The value of visual storytelling will only increase over time. You don’t need a research grant from the feds to reach this conclusion. There are only so many words a human brain can process before the overload buzzer goes off (unless you’re Stephen Hawking). Which brings us to the infographic. If a picture is worth …more
Jack and Jill. Romeo and Juliet. Shrek and Fiona. The news release and storytelling. Not exactly a stanine buster figuring out which one doesn’t fit. Don’t blame PR Newswire. Their services are merely the delivery vehicle corporations use to fling their dull announcements – OK, I’m being kind – to the masses. To combat …more
There’s a reason the line “a picture is worth a thousand words” became a cliché. To debate whether it’s 1,000 words or 1,055 words misses the point. A visual pulls the reader into the narrative and enhances the storytelling. Photo sites like Flickr make it easy to add photos into your blog posts. You can …more
The largest semiconductor in the world runs a story depicting tattoos with “Intel” as part of the deisgn. Caterpillar produces a video about the role of their tractors in uniting the country of Madagascar. Visual storytelling can be an effective means to show a company’s humanity to the outside world. It’s tough for B2B companies …more
Some pieces of information aren’t rich enough to justify a stand-alone post. Hence, a smattering of commentary from the grab bag – Visuals as a Storytelling Technique Testing products doesn’t exactly make for scintillating storytelling. That’s why I was impressed with the one-off narrative from a company called Animoca. The fragmentation of the Android platform …more
Most manufacturing processes do not make for a good story, whether they involve sausages, semiconductors or steel beams. The steps are either gross or way too complex. That’s why I’m impressed with Erik Rhey’s visual storytelling in Fortune and his piece, “Bottles to Bridges.” Understanding the transformation of recycled plastic bottles into the equivalent of …more
I came across a video by David Shiyang Liu that plays off an Ira Glass riff on the creative process. David, who is a filmmaker and director at the Melbourne studio Kick Kick Punch (no Kaboom), married typography with Glass’s verbal narrative to produce the video below. Sure, Ira Glass’s voice by itself gives power …more
Visual storytelling demands a place in any organization’s business communications. Photos, graphics, charticles – apparently, when it comes to fish, what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas – etc. all provide storytelling fodder. Which brings me to the infographic. You could make an argument that the infographic is the new black. Beyond the visual appeal, …more
Everyone refers to Steve Jobs as the consummate showman. Not true. He is the consummate storyteller with “showmanship” just one way to accentuate a given story. Paul Theroux, in the recent issue of Newsweek, noted: “… while the computer world gained a supergeek, the literary world might have lost a powerful storyteller.” I don’t know about “the …more
