Sketch Post, a Malaysia and Singapore based organisation led by Bernie Quah, creatively converts ideas, thoughts and conversations into brilliant hand-drawn visuals. Their aim is to brighten up presentations, brainstorms and events. Graphic recordings simplify complex ideas to engage people, making ideas stick!
Read on to know the story behind their artistically unique venture!
Q. How do you define what you do?
PowerPoint slides, workshops and conferences… Let’s face it; most presentations are dry and information-heavy. Without a jolt of coffee or a sincere enthusiasm, many attending these presentations would just zone out.
Well, there is a way to make these situations more engaging. Pictures, videos, and infographics are all testaments to the power of visual learning. Graphic recording takes visual content to a new level, combining words and images in a fun format that people really relate to. Some people are better able to translate or remember information when visuals are involved.
To create this visual content, graphic recorders listen for key ideas in a conversation. They’re trained to recognize verbal cues to identify these key ideas and quickly replicate them through drawings. It is like speaking a different language – a visual language. This skill helps them to capture the essence of a live presentation in a short amount of time.
Q. What triggered you to start up? And how did you scale up after?
Illustrating has always come naturally to me as a child. I found my skills to be most valuable as I attended conferences and began illustrating notes as talks and discussions went on in my notebook. It was an instant capture of key points and interesting quotes. Organisers, guests and speakers loved them and it was a beautiful way to celebrate the content and exchange of ideas. The professional term used to describe this is graphic recording. After a few years of practicing graphic recording as an interest, I became confident in my work and decided to turn it into a profession by starting Sketch Post.
Bernie Quah, Founder
Q. What did you want to be as a kid?
I wanted to be an engineer like my Dad.
Q. Tell us about your quirks.
I feel I express myself better through illustration than words. I do like travelling and exploring new places yet am a creature of habit. Once I discover an area or a café I like, I’ll return almost every chance I get within the duration of my stay. If it makes me feel comfortable, I don’t mind having the same routine everyday.
Also, I make more effort to meet up with friends and relatives as I’m away most of the time so having just an hour or two to catch up means the world to me. I appreciate the best of both worlds; my lovely family in KL and the freedom of mobility that Singapore provides.
Q. Has your business plan changed from what it’s been when you started up? What are the changes?
I started Sketch Post as a small business to experiment graphic recordings on a professional level. Taking it beyond an interest I pursued during my free time. Since then, business has taken off and the team is growing. We plan to establish Sketch Post in Hong Kong as well in 2014. Also, graphic recording workshops are in the works.
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Q. Do you have any mentors?
Not mentors exactly but companies that I learn from and admire, like ImageThink in New York, Ink Factory in Chicago and Scriberia in London.
Q. What’s the most gratifying thing about having your own thing?
It’s great being able to control the direction of my career and develop skills in my own time without feeling pressured by an institution.
Q. Did your education/previous work experience help you in your current work? How?
My background is in Interior Architecture so my knowledge on layout and perspective does come across in my work.
Q. What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you regarding your work?
“You must be very intelligent.”
Creative Mornings SF
Q. What’s the ultimate guide for any rookie in your profession?
Think of yourself as a storyteller as opposed to a note taker. Focus on how content links to form a story instead of having many points scattered around.
Q. Where do you see yourself five years from now? And how would you like to be remembered in time?
It’s been a year of telecommuting between Singapore and Malaysia since June 2013 when I founded Sketch Post. Eventually in the next few years, as teams in each country grows and become self-reliant, I may only need to travel to each office once in a while. I like being hands on in running the business.
Red Bull Creative Session
