Why did I create CNVS?

So often I see people put a lot of hard work into their content, only for it to fall flat as a bunch of text boxes inside rectangles.

And on the flip side, I would see folks trying to use illustrations from different libraries, with an end result that feels mismatched and unprofessional.

I wanted to provide the biggest consistently designed set of hand drawn illustrations, to give everyone the opportunity to make their work visual with little effort.

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Content feels dull and lifeless

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We don’t inspire connection with our audience

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Readers scan quickly, often missing important details

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Misinterpretation is rife

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Memorability is poor

Said Saddouk

Said specialises in redefining what audiences should expect from virtual workshops and interactive events by teaching you the basics (through to the advanced) of to visually transform your Zoom meetings and Miro board collaborations.

There is no-one else in the world like Said Saddouk. And there are very few people who can teach you such high volume of information in a small window of time.

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Make your Zoom meetings not feel like Zoom meetings using OBS / eCamm and Streamdeck

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Learn how to create visual Miro boards at speed that are both fun and simple to make

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Team training, consultancy and demos on how to upskill yourselves in more engaging remote communications

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Daily bitesize tips, inspiration and a good dose of funny memes guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

🌍 Explore Said's Website

🏢 Connect with Said on LinkedIn

🗓️ Join one of Said's Future Events

🎇 Enjoy Said's free Miroverse templates

Myriam Hadnes

One of my top faves! You might already know Myriam from her heroic work with the Workshops.Work podcast, or NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Community.

Myriam is an expertFacilitator whose social channels are awash with actionable insights and many 'a-ha! moments' when it comes to gathering groups and guiding them on purposeful collaborative journeys.

Her commitment to making the working world a better place through better conversations and facilitated leadership is admirable.

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Expert facilitation services, training, and community building maestro 🙌

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The incredible Workshops.Work podcast generously shares interviews and insights with esteemed facilitators across the globe

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The NeverDoneBefore Facilitation Community is a-buzz with warm and generous souls sharing knowledge and growing together

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She cheerleads her friends and peers with abundance

🌍 Explore Myriam's Website

🏢 Connect with Myriam on LinkedIn

🗓️ Join one of Myriam's future NDB cohorts

Rachel Davis

"From Yawn to Yay!" Indeed. Rachel fully embodies her ethos of bringing wonder and joy to the world of collaboration.

With her warmth, purposeful session planning and ability to pivot on the spot, every one of Rachel's sessions has held my attention for the duration - which is a BIG approval given my tendency to float away if I'm not engaged.

I have no doubt they'll hold yours too!

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Expert Consulting and Facilitation Services

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Free templates High quality community events that spark connections and inspiration in the realm of facilitation

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Free templates on Miroverse

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Delicious inspiration shared in a quality-not-quantity sort-a format on LinkedIn

🌍 Explore Rachel's Website

🏢 Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn

🗓️ Join one of Rachel's Future Events

🎇 Enjoy Rachel's free Miroverse templates

Philip Wallage

Expert UX Designer, Miro board maestro, and founder of the Productizer Community - the place to go when you want to scale your business further than the hours you have available.

I love Philip's content. Quality over Quantity.

Insightful, joyful and packed full of visual delight that cuts out the noise of everyone else while you focus on what he has to offer you that day.

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EPIC LinkedIn posts - mostly short-form videos that keep your attention and teach you much about productizing your services

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The high quality Productizer newsletter shares heaps more valuable details that didn't quite make the cut of his videos

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The Productizer Community (see you there!) is an excellent resource of time-saving and money making tools and strategies

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He offers a subscription based UX service that's hitting the big time. A great inspiration for how we can charge for our time in modern ways.

🌍 Explore the Productizer Website

🏢 Connect with Philip on LinkedIn

🎇 Enjoy Philip's free Miroverse templates

Annie MacLeod

Oh if we could all be as wise around the art of Project Management as Annie MacLeod!!

And yet not just wise, but also warm, and able to optimistically problem solving a better future for others.

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Annie's Project Management GameBoard in Miro helps you validate your project, and gets you planning it out properly

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Annie's book 'Lead then Learn' gives you templates, walkthroughs and deep knowledge in the art of managing your team through the art of facilitation

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Her website is chocka-block full of templates, write-ups and high impact information to make your projects run better.

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A staunch supporter of others, Annie will direct you to who she thinks you should get your eyes on next!

🌍 Explore Annie's Website

🏢 Connect with Annie on LinkedIn

🎇 Enjoy Annie's free Miroverse templates

Jonathan White

Jonathan is the OG of Miro board design. Way ahead of the curve, he recognised years ago the mountain of opportunities Miro offers to create environments where folks want to spend their time while they do work that counts.

He set up Hiro Studio with a view to offering bespoke experiences that tickle the visual tastebuds, whilst ensuring the objectives get met.

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Enjoy the fantastic visual Miro boards from Hiro Studio that make you want to dive in head first

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This guy is an EPIC facilitator with the kind of warmth that melts icebergs

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Massive advocate for Miro, sharing his knowledge wherever he goes

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Runs amazing Miro improv events with Rachel Davis - be there or be square!!

🌍 Explore Jonathan's Hiro Studio Website

🏢 Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn

🎇 Enjoy Jonathan's free Miroverse templates

My Learnings

This project was a creative and collaborative dream. I couldn't have asked for better sparring partners than Amanda, Sid and Shayne, and I couldn't have worked on a more satisfying mix of visual design and valuable content.

That said, we learn something new each project, and my learnings are as follows.

Advocate for modules and easy repurposing
It may not be part of the brief, but you can bet repurposing is a future requirement. Build in modules from the start to give as much autonomy to the board owner as possible.

Larger room names and sequence numbers
Embarrassingly basic, but not everyone browses at the zoom level I designed for. You should be able to understand content from all levels.

Use chat GPT to aid brainstorming
Fast track ideation and validate from audience perspectives using AI (in combination with own contributions)

Use Midjourney to create furniture
Now that I've established proficiency in Midjourney prompting, I would create specific imagery in a cohesive style without cost or license limitations.

Less is more
I've now worked on enough large projects to know that that our appetite is often bigger than our bellies when it comes to the number of visual areas requested in the original brief.

My future approach to a project requesting 24 exercise areas would be that we either create a quality wireframe prototype to test with real participants before the design phase, or to design ~12 areas and gather feedback before creating more.

In this instance, a purposefully modular approach from the outset would have been beneficial, and accommodated the need for any change of order, and creating different environments for shorter versus longer workshop durations.

What’s next?