Intro
I first noticed the work of artist Mike Rohde in 2010, when I purchased the business book REWORK, for which Mike did the artwork. I was intrigued by the style of Mike’s black-and-white illustrations throughout the book and made it a point to give him a follow on social media.
Although I’d been following him for fifteen years, it was not until last year’s NFL Draft that I discovered that Mike was a huge Green Bay Packers fan. Being a Packers fan, Mike made the pilgrimage to Lambeau Field to sketchnote the 2025 NFL Draft.
“What is a sketchnote?” you ask.
Well, read on to discover Mike’s unique way of merging notetaking with artmaking to create pages that extend text-only notes to make use of drawings, icons, lettering, and other visual elements to capture and share ideas.
Can you tell Beauty of a Game readers a little bit about sketchnotes?
Sketchnotes started as a solution to my problem with note-taking being a burden and have become a solution for me and many people around the world. I came from a painful place of trying to write everything down, either in longhand or on a computer. Even worse, I never looked at the forest of notes I’d captured. So, I decided to put constraints on myself and run an experiment. I switched from a large, lined notebook to a pocket Moleskine sketchbook, and from a mechanical pencil with eraser, to a gel pen to see what would happen.
I found I couldn’t capture everything for lack of space in a pocket notebook, and I had to become very selective in using a pen because I’d left the pencil and eraser behind. These tool changes freed me up to consider the ideas I was hearing and that led me to focus on the big ideas I was hearing.
This freedom from capturing everything let me explore my love for hand-lettered type and drawing ideas I saw in my head on the page. - Mike Rohde
I had so much fun in that first sketchnoting session, I was fueled to keep going, which led to more opportunities for sketchnoting. I coined the term sketchnotes because the notes I captured blended sketching with note-taking in a unique, engaging, and fun way.
How have sketchnotes changed the way you take notes and relate to the notes you’ve taken?
I’ve become so more engaged with my notes. Because sketchnotes are fun to create and not a burden, I’m excited about taking them. Each time I sketchnote I have an opportunity to experiment with visual elements and words — it’s fun!
I think being able to expand beyond only writing thoughts to using visuals you’re using more of your brain’s capacity to express ideas you’re thinking about. Visuals are more memorable than a page of gray text, so retention of ideas also improves when you can capture ideas visually. Even a few images within a page of gray text notes make a difference!
Is it difficult to take such detailed notes during a live event, especially a sporting event?
You would be surprised how much time is down-time in sporting events, particularly football. I was a bit shocked when I started sketchnoting Packers games live, because I worried about keeping up. But in reality, there is plenty of time for clock stoppage, time-outs, walking back to the huddle, and of course… ads!
Do you need to be a great illustrator to sketchnote?
Not at all! One of my mantras is “Ideas, not art” because I think art, as much as I love it, carries baggage with it. Art in the traditional sense has a performance hook in it that can make people feel they can’t draw like Leonardo or Van Gogh. But I think drawing can also be used to communicate ideas simply, without the experienced skill a famous artist might add.
Not only do I believe that, I see it all the time in workshops and online with people drawing simply as part of their path into sketchnoting. Once drawing is broken down to its simplest pieces and the baggage of measuring up to great artists is shed, regular people embrace drawing and sketchnoting.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get started with sketchnotes?
Give yourself grace as you begin. You’re not trying to be a famous artist, you’re just trying to capture ideas simply.
Take it slowly. First add icons and drawings to your text notes, then experiment with more and more imagery in your sketchnotes. It’s a process, so take your time!
Have fun and explore sketchnoting. Find ways that work for you and try different approaches. Play with various books, paper, pens or pencils. The beauty of sketchnoting is the freedom to adapt it to your own needs, so adapt away!
Readers can check out some of Mike’s beautiful photos from Lambeau Field here, read more about Mike’s football sketchnotes here and here, or check out more of his sketchnotes on a variety of subjects here. You can also follow Mike here on Substack, Instagram, Bluesky, or his excellent YouTube channel. Check out his book, The Sketchnote Handbook, for more explanation and illustrated techniques on sketchnoting.
Thanks to Mike Rohde for his willingness to respond to my questions and allowing me to share so many of his great images. Go Pack Go!
I love everything about this, except for the Packers. 😉
This is so awesome. And Go Pack Go! 🧀