PREFACE
We don’t just crave stories; we crave the way they make us feel. A single story can have the power to evoke laughter, tears, fear, anger, or a myriad of other emotions. Storytellers can encourage us to act in newfound ways, and believe in newfound things.
Today, our projects are increasingly complex, and as designers, we need to amass more information than ever to provide thoughtful ideas and solutions. Yet, despite our preparation, we may fail to articulate our knowledge and ideas in a way that compels our audiences toward action.
My years of practice and teaching have imparted on me the power of storytelling. Being able to understand your client, garner their attention, and leave them with a message that is clear, purposeful, and inspiring has never been more critical.
This book’s aim is to demystify the elements of story, to help readers define their audience’s characters, and provide useful frameworks and strategies to craft their own stories using written, verbal, visual, and video messages. Essentially, it’s the resource I wish I had going into practice.
Part 1 Storytelling in Design: A Primer
While designers are undoubtedly familiar with stories, they probably haven’t conceptualized the significance and potential of story in design practice. This part will introduce the concept of story, why it matters, and how it can be leveraged throughout the design process.
Ch 1 Human Response to Story
We begin by exploring the topic of storytelling, offering a brief history of the evolution of storytelling and our responses to stories, including their potential to foster social connections, aid our capacity to organize information and help us recall that information, as well as which story elements prompt these responses.
Ch 2 Presenter Meet Audience
The real “stars” of a design story are the audience. To sway these individuals, this chapter will challenge readers to question their presentation goals and then introduce strategies to help them connect with their audience.
Ch 3 Story Design
This chapter introduces the notion of both “stories” and “S”tories. All good presentations are “stories” and this chapter discusses how to generate story ideas involving the readers’ point of view, their projects, or project pitches. “S”tories are the tangible representations that make ideas come to life, and the chapter closes by summarizing how to integrate these “Stories” into a design presentation.
Part 2 Modes of Communication
Even the best of stories can fall flat given ineffective communication. The second part of the book helps readers find their voice through written, verbal, visual, and video communication tactics.
Ch 4 Writing for Impact
The written word is a critical but often underappreciated tool in the designer’s toolkit. This chapter explores the significance of writing in design and readers will learn how to succinctly and potently distill their messages using the written word.
Ch 5 Speaking for Impact
Some are adept at public speaking, while others avoid it at all costs. This chapter will help readers effectively present information and ideas using oratory tools such as inflection, cadence, non-verbal gestures, and audience activity.
Ch 6 Visual Storytelling
While many designers are savvy at creating visuals, they may struggle with how to fold visual messages into a design story. This chapter will summarize the basic mechanics of visual communication so that visuals support rather than distract from the message at hand.
Ch 7 Storytelling with Information
Designers are frequently asked to define project parameters from a wide array of inputs. This chapter focuses on how to tell the story of design analysis by applying information design strategies.
Ch 8 Storytelling with Ideas
Ideas are a designer’s livelihood. This chapter will identify strategies to tell the story of an idea using visual messages including drawings, models, and mixed reality depictions and how these “props” can be woven into a design story.
Ch 9 Storytelling with Video
Videos are being viewed, shared, and generated like never before. However, creating an engaging video is no small undertaking. This chapter explores the appropriate use of video, the typical flow of work involved in video production, and how to conceptualize and create a design story when timing is critical.