Back of the Napkin 2.0: Visual Thinking in the Age of Ai

12 months, 12 live classes, 8 deep-dives on your most critical and useful visual AI tools.
20 years ago I introduced the The Back of the Napkin visual thinking and visual storytelling approach for business creativity. Two decades later, so much has changed and so many new tools are available to you.
Join me now for my all-new year-long professional visual storytelling course. Over twelve monthly sessions with deep-dives, open conversations, and practical lessons, I will show you exactly how to boot-up the eight newest visual AI tools to enhance your business storytelling superpowers.
From “what is visual storytelling" to “what visual AI tools do I need to learn first,” these 12 live deep-dives will show you exactly how to:
Become a great visual storyteller, even if you can’t draw.
Engage with your customers, clients, and colleagues in an entirely new way.
Understand how the human visual mind actually works -- so that you can use visual AI effectively.
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Episode 1: Back of the Napkin 2.0: Solving Problems with Pictures in the Age of AI – Launch of the updated year-long visual storytelling program that blends vision science with image-generation AI. We’ll revisit what made the original BOTN approach powerful, explore what’s changed in the past 20 years, and identify the timeless principles that still drive clarity in business communication. AI Tools: AI tools overview

Episode 2: The Superpower of Visual Storytelling, With and Without AI – Visual storytelling makes complex ideas understandable, helps teams align, and engages audiences through simple but impactful images. Learn which steps require your creative touch and where AI can enhance speed, accuracy, and variety. AI Tools: Claude

Episode 3: The 6x6 Story Wheel and Visual Grammar – A six-step visual framework based on neuroscience that turns complex verbal concepts into six drawings that explain anything. Discover how applying the wheel gives structure to your story, and how AI tools can amplify your creative process. AI Tools: Chat GPT

Episode 4: Wheel Stop 1 – Who & What? – Every good story starts with the characters and the objects that matter to them. We’ll explore how to sketch these core visuals and then use AI to create refined icons, expressive portraits, and unique emojis that match your vision. AI Tools: Midjourney, Napkin.ai

Episode 5: Midjourney Deep Dive – Why Midjourney is the preferred image-generation AI for professional illustrators, and how you can train it to reflect your unique artistic style. Learn prompt strategies to consistently get the look you want without relying on anyone else’s designs. AI Tools: Midjourney

Episode 6: Wheel Stop 2 – Where? – Mapping the starting and ending points of your story reveals context, scale, and movement. We’ll look at different types of maps and see how AI tools can quickly produce clear, tailored visuals for your narrative. AI Tools: LucidChart, Miro

Episode 7: Wheel Stop 3 – How Much? – Measuring progress visually adds credibility and clarity. Learn how to create simple yet effective charts that show goals, milestones, and results, with AI making the design process faster and more consistent. AI Tools: Julius, Claude

Episode 8: Wheel Stop 4 – When? – A good story unfolds over time. Timelines help your audience see the sequence of events and the pacing of progress. Explore ways to build engaging timelines and how AI can help you design them in minutes. AI Tools: LucidChart, Mermaid

Episode 9: Wheel Stop 5 – How? – Flowcharts show the interconnectedness of actions, events, and results, weaving together all the elements you’ve drawn so far. See how AI tools can help you create clear, compelling process maps that make your story more persuasive. AI Tools: Whimsical, Napkin.ai

Episode 10: Wheel Stop 6 – Why? – This is where everything comes together. You’ll create a “visual equation” that highlights the key takeaways, underlying reasons, and the ultimate significance of your story. AI tools can support you in synthesizing and polishing this final visual. AI Tools: Miro

Episode 11: Putting It All Together – Learn how to combine your six key visuals into a cohesive narrative presentation that drives understanding and decision-making. See how AI presentation tools can help package your story into professional slides for any audience. AI Tools: Gamma, PowerPoint

Episode 12: Build Your Book of Business – Strategies for marketing and selling your visual storytelling services. Gain insights from Dan’s 40 years of experience, including ten proven practices for building a thriving consultancy and attracting clients.

Episode 13: Growing Your Future in Visual Thinking – How to apply visual storytelling beyond individual projects. We’ll discuss ways to use these skills to innovate, solve problems, and grow your business while enriching your personal and professional life.