PROJECTS II

VISUAL STORYTELLING
WHAT’S STORYTELLING?

Long ago, storytellers were wise

old men and women who
conveyed tales of the ancients and
lessons learned through the ages.

But thanks to technology, anyone

can now become a storyteller, a
reporter and a publisher.
WHY VISUAL?
Visual storytelling has emerged as an important trend in many forms
of marketing in the digital era for good reason.

The visual cortex is the largest section of the human brain. According
to a 2008 study, the average person remembers about 10% of what
they hear when tested 72 hours later. But when visuals are added into
the mix, the figure increases to 65%.

Visuals are also more effective than text at evoking emotion and
inspiring audiences to take action.
RULE #1
SHOW, DON’T TELL

Don't tell your audience something if you can make

them see it. Rely on words as less as possible. When
presenting a product, don't tell potential customers
how it works if you can show the item in use.

Which do you think is more effective: A video of a

person telling you drugs are bad, or an image of an
egg frying in a pan with the spoken statement, "This is
your brain on drugs”?
RULE #2
CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING

If we’re going to use just a few words, we will need to use some
shortcuts to better communicate with our audience. Those
shortcuts are our context.

When it comes to brands, context can be the colors you

choose, the fonts you use, the filters, or the style of narrative.

We can very easily play with our audience’s assumptions, and

turn them upside down.
RULE #3
KEEP MOVING!

The best stories flow smoothly from beginning to

middle to end.

Stories need some sort of timeline, a sense of going

from place A to place B. This is called story arc, or
character arc, and the best way to depict this is with
movement.
RULE #4
FOLLOW AN ARC

Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end, the path through
which is known as the narrative arc. A presentation that remains flat, such as
a random sequence of facts or images, isn't a story.
RULE #5
SHOW CONFLICT

Without some sort of conflict, or an obstacle to overcome, there is no story.

Conflict happens when someone wants or needs something, whether it's the
desire to possess an object, earn the love or another or even fight for
survival.

In marketing conflict explains why the product is relevant to the audience.

What "problem" does it solve? The climax of the story is the solution. The
story's resolution then becomes the campaign's call to action.
RULE #6
PEOPLE LOVE PEOPLE

People relate better to other people than inanimate objects or ideas. When
telling stories about relatable people, you foster a sense of trust between
the audience and your brand or message.

Facial expressions can also help a story reach a global audience.

RULE #7
HOLD YOUR FOCUS

Don’t get lost on the details. Too many of them, and

audience will lose attention.

Framing is the key for this. The Rule of Thirds says

that if you divide a screen into thirds using lines, the
points where the lines cross are focus points that
the eye is naturally attracted to.
RULE #8
DON’T BE OBVIOUS

We are exposed to hundreds of stories everyday, so the ones

that stick are the ones that don’t follow the obvious path.

Surprising your audience is the ultimate way of engaging them.

And engagement is the ultimate goal of content marketing.
RULE #9
THE HITCHCOCK RULE

The size of any object in your frame should be proportional to

its importance to the story at that moment. In other words,
emphasize images that are pertinent to the story.
RULE #10
TEACH THE AUDIENCE

Carry a message. Give a lesson. Show or share a stance. Don’t

be bland. Make your audience think.

When humans started putting together stories, they did it to

teach some important life lesson. Entertaining was just a
means of teaching that lesson, not the ultimate goal of the
story.