Create combinations to advance icons to a specific meaning. Or: if you want to say something without an idea about an icon, just create a fusion of elements.
Let’s start simple and just think of the saying “infinite crisis”, how could that look like? May be a grave with in infinity sign?
And add another example. Taking a simple laptop icon and add some arms as a direction, could mean: “technology is leading the way”.
You can already notice, what an icon combination is meaning to me might not be what it is telling you. So sketchnote – like regular written notes – will always mean a lot more to the people who have been part of the creation and even more to the creator. So this is why it makes it so powerful also to use on flip charts, the whole group is part of the creation process. Lets pick some known expressions or metaphors and try to convert them into a fusion of some elements:
For example: the client is king – just to characters separated by a counter and one has a simple crown.
“Common Thinking” could be the following or also mean “dialogue” or “discussion” or “agreement”.
Or the wind of change: this one could even blow against any container with some text to symbolize what will change ….
Simply combine an eye and an apple will give you “the apple of my eye”. Here the color helps to clearify, what’s inside the eye.
Sometimes taking things literally help to find an image: “Smell the rain”. The saying in the first place does make no sense, so this visualized makes it even more clear.
Here is another simple combination and color used also the clarify the icon (red heart = love). So “love is a journey”.
Or: leave trouble outside. Here you just play with some aggressive signs and some defending gesture.
This one is my version of “serve the team”.
The often expected “thinking out of the box” could be drawn by some fusion like so:
Giving object human like elements (legs, arms) and adding accessories can be helpful. Here we “chase the money”.
Color can also be used to put focus on a part of the drawing. “The better half” is colored and the other one pale.
Controversies also help to find icons: “Love is a battle.”
And in this example I played around with color and patterns. Which supports the ocean of “love is an ocean” even more – I think.
Again, all these example are suppose to show that you can become creative, there are style elements and techniques which will help you to realize your mental images on paper – just do it”
