To be able to tell stories visually you have to understand the classical elements of good storytelling and how they correlate to visual elements. I have compiled some of my thoughts here. Many of the ideas in this post are from "Storytelling: Branding in Practice" by Fog, K., Budtz, C., Munch, P., Blanchette, S. Check their book out for an incredibly in-depth look at storytelling in branding.
All stories require four elements:
1. Message
The message is a moral or ideology that unifies the story. It is the central purpose for expressing your tale.
2. Conflict
The conflict is the essential force of a good story. It creates a struggle in which the author can express their message.
3. Characters
The Characters are the interacting elements of your conflict. They are the ones which illustrate the issues at hand within the message. At a minimum, the cast needs to include a hero and an adversary. The hero has a mission, a purpose, or a calling to fulfill. The hero always stands for good and is opposed to the agenda of the adversary. Juxtaposing the hero we see the adversary, the villain, or the monster. The antagonist is portrayed as imperfect, fallen, or a twisted evil. The adversary need not be human but can take on many forms as long as it poses a barrier to the hero.
4. Plot
It is the structure that moves the story forward.
The art of storytelling comes from how you arrange the specifics of each element to craft a narrative. By using these simplified story elements and classic plots you can create visual art that is more compelling and communicates on an emotional level.
Let's take a closer look at what kind of questions you should ask yourself when approaching a design to tell a story and how they relate to the four elements of story.
"The Message" - The central purpose of expressing your graphic.
What is the moral of your design?
What central theme do your graphics need to communicate to the end user?
How should your product make your viewer feel?
These are questions that are subjective and dependent on the project, but they are fundamental to the approach, form, function, and genre/style from which you will create your work.
"The Conflict" - The central disturbance whereby you can communicate a solution to your audience.
The conflict can manifest itself in many ways, but primarily it concerns itself with the issue being displayed within the graphic.
What is the customers' pain point?
Why should they choose your product?
How can the information in your graphic solve their problem?
Symbolically the use of contrast whether conceptual, compositional, or focal is a definitive way to define the forces at work in this conflict.
"The Characters" - The interacting cast within your conflict
These elements should be used to connect with your audience. The viewer should identify with the hero and want them to emerge victorious from the conflict. Depending on what basic plot best suits your message this could manifest in different ways. To indicate the hero a designer might use signs and symbols like a brand logo, a photograph of a person the consumer identifies with, or something the viewer desires. The villain doesn't necessarily have to be a person, it might be an obstacle, but it stands opposed and in the way of the hero's success.
"The Plot" - The form that moves the story forward
The plot is determined by the format of the work.
What medium are you communicating?
Why is this medium the most efficient for visually presenting your story?
How can this medium be most effectively used to communicate your story visually?
After the format is determined, consider the composition or eye flow and visual hierarchy.
What information is most important?
What should be seen first?
How can you lead your viewer to the ending/solution you are offering them?
It is important to remember that your designs must imply a beginning, middle, and end to be an actual story. For example, the question may be asked what happened to the hero? If the graphic doesn't signify a victory, then the efficacy of your product may be cast into doubt. Always remember to imply a resolution when visually storytelling.
In the end, storytelling is an art and after study and practice, new techniques and modes will arise. Methods and formulas can help, but will never adequately account for the emotional response that a well-communicated story can accomplish.
These concepts are hard to generalize, and you will have to seriously think about how to express your brand through your visual communication.
Visually telling stories is our passion at Listen Haus. You can ask us any questions we'd love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and give you advice on your storytelling.