Learn how to ink critically.

Turn complex ideas into clear, compelling visuals—without needing to “be creative” or know how to draw.

  • Communicate Big Ideas Clearly.

  • Engage Your Audience Instantly.

  • Drive Real-World Change with Simple Visuals.

We've trained over 4,000 Critical Inkers from:

Your ideas deserve better than unread reports and ignored slides

Are you a leader, researcher, educator, or creator with ideas that matter—but struggle to get people to really listen?

  • Your reports go unread

  • Your PowerPoint slides overload and disengage

  • Your strategy feels clear to you… but not to others

  • Meetings go in circles without real outcomes

  • You know change is needed—but can’t quite land the message

The problem isn’t your ideas.

The problem is how they’re being communicated.

What if people could understand your work in seconds?

Critical Inking is a practical, research-backed visual communication skill that helps you

  • Explain complexity quickly

  • Make ideas memorable

  • Engage hearts and minds

  • Collaborate more effectively

  • Shift power, unlock participation, and drive action

All using simple, hand-drawn visuals you can create in minutes.

No artistic talent required.

What is Critical Inking

Critical Inking is the ability to use simple hand-drawn visuals to explain big ideas fast.

It’s not graphic design. It’s not infographics. It’s not AI-generated visuals. It’s a human, live, adaptable way of thinking and communicating visually—using lines, shapes, models, metaphors, and stories to help people understand what matters. Simple pictures. Big ideas. Real impact.
Start your journey today

What IS Critical Inking?

You'll walk away with a Critical Inking skill for life

So your ideas finally get heard, your teams finally take action, and you drive real change.

  • A repeatable visual communication framework

  • Confidence drawing simple, meaningful visuals

  • Tools to present without overwhelming

  • Methods to run better meetings and workshops

  • A new way to engage people and drive action

  • A skill you can use immediately—in your daily work

This course takes you from “visual zero” to confident visual communicator

The course is built around the 5M Model, a step-by-step framework that takes you from words → visuals → action.

    1. Welcome to Critical Inking! (1 min)

    2. Meet your instructor (2 mins)

    3. What is Critical Inking? (2 mins)

    4. Course Overview (3 mins)

    5. Choosing your tools (1 min)

    6. How to use Thinkific (2 mins)

    7. How to get the most out of the course (2 mins)

    1. The Problem with Modern Communication (6 mins)

    2. Why Critical Inking Helps (3 mins)

    3. Critical Inking in Practice (2 mins)

    4. Your fears (4 mins)

    5. Your new Critical Inker mindset (3 mins)

    6. ACTIVITY: Setting your intention (5 mins)

    7. QUIZ: Test your learning (1 min)

    1. Who are you visualising for, why? (3 mins)

    2. What do you need visualise? (6 mins)

    3. Finding the Golden 10% Examples (9 mins)

    4. ACTIVITY: Visualise your writing (20 mins)

    5. QUIZ: Test your learning (2 mins)

    1. The visual alphabet (7 mins)

    2. How to draw simple things (5 mins)

    3. How to draw people (5 mins)

    4. How to draw single concepts (5 mins)

    5. Design theory 101 (6 mins)

    6. QUIZ: Test your learning (1 min)

    1. Visualising complexity with clarity (3 mins)

    2. What do we mean by a model? (2 mins)

    3. Using models in practice (8 mins)

    4. Models Crib Sheet

    5. ACTIVITY: Make your own model (20 mins)

    6. QUIZ: Test your learning (2 mins)

    1. What do we mean by visual metaphors? (4 mins)

    2. How to find your own visual metaphor? (4 mins)

    3. Using metaphors in practice (7 mins)

    4. Simple comics (4 mins)

    5. Visual metaphor cribsheet

    6. ACTIVITY: Make your metaphor (20 mins)

    7. QUIZ: Test your learning (2 mins)

About this course

  • £199.99
  • 46 lessons
  • 2.5 hours of video content

Here's what other Critical Inkers said

The fastest funding sign off I've ever had!

Sarah - academic publisher

I had a business case to present at work last week, and at the moment there is zero appetite for risk and this was a brand new project. Instead of the usual going through death by ppt, looking at figures etc, I did a series of 6 critically inked visuals and told the story of why we should approve this project. It was the quickest business case meeting I've ever had, and the financial controller who usually grills me left early after giving her approval. The MD has now asked me to present a condensed version at our all company meeting on Friday!! So – thank you. It was totally the storytelling approach with the visuals that got the project across the line so easily. The course has paid for itself already! Sarah x

174 strategy slide deck to one visual...finally my team are getting it!

Andrew - Head of Department for Fortune 500 company

Finally, my team are getting it - I did what you said and binned the 175-odd slides and condensed it into one live-drawn visual. I got nods and questions rather than blank stares!

I said I couldn't draw...but I've just illustrated my award winning book!

Derek - award-winning public speaking coach

I'm putting you in our acknowledgements in a book on public speaking myself and Liam are releasing in a few weeks. Believe it or not I did the illustrations for it including the cover. I'll make sure and give you a proper testimonial for Critical Inking as you might remember I said it wasn't possible for me to draw :).

Start inking critically right now

Ready to start thinking, explaining, influencing, or changing thing?s

Get started now

Why visuals work

The 'thinking' behind the 'inking'

  • Visuals are FAST

    We process visuals in 13 milliseconds, versus 6 seconds for processing the same meaning as a sentence of text. (Endress & Potter, 2014)

  • Visuals are ENGAGING

    We are 65% more likely to remember a visual representation of an idea 3 days after being shown it, than we are the same information presented as text. (Medina, 2009)

  • Visuals are engaging

    Visuals are processed in the same side of our brain as our emotions - emotional engagement is what leads to behaviour change and audiences sitting up and listening! (Schup et al., 2003)

Who is this for?

This course is designed for people who need to communicate ideas that matter

✔ Business leaders & strategists
✔ Researchers & academics
✔ Educators & trainers
✔ Consultants & facilitators
✔ Creators & founders
✔ Policy makers & public sector professionals

If your work involves thinking, explaining, influencing, or changing things, this course is for you.


Why learn with us

Meet your award-winning instructor, Laura Evans-Hill

Laura Evans Hill is a visual storytelling expert and former social researcher who knows firsthand how frustrating it is when important ideas don’t land. After transforming her own research impact by communicating visually, she founded Nifty Fox Creative, a visual storytelling agency helping leaders, researchers, and educators turn complex insights into real-world change. Since 2017, Laura and her team have worked with 60+ universities and major organisations including the NHS, UK Government, UN, AstraZeneca, NatWest, and HSBC. A multi-award-winning, CPD-accredited trainer, Laura has guided thousands of learners to communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact.

This is not the end—it’s the beginning

It’s a new way of thinking, communicating, and working with others.

Once you have it, you’ll use it everywhere:

  • In meetings

  • In presentations

  • In research

  • In teaching

  • In strategy

  • In change-making

Simple drawings.
Seconds to understand.
Lasting impact.

FAQ

  • But I'm not creative - can I still do this course?

    You don’t need to be creative (really) Let’s bust a few myths: ❌ “I can’t draw” ❌ “I’m not creative” ❌ “This won’t feel credible” ❌ “I don’t have time” Critical Inking isn’t about art. It’s about clarity, structure, and meaning. You’ll follow simple frameworks, repeatable formulas, and short practice sessions—often just 10–15 minutes at a time. Low effort. High return.

  • What's the investment?

    For the course itself - £199 For the time commitment - approx 3 hours in total. The course is split into chunks of no more than 10-15 mins each, so you can complete in bite-sized blocks.

  • Do I need special tools

    NOT AT ALL. You’ll need an internet connection and something to access the content on, and a pen and paper. That’s it to start your visualisation journey. BUT THIS IS NOT A PRE-REQUISITE TO START.

  • I can already draw - is this for me?

    Critical Inking isn’t a drawing course. It’s a communication course. Whilst drawing will help, you’ll learn how to THINK. You’ll learn how to simplify ideas, apply your drawing skills to communicate them clearly, engagingly and tell stories so audiences think, feel or do differently. That’s more than just drawing.

  • Where can I use the Critical Inking skill?

    Here’s a list of where our other Critical Inkers have used their skill (which is by no means exhaustive!): Presentations Course content Social media content Strategy sessions Team building Coaching sessions Books & eBooks Teaching Proposals Research publications Reports Team reviews

  • I want to bulk buy for my institution - can I do that?

    Not a problem - for sign ups of more than 5 people at a time email [email protected].

  • Is there an in-person live delivery version of this course?

    Yes! To find out more, visit: https://www.niftyfoxcreative.com/courses/critical-inking

Ready to (th)ink differently?

Join the Critical Inking course today - learn how to visualise ideas in minutes so audiences get you in seconds.

Enroll today