What is a visual storyteller?

Someone who listens deeply and draws what they hear - turning complex ideas, discussions and decisions into something a room can see and point to. When we can see things clearly, we feel calm, confident and capable of taking more positive action. That's what I'm here for. I work live at events and strategically with organisations who want to turn their story into a visual language. You might also hear the term graphic recorder or scribe, but the work goes well beyond note-taking.

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What is the work, really?

Making Ideas Visible. Drawing live while rooms think out loud, taking the swirl of ideas in a space, the threads, the tensions, the things people are trying to name, and giving it a shape everyone can point to. I'm not bringing a story into the room. I'm making the room's own story visible to itself. A mirror, not a megaphone. Sometimes that lands as a single visual on the day. Sometimes the visual from the day becomes the seed of a whole visual language: icons, toolkits, animated explainers, a creative ecosystem an organisation keeps building on. The live events are the front door. The strategic work is the house.

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When do I need one? 

When the thinking in the room matters and you want it to land, stick and travel. Strategy days, research forums, leadership offsites, workshops, community gatherings - anywhere ideas need to become shared understanding rather than just shared airtime.

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Live visual storytelling at EVENTS

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How does it work on the day?

I arrive early, set up my iPad and project live to a screen so the room can watch the story emerge in real time. I'm not transcribing everything - I'm listening for the moments that shift energy and capturing those. At the end of the day you receive a high-res digital file and a timelapse of the whole thing coming to life.

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Is it distracting to have someone drawing while people are presenting?

The opposite tends to happen. When people see their ideas appearing on screen in real time, it sharpens the conversation. It gives the room something to look at together, which tends to increase focus rather than distract from it.

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What is The Story Close?

It's an add-on I offer at the end of a full day booking. Instead of just handing over the visual, I stand up and walk the room through it - replaying the day, connecting the threads, and telling it back as a story. It tends to be the 10 minutes that lands most deeply. Ask me about it when we chat.

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Can it work virtually?

Yes. I run a 15-minute tech check before the event and advise on the best setup for your platform.

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Turning the visual into something BIGGER

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What happens after the event? 

The visual doesn't have to stop when the day ends. The file is yours to use however you like: in reports, on socials, in your internal comms. But for some organisations, the visual from the day becomes the first page of something bigger. The shapes, symbols and language that emerged in the room become the seed of a visual language they carry forward. That's where the deeper work begins, and it's the part of the work I love most.

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What's a visual language?

A shared visual system that lets an organisation tell its story consistently across everything it does. It usually starts as a single visual, often from a live event, and grows from there: icon sets, toolkits, animated explainers, report design, ongoing creative work. Interestingly, the language often falls out of the visual, the metaphors, phrases and names an organisation starts using begin to emerge from the shapes themselves. I develop these with organisations who want their ideas to travel beyond the room and land with more people, more often. This is the work I love most.

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What's the process for a strategic visual?

We start with a discovery session to understand your goals, then move through research, concept development and iterative design. Initial concepts can be developed within a few days, with final visuals typically completed in 2-4 weeks depending on scope.​

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GETTING STARTED

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What does it cost?

Live event work starts at $1,800 + GST for a half day and $2,500 + GST for a full day. Strategic visual projects are scoped to what you're building, because the right approach for a single visual looks very different from a full visual language. Drop me a line and we'll work out what's right for you.

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How do we begin?

The best way is a quick call. I'd love to understand what you're hoping to create before quoting anything specific. 

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