Designer Mike Rohde Teaches Us a New Way to Take Notes on Packers Games

I can’t watch a Packers game without a pen and notebook with me. I started taking notes during games when The Power Sweep launched in 2016, and I’ve kept the habit since then to the point that I can no longer imagine sitting down to watch a game without it.

My note-taking practice is not one of beauty, though. It gets down all the information I need, but as you can see in this post, it’s…not pretty to look at. I’ve never been one for good handwriting, and even though I’ve worked to improve over the years (honestly, I have!) it’s still not great. No one will ever confuse my notes for a work of art.

But that can’t be said for Mike Rohde, a designer, teacher, and illustrator who happens to be a long-time Blue 58 listener. Mike takes beautiful and interesting notes during Packers games through a process he calls “sketchnoting.” After he shared a few images of his work in The Power Sweep’s Discord server, I knew I had to ask him a few questions about his notes.

Here’s our conversation, which we carried out via Discord messages. It’s been edited lightly for clarity.

The Power Sweep: What is Sketchnoting? How did you get started? What gave you the idea?

Mike Rohde: Sketchnotes are a visual note-taking approach that extends text-only notes to make use of drawings, icons, lettering, and other visual elements to capture and share ideas.

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. 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.

TPS: Your website talks about some practical benefits of taking notes this way. How do you think it can help people?

MR: 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! 

Active listening is required to create sketchnotes. It amplifies your engagement with ideas compared to a passive absorption of ideas and also improves your retention of ideas. Finally, though sketchnoting is a little more work than plain text-only notes, it can be worth seeing ideas expand beyond only words, and it can be fun — which could mean you are more likely to do it again and again.

TPS: I get the idea of doing notes like this in general, but it seems extra challenging to do it during a sporting event that is unfolding in real time. How do you make that work?

MR: 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!

I think the other key difference for me is focusing on pivotal plays that feel like they are shaping the game. For instance, if a long drive results in a touchdown, I may cite a key catch as part of that drive as my way of summarizing what happened, but if a play is big enough it deserves its own space. So I am not capturing everything in the game — I seek key information like score, key plays, and observations, and a limited set of things to capture.

TPS:  Do you have a favorite set of notes for this season? Why is that your favorite?

MR: My sketchnote from the final Bears game at Lambeau is my favorite because it was such a pivotal game for the season. Win and in meant the pressure was high and against a rival team in the Bears it meant more.

You can maybe see in the details I was pleasantly surprised yet still a little on edge more than some of the games before and after. Before my expectations were tempered by a new QB and a young team getting things together. After this game, the Dallas win and the Niners loss were in a way unexpected gravy.

TPS: What advice would you give someone who’s trying to get started taking notes this way?

MR: I would start by watching my free workshop on YouTube to see how the process works and how simple drawing really can get you started with the practice:

Secondly, I would remind readers that if you try this out, think of it with an experimental mindset. If you fail, explore why and try again.

Thirdly, have grace for yourself as you begin a new practice. Set realistic expectations for what you can achieve the first few times trying sketchnoting out.

Finally, give it a try and have fun! Don’t over-pressurize yourself to achieve anything other than giving it a shot and having fun. You might be surprised!

If it works for you, check out my books for more details!

I’m grateful to Mike for taking the time to share his thoughts on sketchnoting with us. If you want to learn more, check out a few more of his Packers-related sketchnotes here and explore his website, which teaches you everything you need to know about the process. He’s also written two books about sketchnoting and launched a Kickstarter for a notebook specifically designed to hold all your thoughts and notes.