Sketchnote Lab Dispatch: January 2025
5 cool things: January's Sketchnote Lab Live Session, Sketchnote Army Podcast Season 16, an in-person workshop in South-Western Wisconsin, and a list of the month’s posts.
Hello, Lab Members!
Welcome to the new year. This is the first issue of the Sketchnote Lab Dispatch, my monthly newsletter, formerly known as the Rohdesign Dispatch. With my move to Substack to build Sketchnote Lab it made sense to reboot the newsletter.
What’s in this issue?
Five cool things to share with you.
Sketchnote Lab Live Workshop on January 25, 2025!
Sketchnote Army Podcast season 16 is a wrap! Listen in.
A new in-person Sketchnote Workshop for educators in South-Western Wisconsin on March 12, 2025.
The past month’s posts on Sketchnote Lab in case you missed one.
Custom Sketchnote Workshops. I can teach your team sketchnoting while adapting sketchnoting exercises to your specific needs.
5 Cool Things
❥ 1. World Sketchnote Day, January 11, 2025
Saturday, January 11th is World Sketchnote Day! Celebrate sketchnoting by creating a sketchnote and sharing it online.
❥ 2. The Benefits of Taking Notes in a Sketchbook
shares how he integrates note-taking with sketching to build his artistic growth. He encourages embracing imperfections, focusing on continuous improvement, and developing a personal style.
❥ 3. Want to Give a Great Presentation? Use Ugly Sketches
Martin J. Eppler offers three tips in this TED talk on using visualizations at work, with simple tricks to boost your creativity and communication, leading to better collaboration among customers and colleagues.
❥ 4. MOFT Snap Flow MagSafe Notebook and Pen
I backed a MOFT Kickstarter campaign to create Snap Flow, a $39 MagSafe pocket notebook with a folding pen. It’s small and rugged, which suits me because I destroy pocket notebooks. It attaches magnetically to your phone and doubles as a stand!
❥ 5. International Sketchnote Camp: Birmingham, England July 4-6, 2025
Paddy and Grant of The Visual Jam are bringing the 2025 ISC event to Birmingham, UK! Join a vibrant, creative community in a city that blends rich history with a thriving modern vibe. Tickets are £300 for the entire weekend event.
By the way, I’m keynoting the event and am excited to return to Europe in 2025. Did I mention this is the eighth community-organized ISC camp since 2017? Join us!
Sketchnote Lab Live Workshop for January: What Makes This Sketchnote Tick, Live Edition.
On Saturday, January 25th, I'll host a live edition of What Makes This Sketchnote Tick with two sketchnotes deconstructed live, Q&A.
Tickets are $10 including a recorded replay, or become a Paid Sketchnote Lab Member for full access to this event and recorded replay.
Sketchnote Army Podcast Season 16 is complete!
Sketchnote Army Podcast Season 16 has wrapped up, featuring interviews with Emily Mills, Joran Oppelt, Kelvy Bird, Javier Navarro, Blanche Ellis, Peter Durand, James Durno, Diana Ayoub, and Justin Hamacher
Here’s a link to hear those interviews from Season 16. Check out the popular All The Tips episode where we’ve extracted the tips from each guest in one inspirational episode to start your new year out right.
Join me for an in-person Sketchnote Workshop for educators in Wisconsin, on March 12, 2025
Sign up for this one-day, in-person sketchnote workshop for educators in beautiful Fennimore, Wisconsin.
The Sketchnote Workshop is designed to develop and strengthen your visual thinking abilities. It will help you understand sketchnoting and strategies for teaching it to students. You will also explore ways to integrate sketchnoting into your class curriculum.
“I’ve been pondering how to use sketchnotes in my classes. I now have a plan to introduce the concept to my classes and a way to utilize it to add to my students’ understanding.” — Sketchnote Workshop Student
Boost Engagement: Sketchnoting combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning, increasing student engagement and motivation to learn.
Improve Memory: Visual notes help organize and retain information more effectively, supporting better comprehension and recall.
Create Inclusive Classrooms: Sketchnoting offers alternative ways for students to demonstrate learning, making lessons more accessible.
Enable Differentiation: Teachers can use sketchnoting to personalize learning, offering various ways for students to interact with content.
Foster Creativity and Critical Thinking: Sketchnoting encourages creativity and helps students express complex ideas through simple visuals.
This month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts
Here’s what’s been happening at Sketchnote Lab since last month:
I’m excited to share more posts and live sessions in January. Become a Paid Lab Member to support my work and get access to Live Labs and recorded replays.
Custom Sketchnote Workshops
I love teaching teams like yours how to think visually and sketch simply with Custom Sketchnote Workshops.
I've presented workshops at schools: Drexel University, Marquette University, and The University of Michigan; Anne Arundel, New York City, and Fresno school districts.
I’ve also presented workshops for teams at SmugMug/Flickr, Hubspot, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, Dentsu Creative, and Sibley Memorial Hospital.
I’d love to teach your team too. Let’s talk!
Thanks again for the chance to share something fun in your inbox!
— Mike
Sketchnote Lab is Mike Rohde’s space designed to bridge the gap between sketchnote theory and practice. The goal is to guide you in integrating sketchnoting into your everyday life. Learn more about Sketchnote Lab.
Mike is the author of The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook, bestselling books that teach regular people how to start and keep sketchnoting.
He is the founder of the Sketchnote Army and host of the Sketchnote Army Podcast, where he interviews visual thinkers to understand what makes them tick.
Mike offers recorded, live, and in-person workshops to help accelerate your sketchnoting practice and coaching for personalized, 1:1 sketchnoting guidance.
Become a paid Lab Member to support Mike’s work.