Visual storytelling (and/or visual narrative) is an increasingly important marketing practice. “The art of communicating visually in forms that can be read or looked upon”, visual storytelling emphasizes the expression of ideas and emotions through performance and aesthetics.
The process of visual storytelling often begins with the creation of storyboards – written or graphical progressions helpful in organizing and developing your concept. They are often used in digital creative and commercial ad planning to solidify your visuals as attention grabbing, logical and finished.
Successful visual stories are authentic, inspiring and humanistic. Many creative videos have gone viral due to embodying these traits and evoking influential emotions. “The Scarecrow”, a companion film for Chipotle’s app-based game promoting the importance of sustainable food, is just one high level example:
However, visual stories aren’t only told by video. Print and photo campaigns often prove powerful in generating brand awareness and exposure for your cause. Images such as these are a great example of cohesive feature spreads that instill global, human connection:
For further reading, check out my blog on the importance of visual storytelling to marketing strategy. I encourage you to comment below with your personal storytelling experiences and the effect image and video campaigns have had on your business success.
Storytelling used properly is one of the most effective techniques of persuasion. Sometimes, story telling does not even need words. Visual story telling can include videos or even a billboard sign for advertising your product. Learning how to do this effectively is something that is a bloodline for your companies customer base.
Hi Paige,
Thanks for commenting! I am glad you share an understanding of visual storytelling and how important it is.