Comics for Learning Experience Design... anyone else using them?

As a long-time fan of comics and graphic novels, I’m always drawing inspiration from this field to shape my approach to design. While it’s often challenging to fully apply these techniques due to limited resources and time, there’s something about the narrative techniques, pacing, and visual storytelling in comics that I’m convinced could make our learning experience designs so much richer and engaging.

I’ve started putting together a guide that explores the field alongside ways we can bring strategies from comics into our learning experience designs. I’ve combed through my (constantly growing) collection of graphic novels and narratives—picked up from every second-hand shop, library sale, online bargains, and free box I stumble upon—to share examples that highlight things like storytelling flow, character creation and use, and layout strategies in the context of learning.

This guide is still a work in progress, and I plan to keep adding to it as I find more relevant strategies and resources. But I thought I’d share it here and ask you:

  • Are you using graphic narratives in your own learning designs?
  • Anything else you’d like to see covered in the guide?
  • Do you have any favorite comics/links/graphic novels that could make a great case study?

I’d love to hear any thoughts or ideas to keep improving this guide. Hope you enjoy!

This is such a cool idea! I’ve never thought about using comics in learning design. How do you see them fitting in?

Mia said:
This is such a cool idea! I’ve never thought about using comics in learning design. How do you see them fitting in?

Thanks! I think they can help with engagement and make complex ideas more relatable. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!

I’ve used graphic novels in some of my training materials. They really help to simplify tough concepts. Any specific comics you recommend?

BillSmith said:
I’ve used graphic novels in some of my training materials. They really help to simplify tough concepts. Any specific comics you recommend?

Absolutely! I’m looking to compile a list. Do you have any favorites?