Myth Bust: You’re Not Actually Booking “An Illustration”

There’s a common misconception about live illustration and graphic recording that I think is worth clearing up. When you hire someone like me for your event, you’re not really booking an illustration.

I know. Confusing. Especially as I am, technically, an event illustrator. But the drawing itself is only the visible part of the job. What you’re actually booking is for someone to sit inside your fast-moving, dynamic, very human conversations and make sense of them in real time. And honestly? That’s a very different skill.

Live Illustration Is Really About Listening

When I’m working at a conference, strategy day, training session, or workshop, I’m not just doodling while people talk. I’m listening deeply. I’m making decisions constantly about:

• what actually matters

• which ideas connect

• what themes are emerging

• where tension or nuance is showing up

• and what people are really trying to say underneath the corporate phrasing

All while the conversation is still unfolding. Then I’m translating all of that into something clear enough that other people can follow it too. The illustration is simply the final, visible outcome of that thinking process. Think of me like a very enthusiastic human sieve or funnel. (A sentence I never expected to write, but here we are.)

Why Good Graphic Recording Looks “Simple”

I think this is one of the reasons live illustration gets underestimated. Once it’s finished, people look at the final visual and think: “Oh, that’s nice and clear.”

Exactly. That is the point. But clarity like that is never accidental. Behind every visual summary is a huge amount of: preparation, pattern-spotting, synthesis, prioritisation and decision-making happening in real time. The goal is to make complexity feel easy to follow. And ironically, when something is communicated really well, people often don’t see how much thinking went into making it feel simple.

The Kinds of Events Where Live Illustration Really Helps

This is why live illustration works especially well for conferences, strategy sessions, leadership events, and training days. These are usually conversations where lots of people are contributing, ideas are still forming, discussions move quickly and there’s a real risk of information overload. The problem is rarely that nothing gets said. It’s usually that too much gets said… and very little sticks afterwards. Live graphic recording helps people follow the thread through the noise. It creates a shared visual story that makes conversations easier to understand, remember, and actually use once the event is over.

What Happens After the Event Matters Too

Recently, I worked with Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, and afterwards they shared something lovely about how they were planning to use their illustrated summary.

In their words, it would:

“prompt meaningful conversations within teams, link lived experience with staff survey data, and inform ongoing leadership and executive development.”

And honestly? That’s the bit I care about most. Not just capturing the day itself, but making the thinking easier to revisit afterwards. Because a good visual summary shouldn’t just sit in a folder somewhere looking pretty. It should continue helping people: reflect, communicate, align and make decisions long after the event ends.

Why More Organisations Are Investing in Live Illustration

As conferences and strategy events become increasingly content-heavy, more organisations are realising that simply delivering information isn’t enough. People need help: processing it, connecting ideas and remembering what actually matters. That’s where live illustration and graphic recording become genuinely valuable. Not as decoration. As sensemaking.

Planning an Event?

I’m currently fully booked for May (which still feels slightly surreal), but I’d love to hear from you if you’ve got something coming up in June or July.

If you’re planning:

• a conference

• a leadership session

• a strategy day

• or a training event

…and want someone doing that thinking alongside you in real time, get in touch.

📩 I’d love to hear what you’re planning.