7/30/2019 Using Storytelling in Design

1/2

Kit Hinrichs: The Art o the Narrative

There is no one right approach to telling o a visual story eectively. Every story needs to be

shaped by the ideas to be expressed, the audience to which it is directed, and the medium

used. However one chooses to tell the story, remember that i you dont engage, entertain,

cajole and inorm readers, theyll quickly lose interest.

Here are some principles to keep in mind:

1. There are no boring stories, only boring storytellers.

Avoid the obvious. Create interesting metaphors. Look or the human element. Appeal to

emotions whether selling a car or promoting a cause.

2. Pace the story.

Think o your story as a musical score that has crescendos and coloration, calm places

and surprises. The same look page ater page would be like playing the same note over and

over ad nauseum.

3. Every story needs a graphic hero.

I the story requires heavy text, let the typography become the star. I a narrative has always

been told with photography, recast with illustration. Extreme scale and color can be heroic

and bring new lie to a subject.

4. All good stories have a beginning, middle and an end.

Dont drop the reader into the middle o a tale. Guide the reader through the story and lead

him/her to a satisying conclusion.

5. Tell it with strength.

Too oten corporate clients want to tell everything, about everyone, every timeand end up

telling nothing. Readers get lost and rustrated when there are too many story lines. Cut to

the essence o a story, ocus on the most important aspects, and tell it with passion.

6. Remember the cover is the frst page o a story.

Think o the cover as a barker outside the circus tent. Use the cover to entice the reader to

look inside and get the whole story.

7/30/2019 Using Storytelling in Design

2/2

7. People who are entertained while learning remember more.

I you can add humor, drama, mystery, suspense, readers will happily stick with the story.

8. Dont decide how to tell a story beore you knowwhat the story is.

Too oten we pre-decide which photographer or new type style or illustrator we want to use

beore the concept is clear. Let the story lead you to those decisions.

9. Keep it simple, make it personal.

Our job is to engage an audience so that they can understand and embrace a point o view.

Use specifc examples in your stories that everyone can relate to.

10. Dont tell the same story twice.

We are oten asked to tell the same story year ater year just dont tell it the same way.

11. I our clients knew how to tell the story, they wouldnt need us.

Corporate bullet points supplied by our clients are not a road map. They are simply guide

posts on an uncharted path.

12. Mankind does not live by graphics alone!

I words werent important, there would only be pictures. Remember that images are meant

to support, augment and enhance the written story. Dont overshadow the words or make

them impossible to read.

13. Know your audience.

I youre telling your story with emoticons, its probably better i your audience is in high

school, not a retirement village.

14. How readers process inormation.

When reading corporate materials and periodicals, most people are drawn to the images

frst, then to headlines andlarge quotes, then captions, and fnally i their interest is

peaked, theyll read the running text. Dont lose the reader at the frst step.

15. Understand the story beore you try to tell it.

Too many designers dont read and attempt to simply layout a page or ollow a grid beore

understanding its content. Dont be a decorator, be a thinker.