RIT students develop new career skills through graphic recording apprenticeship

Rochester Institute of Technology student Makaylah Fernandez ’29 (illustration) observes intently, focusing on key concepts of a conversation. She marks them on sticky notes to later bring them to life as engaging visuals. 

This is graphic recording in action. 

The practice translates complex conversations and other happenings at live events into energetic, hand-drawn characters, objects and text that, together, form a visual document. Despite the fast-paced, Fernandez felt at ease during her first live scribing session. 

“I felt like I was supposed to be there — I was very relaxed,” Fernandez said. “It was a great experience and I loved it.”

Fernandez and other RIT College of Art and Design students — mainly from the illustration and graphic design programs — were graphic scribes for RIT Certified’s Skills Summit on Sept. 29. 

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Courtesy of RIT Certified

RIT College of Art and Design students graphic record a conversation during RIT Certified's Skills Summit.

The Skills Summit brought together employers, workforce leaders, and educators to discuss emerging needs and the skills required for the future. RIT Certified engaged Bright Ink, a graphic recording consultancy, and partnered with RIT’s College of Art and Design to bring student graphic scribes to the event.

To prepare students, RIT Certified arranged five hours of training led by Bright Ink in the weeks leading up to the summit. Company founder Mark Compton introduced the RIT students to the craft and guided them through principles and hands-on practice. RIT alumna Anglea Krieg ’19 (illustration), a graphic artist and project manager for Bright Ink, supported Compton in coaching the students.

“RIT Certified wanted to enhance the summit experience through graphic recording, and we saw an opportunity to involve students,” said Rosalie Clemens, executive director of RIT Certified. “I began looking for RIT alumni working in the field, and that's how we ultimately connected with Bright Ink.”

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Courtesy of RIT Certified

RIT students during one of the graphic recording training sessions.

Krieg said she and Compton emphasized the need to take diligent notes before illustrating so students could decipher the most important themes. The students’ final boards were refined, digitized and distributed as a recap for attendees to reference. 

“Curiosity is one of the main things you need to have. If you don’t have it, the notes you take won’t be true to the event,” Krieg said. “I was impressed by the students and how energized they were. They really took to it like fish to water. I threw a lot of things at them and they met it gracefully.”

In addition to professionally graphic recording with Bright Ink, Krieg has a studio practice as a muralist, blockprinter, and painter. 

For Krieg, graphic recordings become visually informative post-event reports that are easily absorbed as a complement to text-rich summaries. Even in the live setting, she said, illustrated icons and words tend to prompt additional thought.

“It helps create group memory,” Krieg said. “I’ve always talked about how it takes agenda items and turns them into action, because it’s concrete and not in a 30-page document. It’s sometimes the most comprehensive and accessible version of what happened in that meeting. So it can be an access point that triggers ideas versus just getting a 30-page document you click through quickly.”

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RIT student Makaylah Fernandez during the Skills Summit.

When Fernandez learned about the graphic recording apprenticeship available to students, she was immediately drawn to developing an ability in, as Krieg calls it, “one of the best unknown careers for artists.” Fernandez is also double minoring in game design and advertising and public relations to become a “well-rounded artist.”

“I really just wanted to learn a new skill,” Fernandez said. “Being a jack-of-all-trades is so important in art. That makes you more marketable.”

“Creating career pathways is exactly what RIT Certified is about,” Clemens said. “This gave students a chance to learn and apply graphic scribing in a real-world environment, work alongside professionals, and experience first-hand a career option they had not considered.”

An exposure to graphic recording is among the many examples of RIT’s illustration program connecting students with industry professionals (its annual Presto! Workshop being a chief example) and unique opportunities such as Visiting Lecturer Corinn Marriott’s Public Illustration course.  

“I love RIT for having so many different opportunities for students,” Fernandez said. “This is the best place to experiment with anything you want. It’s a great place to learn so much.”