Sketch Group

Sketch Group We use sketching to tell stories, solve problems, explain ideas, and capture conversations. We sketch stuff. We're pretty good at it!

For example:
* we create hand-drawn videos that make dry or complex information fun or easy to understand
* we live sketch your conference or event
* we capture your ideas and turn them into a powerful one-page sketch
* we run training sessions to teach you how to sketch like a pro

The last few months have been a busy stretch for the Sketch Group team.Conference season had us in full swing, taking us...
20/10/2026

The last few months have been a busy stretch for the Sketch Group team.

Conference season had us in full swing, taking us to Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, where we were showcasing our LiveSketch™ and IdeaSketch™ services.

In the middle of it all, we hit a goal we’d set ourselves, so we made sure to carve out time to celebrate it properly. We put down the pens, sat around one table and enjoyed a long lunch together. 🥂

Here’s the team behind the work.

And conference season isn’t over yet. More to share soon. 👀

19/10/2026

Child safety is everyone’s responsibility. But policies and reporting processes can be hard to take in, especially for families, young people, and community members who speak a language other than English.

We were proud to partner with the City of Casey on three VideoSketch™ explainer videos that now sit on their Child Safety in Casey page. Together they:

✏️ Introduce Council’s commitment to being a child-safe organisation
✏️ Walk through how to raise a concern, and what happens next
✏️ Point parents and carers to support and resources

City of Casey describes its approach as aiming to be “aspirational – not just compliant.” Sketching the process out step by step turns policy into something anyone can follow. When people can understand a process, it’s easier for them to speak up.

Thank you to the City of Casey team for trusting us with such important work.

đź”— See the videos: https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/child-safety-in-casey

15/10/2026

"That's my idea!" is the best thing you can hear at an event.

At last year's Engagement Institute Annual Conference, our IdeaSketch™ invited every delegate to share their thinking on one question, then turned their responses into a live illustration.

The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Delegates loved seeing their contributions drawn in ways they'd never have imagined, and that surprise is what made the experience so engaging and memorable.

The canvas quickly became the heart of the day. People kept returning to it, bringing colleagues over, taking photos and swapping thoughts with others they'd only just met.

Whether it's a conference, a community consultation or a staff day, an IdeaSketch™ makes participation fun and leaves a lasting impression long after everyone has gone home.

Swear you can’t draw? This workshop is for you. 🖊️Join Matthew Magain, founder of Sketch Group, for Visual Thinking 101 ...
12/10/2026

Swear you can’t draw? This workshop is for you. 🖊️

Join Matthew Magain, founder of Sketch Group, for Visual Thinking 101 Training, a one-day workshop in Melbourne C*D on Friday 4 December 2026.

You’ll learn:
→ Why visual thinking works, and when to use it
→ How to draw objects, people, expressions and abstract ideas
→ Layouts and visual metaphors for making sense of complex information

Made for facilitators, managers, teachers, comms and CX professionals, and anyone who wants to communicate more clearly.

Max 10 people · Lunch included · Take-home Neuland Starter Kit

Register here: https://graphicgear.com.au/training/visual-thinking-101/

06/10/2026

There's a moment we never get tired of.

A presenter finishes their session, walks off the stage, and sees their presentation visualised on a canvas. The key ideas, the turns in the argument, even the line that got a laugh.

At the recent National Education Summit, we watched that moment happen again and again. Presenters stopped, pointed, took photos, and pulled colleagues over to look. We were chuffed when several presenters told us we'd captured exactly what they wanted their audience to take away.

The part people don't expect? Graphic recording isn't just for the audience. It gives your speakers a visual record of their ideas they'll treasure long after the event.

Picture this at your next event.

627 applications. Only five funded in her field, nationally.Professor Karen Charlton was applying for an Australian Rese...
29/09/2026

627 applications. Only five funded in her field, nationally.

Professor Karen Charlton was applying for an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, one of the toughest research funding rounds in Australia.

Her vision for a healthier, fairer food system in the Illawarra Shoalhaven was big. It covered everything from production and distribution to waste, policy and dozens of local stakeholders.

Explained in prose, it risked losing an assessor before the point landed.

So we helped her explain it in a single image.

She was awarded over $1 million in research funding.

But the funding isn't the most interesting part. That image is still at work years later, in ways none of us expected.

See how it came together, and where it's ended up since: https://www.sketchgroup.com.au/case-study/visualising-a-concept-worth-over-1-million-in-research-funding/

24/09/2026

Try explaining footy to someone who's never seen a game: the history, the rituals, why a single mark can bring a crowd to its feet.

We gave it a go the only way we know how, by drawing it.

It's become a bit of a Grand Final week tradition for us to bring out our favourite footy facts, from how cricketers invented the game in Melbourne in 1858 to the anatomy of a specky. 🏉

Good luck to both teams on Saturday. 🏆

We spent last Friday at the with pens in hand, sketching a room full of school boards and education leaders wrestling w...
22/09/2026

We spent last Friday at the with pens in hand, sketching a room full of school boards and education leaders wrestling with a genuinely big question: what does governance look like when the ground keeps shifting under you?

That was the premise of Association of Independent Schools of South Australia's Governance Conference this year — Beyond the Horizon. Kai Riemer and Sandra Peter led the room through the day, unpacking the 2026 Skills Horizon report and what it means for how boards think about the future of their schools.

We were there live sketching the day as it unfolded, and running our IdeaSketch activation alongside it — one question on the wall: "If you had a magic wand, what would you change to make your school future-ready?" Take a look through the sketches to see what came up.

One lucky answer walked away with a visual thinking training session for their team plus a sketch note starter kit.

A big thank you to Anne Dunstan, Lucinda Pow and the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia team for having us in the room.

Sketches from the day below.

We closed out the Conference with another day of live sketching, capturing the conversations built toward the week's bi...
17/09/2026

We closed out the Conference with another day of live sketching, capturing the conversations built toward the week's big theme: "Mobilising Generosity. Shaping the Future."

Across all three days, we also ran our IdeaSketch™ activation at the booth, asking attendees a few simple prompt questions. What came back floored us — some of our favourite moments of the whole conference came from hearing philanthropic leaders and change makers put their ideas into words, which we then turned into visuals. A reminder of just how much creativity and clarity sits inside this sector, ready to be drawn out.

Swipe through to see:
🖊️ Day 3 graphic recordings
đź’ˇ The IdeaSketches, built from three days of attendee responses

Thank you to the Philanthropy Australia team for putting on such a thoughtful conference, and to everyone who stopped by our booth, watched us sketch, or shared an idea that ended up on our boards.

We were back at the Conference for Day 2 of live sketching, capturing keynotes and panels as the sector dug deeper into...
17/09/2026

We were back at the Conference for Day 2 of live sketching, capturing keynotes and panels as the sector dug deeper into this year's theme, "Mobilising Generosity. Shaping the Future."

We've also loved the conversations that were happening at our booth — philanthropic leaders, foundations, and social sector change makers stopping by to chat, watch us sketch, and share what's on their mind for the sector's future.

Check out Day 2 below 👇

Stay tuned for Day 3 graphic recordings, plus our IdeaSketches from across the conference!

Address

239a Murray Road
Preston, VIC
3072

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

1300 753 824

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