Blooming beautiful! How Illustrated Live helped Bloom capture their end of year celebrations
With a gorgeous colour palette, funky characters, and clearly laid out information, it’s hard for your eyes not to sparkle and swoon when looking at something like this.
This is our work from the Bloom end-of-year celebration and AGM, which we swooped in to capture via the power of t’internet!
Highlights we helped to capture at this event included community achievements like fundraising, mentorship, and support groups - including neurodiversity, parents, expats, mental health, freelancing and more. Some seriously inspirational stuff to bring to life visually!
To get a better understanding of how we approached an event of this sort and where the strategic value reeeally lies, let’s hear from our founder Katie, who brought this event to life on the big day!
Over to Katie
1. What were some key themes or moments from the AGM that stood out to you, and how did you choose to visually represent them?
The biggest themes were community, action, and inclusion. “Paying it forward” really stuck out as a golden thread - so I made it central, both literally and visually, with big, bold type and a lightning bolt linking it to mentoring, fundraising, and support. The energy and warmth of the community came through the WHOOOLE event, so I leaned into playful typography, bold colour blocks, and made the most of Bloom’s existing branding - cute little hand-drawn characters - to reflect that.
2. How did you ensure that your illustrations visually represented inclusivity in a way that felt authentic and resonant?
I try not to tick boxes and make the diversity thing look performative. In general, I find it’s better to focus on representing who is really in the room. For this piece, that meant reflecting a broad mix of people, abilities, cultures, and life stages. A bit of everything :)
3. How do you make sure your illustrations are not just good to look at, but also inclusive and reflective of the audience?
It starts with listening. Before the event, I did a deep dive into Bloom’s mission and community. During the AGM, I paid close attention to language - whose being celebrated, what stories are told, whose voices are amplified. Visually, the goal is clarity and legibility and weaving in characters that feel familiar and friendly so that you actually *want* to look at the thing after the event is done.
4. How does your presence—albeit remote—change or impact how people engage with the event in real time or afterwards?
Even though I’m not in the room, people love seeing the illustration take shape live - “Look, that’s what we just said!” Afterwards, the artwork becomes a joyful summary they actually want to share (not just file away). It keeps the energy of the event alive well beyond the last speaker. This one went down really well on LinkedIn!
5. How does the pace of an event or the language, tone and energy influence how you get ideas down on (digital) paper in real time?
Fast-paced or high-energy sessions mean I’m drawing quickly and instinctively, capturing the feeling AND the facts. Slower, more organic conversations lend themselves well to a more wiggly graphic recording. This one was full-speed-ahead the whole way, which is why I went for a more grid-based approach.
6. If a potential client were hesitant about using live illustration for something as formal as an AGM, what would you want them to know—especially in terms of audience connection and brand voice?
Live illustration isn’t always just for fun - it’s a tool for clarity and connection. It shows you’re really listening to your audience. It makes them feel seen and heard. And when done well, it can reflect your brand voice more authentically than a hundred slides. Audiences will remember how you made ‘em feel. And I’ve never met anyone who’s said “UGH, a drawing? Horrible.” (yet. 🤣)
Feelin’ curious?
If your eyes twinkled and your ears waggled while reading this blog, we’d love to chat with you!
Perhaps a spot of live illustration could be just what your next event calls for.
x Illustrated Live