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Just another crazy idea? Or a dream coming true...

14th April 2020. 
It started with a dream, a blank agenda (thank you Covid), and a vague memory of an inspiring conversation I had two years earlier, with a client of mine, Raphaël.  
The conversation we had, took place at the end of one of my training session on Visual Communication in the workplace'. Raphaël told me how wonderful it would be if his newborn daughter, by the time she would go to secondary school, would use a drawing instead of a common PowerPoint presentation to present a story. We elaborated a few minutes on the idea and fantasized about what business presentations would look like in the future if everyone would learn to use drawings as a communication technique. We even brainstormed a bit on how we could make this happen.
But… our lives were very busy. Day-to-day business took over and the idea was put on hold... a sticky note on the wall. 
And then suddenly, Covid-19 created a lot of time in my agenda and space in my head to give body to this crazy idea. 
I called Raphaël…

 

Just another crazy idea?

And then I called… Heather, Ben, Sunshine, Renata, Martine, Kristof, Iris, Mara, Tim, and many others… to check if my idea was just another crazy idea… or something they might actually like. Although there were a lot of questions and concerns, there was also a lot of enthusiasm and energy.

So, one month later, on the 20th of May, we organized a 4-day design sprint with one goal in mind: develop a first MVP for a platform that makes storytelling accessible to anyone in the world, by putting the work of visual storytellers around the world in the picture.

At the end of 4 days of hard work, we had prototypes of screens, we did 8 user tests, we got a lot of feedback and even more ideas!

 

Making communication more impactful and joyful for anyone in the world

One thing was for sure… this was no longer a dream or a fantasy, it became an ambition. Drawify was born.

And the ambition was clear. We wanted to create a win-win situation for everyone involved:

  • The visual storytellers by giving them exposure a community of sharing, passive income from drawings.
  • The users by giving them access to a lot of drawings, knowledge and a community of experienced storytellers and making their communication more impactful.
  • The developers in Sri Lanka by giving them a project they can be really a part of, not just as a provider, but really as a Drawify team.
  • The world by making communication in business and education more impactful, joyful, and memorable. 

And since then, it has been a rollercoaster!

Together with 2 co-founders, we invested money to get the project launched. The Drawifiers started creating vector-based drawings to upload on the platform… we tried, explored, failed, learned, and tried again… all together.I can’t articulate enough how much persistence and positive energy was needed to continue with a smile… and we wouldn’t be where we are today without the continuous effort and support of all Drawifiers, developers, founders, and users.

 

So… Where are we today?

Drawify went to market the first week of February 2021 as a platform where people can create their own visual story by combining several visual elements: images, frames, backgrounds, fonts, shapes, etc.… exactly how we create our drawings, but then in an easy and accessible way for those who don’t have the time or confidence to draw themselves. 

18 Drawifiers (visual storytellers) together uploaded 5000 drawings on the platform… and the amount is still growing every single day.

Since February 2021, almost 2000 users registered on Drawify and together created 2500 visual stories. 80 people engaged for an annual subscription. We are exploring further with schools and teachers, consultants, and visual facilitators how Drawify can make their lives easier.

We are only just at the beginning. We want Drawify to become the ‘standard’ just like PowerPoint. And we hope that by doing that, Visual Storytelling becomes the norm in communication… and in the end, that Visual Storytellers like us, become the experts and the advocates of visual literacy.

How can we help you ?

We want to hear your feedback! How do you think Drawify can help you in your work? Or, what are your concerns? What are your hopes?  Share them with me at axellev@drawify.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Axelle Vanquaillie

www.drawify.com