Storytelling changed how I approach design.
I have always been a storyteller. It’s almost impossible for me to answer the question “What did you do today?” without setting the scene, describing the cast of characters and spinning a story of a day that any other person might describe as mundane.
I’ve always been the guy who comes into the office on Monday morning with some outrageous story about my weekend, yet it never occurred to me that this approach to telling stories could alter the way I approach design.
I am a Casey Niestat fan-boy. I watch his vlogs every day and I strive to have the work ethic that he has. Casey’s mantra is “Story is King. Everything else is slave to Story.” What he means by this is that it doesn’t matter how good you are with a program, how much money you spent on your gear, or how many hours you spend editing a shot. If it doesn’t serve the story, if you can’t engage an audience, it’s pointless.
This really sunk in with me and I began applying that to my work. Instead of just designing something that was cool or trendy, I began to think about the story. Who is the client? What are their values? Where did they come from and where do they want to go? As I moved through this process, the crutch of cool and trendy went out the window, and I was able to stand strong on the story. My work made more sense and my solutions were laser focused. If it was cool, it was because the story made it cool. The client was even more pleased with the solution, and my choices made sense to them.
Storytelling is key when it comes to bringing concepts to life. People connect with a story and they will share a good story with their friends. The tools, expertise, and knowledge that designers bring to the table can be elevated when they are being used to tell a great story. It is in this storytelling that we can find the true purpose of the design and bring a more elegant, cohesive, and thoughtful solution to the client.
Every project may not have a drawn out story, but if you listen hard enough, there’s a story in there somewhere.
When you know a pretty story, you don’t let it go unsaid.