Meet your
Live Illustrator
& Visual Strategist
I'm Julia Bakay, the Keynote Artist
I support organizations by creating hand-made visual summaries, translating their message into engaging, logical, and impactful visual maps.
I either create these illustrations during events I'm invited to (known as Graphic Recording or Visual Note-taking), or we work together to build Strategic Visuals over several weeks.
Why organizations hire Julia Bakay
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Classically trained artist delivering premium-quality Graphic Recording
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Strategic visual thinker, qualified Systems Thinker
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Background in Education, Fine art, English studies, and Organizational leadership
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Specialist in remote & hybrid graphic recording
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Interdisciplinary experience across sectors, supporting healthcare, government, education, sustainability, and more
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International client base across the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe
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Fair, transparent pricing with exceptionally high value in return
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Live & Strategic Illustrator with a unique balance of clarity and aesthetics
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Thoughtful, human-centered, joyful collaboration
“Your presence and your artwork added a unique and inspiring dimension to the event, capturing the essence of the day in a truly remarkable way. The feedback we have received from conference attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you for sharing your talents with us and for helping to make our conference a memorable and impactful event.”
An Event Artist with degrees in Education, Fine Art, English & Organisational Leadership
Coincidentally relevant Qualifications
Master’s in
Organizational Leadership
Medaille University, New York
Master’s in
Education - English Studies, Fine Art & Art History
University of Szeged, Hungary
Bachelor’s Scholarship,
English & French Studies
Université d’Angers, France
Bachelor’s in
Visual Communication
& English Studies
University of Szeged, Hungary
Interviews & Podcasts
Evolving Enterprises: Stories of Growth Transformation
Episode #55
Interview with Professor Martin Parr on Visual Systems Thinking
Interview with Kali Nikolova on what I do and how I stay creative
Abroad out of Adventure
Episode #45
Interview with Dora Pataki on
my adventures as a Digital Nomad
Your Remote Event Illustrator
for conferences and meetings around the world
As a Strategic & Live Illustrator, I get to work at events around the world; so far in the UK, the EU, USA, Canada, Africa, and Australia!
An independent, woman-owned
Live Illustration business
I love the illustration part of my work, but it's our collaboration that makes it most enjoyable and meaningful.
Why hire a big agency when you can enjoy a 1:1 creative process with an artist dedicated to your project?
By working with me, you're supporting a small & independent live illustration business
...and that's what the world needs more of!
I'm an Artist, an Optimist, a Creative Spirit
I spent my early 20s taking creative roles all over Europe and the USA, enjoying wonderful scholarships and seeking any opportunities to learn something new. I went with the flow, going wherever the currents of curiosity took me.
There I was, with a diverse range of work experiences, three languages, awesome practical life skills, and more degrees than I could ever need...
Then, I found my passion...
What does a Keynote Artist do?
Also known as a Graphic Recorder & Facilitator,
as a Keynote Artist, I use my skills & talents to help organizations create their visual summary
When my clients find me with a project, my aim is to find the most effective, engaging and aesthetic methods to communicate their ideas and intentions.
Visual Support
offered by Live Illustrator & Visual Strategist, Julia Bakay
is a moment-by-moment capture and summary during live events. Focusing on distilling the information from sessions to create a visual map of the key ideas
is a visual summary of the entire day, or across multiple days, of an event. Illustrating scenes, activities, and key take-aways
can happen during online meetings, events, workshops or even based on audio and video recordings! It's my simplified approach to Live Illustration, making it more accessible to shorter events
A live illustration approach where I summarize an entire event onto one canvas. A visual conference summary is created by capturing the key themes and ideas, then linking and illustrating them to create one cohesive piece.
as a Visual Thinking Partner, I help
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think through, simplify or map out ideas and processes
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design creative workshops
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translate your message into simple and powerful graphics
are a result of our visual collaboration, such as mapping journeys, visualizing strategies, or visually organizing the contents of written documentation
Illustrated Infographics
or Rich Pictures
a hand-drawn visual summary of a complex idea or process to make it more understandable, accessible and engaging
a visual representation of information with little to no text
What are my rates as a Strategic & Live Illustrator?
Each client, event and project is different, therefore,
my rates are quite flexible.
They depend on...
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Your budget
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Hours the project takes
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In-person or remote
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The style and approach, such as how detailed you'd like it and in what format
If you have a budget in mind, we can tailor the scope of the project around it. I'm always looking for opportunities to work with amazing people and organizations; I aim to build great relationships and appreciate long-term collaborations.
Strategic & Live Illustrator working in the UK,
United States, Canada,
and across Europe
I join and Live Illustrate most events entirely remotely, but here are some snippets from my calendar that may help see where you can book me in person without much extra travel needed!
Upcoming Live Illustration Locations and Opportunities
Graphic Facilitation in Europe
(Paris, Budapest & Vienna)
Summer & Autumn, 2026
Graphic Recording in the US & Canada
Winter, 2026
Live Scribing in the UK
(from London to Edinburgh)
Summer 2026 - Summer 2027
