From Renaissance Sketches to UAE Conference Halls

If you open one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, you’ll see more than just art.

You’ll see thoughts taking shape—half-finished diagrams, quick sketches, scattered notes in the margins. He wasn’t drawing for decoration; he was drawing to understand and explain.

That’s something we connect with deeply at Marker.ae.

Because, in our own way, we’re still doing what he did—just with an iPad in a Dubai conference hall instead of a quill in a Renaissance workshop.

Making Ideas Visible

The term graphic recording didn’t exist in Leonardo’s time, but he mastered the idea behind it: make thinking visible.

When we work at a workshop in Abu Dhabi, a strategy session in Dubai, or a teacher training in Sharjah, our job is the same. We listen, we absorb, and we translate ideas into visuals—live, as the conversation unfolds.

By the end, there’s a wall, a screen, or a shared file that tells the whole story of the day. People take photos. They talk about it afterward. They remember it.

Why It Works Here in the UAE

The UAE is a mix of cultures, languages, and perspectives. That makes it exciting—but it can also make communication tricky.

Visuals cut through those barriers. They give everyone in the room a shared reference point, whether they’re from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or somewhere halfway across the world.

And in a place that moves as fast as the UAE, clarity matters.

Old Tools, New Tools

Leonardo had parchment and ink. We have markers, giant boards, and digital tablets.

The medium has changed, but the intent is the same:

Capture the moment

Clarify the complex

Leave behind something that lasts

Sometimes we work traditionally, drawing big and bold right in front of the audience. Other times, we go digital so the results can be shared instantly online. Both have their place.

Carrying the Tradition Forward

I like to think that if Leonardo were alive today, he’d be right at home here sketching in the corner of a government innovation summit in Abu Dhabi, or mapping out a creative strategy in a Dubai start-up hub.

That mix of curiosity, observation, and craft is timeless.

And in our own way, we’re keeping it alive.

If your next event could use a little more clarity, creativity, and connection, we’d be happy to help!