I can see how wrong I was and why I need to start practicing. Though I intend to use visual notetaking for private notes first, I think that I can use what I've read in my graphic design. I believe that it will help me do better with both keeping notes on what clients want and making sure we're on the same page with projects. With enough practice, I might branch out further.

Whether I start making my visual notes public or not, this is definitely something I want to start using.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Very cool guide to getting started with visual notetaking. I have VERY little artistic skill or inclination, but it still was interesting for me to learn new notetaking techniques.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title. I also ran this by my 18 year old daughter, who is dyslexic and soon to enter college. We both loved this book. Everyone has a different learning style, and this connects the dots for those who might that typical note taking doesn't help them retain the information. This gets a thumbs up from both of us.

The Art of Visual Notetaking was a great exercise in my drawing skills. I enjoyed learning different way to do things. Since things in visual notetaking are suppose to be recognizable, not realistic, that spoke more to my art style. This is away to help myself engage when going to speeches (i have to do something with my hands). While the author gives you notes on how to share out work, it didn't really go into get jobs as a visual notetaker. Heck, i didn't know this existed but, for someone like me, I loved to have notes like this!

I love this book! I have always drawn notes when I'm at church, or at a conference, but I have never really learned more tools on how to take it to the next level. Emily teaches you everything you need to know to get started on your journey of sketch notetaking! She goes step by step helping you get a good grasp of how to create your own style. I really love the idea of the headers. I never thought to go that detailed and actually draw the speaker. Super cool.

It is a good reference if you are interested in Visual Notetaking. I think it would take a while to become used to it if you weren't really creative though. Good for those who like to Bullet Journal.

Most people take notes at some point. Whether they are students in a school lecture, business people at conventions, worshippers at church, it’s something they do to retain information. Most are dense words on paper, taken frantically, forgotten quickly. So, how do we take notes that stick? Emily Mills gives us an answer — take visual notes.

I was fascinated and intrigued by the title and the concept, despite not being an artist or even very artistic. Mills defines visual notes as “an artistic and creative expression of information”. That would seem to rule out those like me who are inartistic, yet she spends a significant part of the book showing us how to draw. She focuses on people, demonstrating how to draw heads, faces, hands, bodies, etc. She shows us her work in these areas and supports her argument that anyone can do this. The product does not have to be perfect. She gives plenty of exercises and leaves space in the book for them, although I suspect most readers would prefer to practice in their own blank journals.

Probably the most important point Mills makes is this: "If there’s one thing to remember about keeping your visual notes looking good, it’s this: keep it simple. Go for memorable over masterpiece. Don’t get carried away trying to create a work of art when the whole point is to make the information stand out.”

I liked seeing her finished notes. As a professional notetaker we would expect her notes to be good, and they are. But she shows how they looked before refinement and afterwards, and the simple touch of adding color, for example, clearly makes the critical points jump off the page.

If you are an artist, a budding artist, someone who wants to make your notes more memorable, or just someone who likes to experiment with your note taking, this book is for you. It is a very quick read but the information and drawing examples are worth the price of the book. I recommend this book. I will certainly give this a try in my own notetaking!

My thanks to the publisher Walter Foster Publishing and to NetGalley for giving me a pre-publication copy in exchange for my honest review.


Read more: http://mosaicmovieconnectgroup.blogspot.com/#ixzz5hn9HtD6w

This is an excellent resource for learning to communicate information using pictures. Although the book limits its examples to conferences and the workplace the uses are much more widespread. Dyslexic children in particular benefit from methods such as this in their learning, and this book could easily be adapted as an invaluable resource for use in schools. I loved the idea of a visual picture library, and maybe a set of generic stencils would also be useful for those less confident in their drawing abilities. It is a method that needs to be practised though, and ability and speed will improve with time. It is closely related to the old established Mind Maps process, which I have used as a visual planning tool for many years. The best thing about this book though is that it helps you to develop your drawing skills. Thank You

The Art of Visual Note Taking by Emily Mills is a wonderful beginner’s guide to sketch-noting. Emily Mills gives step by step instructions and tips. She does a great job of explaining why the steps and the method for each step are important. At the end of the sections are informational boxes with additional tips. There are even exercises to practice the new skills and tips. She even covers in great detail the supplies and tools needed for you to succeed. I highly recommend this book!!!

This book was awesome!

It was super easy to read and I was going to just flip through it first and then come back and read it... but I got so sucked in and the format, tips, writing, and illustrations were all so appealing and useful that I got totally sucked in.

I looked up and realized I had consumed the whole book and felt very inspired to give this little inkling of a passion a try.. I want to buy this book when it actually comes out because I want my own copy to refer to!

Thank so much to the publishers, Netgalley, and the author for access to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to use it a ton and refer others to it.

The Art of Visual Notetaking by Emily Mills is a clear, instructive, inspiring beginner’s guide to sketchnoting. It’s a lot of fun. Read with a pen and paper handy.

Mills’s book walks beginners from the definition of sketchnoting to guidance on writing surfaces, pens, how to listen, lettering styles, page composition, basic drawing, and information organisation - as well as insights into the world of professional sketchnoting.

It’s a thoroughly engaging book with sketch prompts, exercises, and illustrative anecdotes. I found the difference between head-to-heart listening and head-to-hand listening illuminating.

The Art of Visual Notetaking is succinct and persuasive. Recommended for those who present or synthesise information of any kind; for students and teachers; diarists and bloggers.

For those looking to improve information delivery by supplementing text with contextually appropriate sketches, this is the book for you. It also goes over the basics of the color wheel, foundation shapes for sketches, lettering, and layout choices.

This book is fantastic!

I am always fascinated by the videos and pictures of people taking visual notes as they listen to a lecture. I wish I were that talented and able to not only listen to, process but distill and visualize information so quickly and well.

This book breaks down the process for you step by step and highlights all the important factors in creating a visual representation. Emily makes sure to mention all the "basics" that are really the crucial aspects of where to sit, how to listen, how to prioritize and how to plan.

Then she talks about handwriting which she breaks down to simple steps and shows you exactly what you need to practice to get to a place that you like for yourself.

And then comes the part that I consider the hardest: the visuals. Here, too, Emily is fantastic at breaking it down and introducing a concept I'd never heard before called leveling it up where you start with the basics and keep adding to them in little bits to make it better and better.

Emily also talks about adding color, creating a visual library, headers, containers, correcting mistakes, using metaphors and other parts of your visual notetaking journey. Like with all the other chapters, she builds it up in a very consumable, practical way that makes it look achievable.

Like everything else, the only way to really get good at this is by lots and lots of practice which she makes a point of mentioning and giving lots of examples of her progression so you know what pace to expect and she also has exercises at the end of each chapter so you can practice what you just learned.

I know she makes it look much easier than it is and it will take a lot lot lot of practice but this book is inspiring and informative and encouraging in all the right ways. If you're even remotely interested in this area I cannot recommend it enough.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Visual notetaking is a skill I have coveted for some time, after watching a couple friends do it superbly. I thought this would be an excellent way to learn more about the process and begin to cultivate the skill myself. I was right!

Mills offers a step-by-step introduction to visual notetaking, covering all the whys, hows, whens and whats. This is definitely a book for beginners who need to learn about tools as well as techniques. She is meticulous in detail, which is wonderful for beginners but a little pendantic for anyone who has even a little bit of experience with drawing and sketching. However, even though Mills exhorts the reader to read each chapter in order, it’s easy enough to skip the stuff you don’t need. The gold here is the advice and instruction Mills gives on *how* to take notes, especially the emphasis on listening and practicing.

This will be popular with people exploring lettering and bullet journaling, but also with people looking for a new way to record and absorb information.

Does anyone have an idea of why I started to research visual notetaking when I'm just finishing my studies?

There is not much to say about this book other than it should be mandatory reading for every teacher/professor and student. It would make studying so much easier for everyone.

As an university student, I have to follow a lot of lectures, so I take a lot of notes. I'm always on the lookout for useful tips on note-taking and processing my notes. So when I saw this book, I knew I had to check it out.

It's a very helpful and insightful book. There's tips about note-taking, but also about listening to speakers in general. There's also some hand-lettering guidance. A lot of exercises are in this book to help you make the best notes. Also, all the information is summarized after every chapter.

A must-read for students and working people!

When I first came across The Art of Visual Notetaking, I thought it was something that might appeal to me. The book is nicely laid out, with plenty of excellent information and some good examples. It did concentrate on visual notetaking at events and conferences, and I might have liked to have seen a few more examples from the more personal side of things, but that is a minor complaint, as the book was, on the whole, an interesting and informative read. I liked the fact that there were spaces available in which you could practice different ideas, and everything was clear and easy to follow. I would definitely like to give visual notetaking a try after reading this text. 4.5 stars

To say that I loved this book would be a complete understatement. It would be more accurate to say that it was rather brilliant! I spend what feels like half my working life notetaking for my Deaf students in my role as a Communication Support Worker and creating visuals for my students in my role as tutor of adults with special education needs. This alternative way to record notes using a visual perspective is just perfect for what I do. However, the target audience for this book is anyone, in whatever setting they happen to be in, who prefers to take their notes visually or who tend to use a visual thought-process to retain information.

They say that a picture can tell a thousand words. Well it most certainly can if you follow this practical guide to the art of visual notetaking.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.