- One of the basic tenets of design today
is the idea of narrative and storytelling.
A 21st century viewer has spent his or her entire life
digesting multiple narratives through television,
online, books, and movies every day.
Compare this to an 18th century farmer
who might read two books his entire life.
This makes storytelling an integral part
of how we communicate.
Regardless of our intention
the viewer will always create a story.
It's in our nature as human beings
to understand the world.
For a designer, this requires an understanding
of layout and composition sequentially
in print, exhibitions, retail experiences,
and screen-based media.
This may seem out of place
but looking at comic books
is the best way to understand narrative and imagery.
They tell a story concisely, clearly, and dramatically.
If a comic book were a sequence of images,
the same size from the same vantage point,
they'd be pretty dull.
A good sequential design solution, like a comic book,
tells the story with pivotal images
and radical shifts in vantage point.
Allan Hurlburt's layout for a retrospective on the 1960s
may be six decades old
but it is one of the best examples
of using images sequentially.
The topography on the bottom of the left page
echoes the shape of the casket on the right.
A black and white image of a footstep on the moon
is followed by a full page spread
of the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon.
The girl in the large image looks at the smaller boxes
followed by a page of children in various sizes of boxes.
A great spread that offers a moment of quiet
visually leads to a spread of multiple faces and activity.
The range of dark and light, close up and long shots,
color and black and white,
work with a grid structure to maintain order
and communicate a big story of a tumultuous decade.
Good editing in motion graphics and film
will have high points, quiet moments
and change of point of view.
With minimal forms, a few colored lines,
the sequence here is engaging
with changing point of view, close up and long shots,
slow and fast speed and a variety of tone.
Designing a compelling timeline either in print on screen
or in an exhibition is a challenge.
Often the end product is a long list of dates
that the audience doesn't read.
For an exhibition in Lisbon,
P-O6 Atelier designed a three-dimensional timeline
that invites the viewer to experience the content.
The structure of a singular line in the center
works to anchor stories, images, clippings
and actual artifacts on this exhibition.
The variety of types of images, topography and texture
could be a chaotic mess.
But the structure and simple color palette
unify the message.
The opposite side is mirrored
allowing the viewer to see him or herself
as part of the history.
The idea of sequence creates experience.
826 Valencia Pirate Supply Store,
is the front entrance to a nonprofit organization
dedicated to helping children and young adults
develop writing skills.
The San Francisco agency office
creates a narrative based on our understanding
of pirate mythology.
Products, signage and the environment work together
to tell the story when the visitor sees the exterior,
enters, and picks up a product and sees posters on the wall.
Working with multiple images and words
sequentially in print, on screen, and environmentally
takes all the lessons we've learned this far
and expands them.
Don't worry, this is complex.
But it's primarily an issue of variety.
Like most everything in life,
we need to mix things up to feel alive.