VISUAL

STORYTELLING
A BRIEF PRACTICAL GUIDE
WHY VISUAL STORYTELLING

Visual storytelling has not been an overnight sensation, but in-

stead it has been the result of a continued evolution of social
media platforms, along with user and organizational behaviors.

Research indicates that consumer interest in visual content isn’t

necessarily just a preference; it’s actually easier and faster for
humans to process. The right picture can go further than just
telling your story visually; it can make you feel emotions, evoke
memories, and even make you act differently. Humans are wired
to process visuals differently than text and to respond differently
to pictures than to words. Although human communication has
existed for about 30,000 years, it has been only in the last 7,000
In the 1960s, Professor Albert Mehrabian showed that 93% of
communication is in fact nonverbal.18 By this he meant that
most of the feelings and attitudes of a message come from the
facial expressions and the way the words are said, and the rest,
only 7%, derives from the actual words being spoken. It isn’t
even just the meanings of a message that are conveyed more
precisely by visual information. Even issues of trust and credibi-
lity are carried by images far more so than text.

Here are some facts to keep in mind:

We are wired for visual stories

Although human communication has existed for about

30,000 years, it has been only in the last 7,000 years that hu-
mans developed a written language. Painting was the only
way to convey a message visually. Then came writing and
the printing press. Humans evolved over millennia to re-
spond to visual information long before they developed the
ability to read text.
 We suffer from information
overload

We receive 5x as much information

today as we did in 1986.

34 gigabytes or 100,500 words – the

amount of information we consume
outside of work on an average day.
[10]

On average users only read 28% of

words per visit.

Shortened attention 14% increase in page views is seen

span when press releases contain a photo.

The average modern adult at- 46.1% of people say a website’s de-
tention span is somewhere bet- sign is the number one criterion for
ween discerning the credibility of an organi-
zation.
2.8 and 8 secon-
ds. Publishers who use infographics grow
in traffic an average of 12% more than
94% more total views on avera- those who don’t.
ge are attracted by content con-
taining compelling images than Posts with videos attract three times
more inbound links than plain text
posts attract.

Viewers spend 100% more time on

pages with videos.

Including a photo and a video in a

press release increases views by over
45%.
WHAT VISUAL STORYTELLING

What is visual storytelling?

To use video, pictures, symbols, colors, and
words to communicate ideas, illustrate infor-
mation or express relationships visually.
Visual storytelling is about making complex
information easier to understand. Compel-
ling Visuals grab people’s attention.

It takes many forms and appears in many

media. Some familiar forms include video,
animation, charts, graphs, maps, diagrams
or timelines.

It tells a story with visuals. It can tell “how

many?” “when?” or “where?” It can show
trends over time, compare elements or reve-
al hidden patterns.

What is not visual storytelling?

It is not the same as graphic design,

film-making nor is it only about making so-
mething aesthetically pleasing. It’s not about
branding, style, making a glossy product or
something that looks “corporate.”
Visual storytelling is not just a matter of ma-
king text pretty or entertaining, but of sha-
ping understanding and clarifying meaning.
ELEMENTS OF VISUAL STORYTELLING

In order to develop and implement a successful visu-

al storytelling strategy, storyteller must focus on many
elements. But among all of them, the most important is
the storytelling itself.

All of the succesful visual storytelling examples prove

that the content’s storytelling element is as just as im-
portant as the use of the visuals. Even it would not be
exaggaration having a story is more than visual itself.
That is the reason why we should focus on what story-
telling is first.

Storytelling Techniques

The monomyth (also called the hero’s they know into a threatening unknown
journey), is a story structure that is fo- place.
und in many folk tales, myths and religio- Good for:
us writings from around the world. Taking the audience on a journey
In a monomyth, the hero is called to Showing the benefit of taking risks
leave their home and sets out on a diffi- Demonstrating how you learned some
cult journey. They move from somewhere newfound wisdom
The mountain structure is a way of map- climactic conclusion.
ping the tension and drama in a story. It’s
similar to the monomyth because it helps It’s a bit like a TV series – each episode
us to plot when certain events occur in a has its ups and downs, all building up to
story. a big finale at the end of the season.

It’s different because it doesn’t necess- Good for:

arily have a happy ending. The first part Showing how you overcame a series of
of the story is given to setting the scene, challenges
and is followed by just a series of small Slowly building tension
challenges and rising action before a

Nested loops is a storytelling technique and use the stories around it to elaborate
where you layer three or more narratives or explain that central principle.
within each other.
Good for:
You place your most important story – Explaining the process of how you were
the core of your message – in the centre, inspired/ came to a conclusion
In medias res storytelling is when you engaged to find out what happens.
begin your narrative in the heat of the
action, before starting over at the begin- Good for:
ning to explain how you got there. Grabbing attention from the start
Keep an audience craving resolution
By dropping your audience right into the Focusing attention on a pivotal moment
most exciting part of your story they’ll be in your story
gripped from the beginning and will stay
PARTS II
Success Factors for Visual Story

The efficiency of a visual story by its capacity to:

Engage and entice: its ability to get attention, often through an

arresting or memorable image,

Communicate a convincing argument: summarising complex

concepts in a way that the intended audience will respond to,

Draw the viewer in: giving them a way to connect directly to the
content or explore the issue further.

A Good Visual Campaign...

In visual campaigns, a significant part of the job of

expressing how things are, how they ought to be. Whether
directly presented or implied, in any good visual campaign
you should be able to read a visual argument: the facts of
the matter and the problem, the implied promise of the future
and the implied justification for change.
 28.12.2016

What Can Go Wrong?

visual information aimed at people who are not ready to

receive it or don’t share our understanding of the problem

an image that people cannot bear to look at because it is too

strong, such as explicit documentation of a tragedy, will not
enlist support and, worse, may be perceived as
manipulation.

a campaign that makes use of the wrong technology

platform for its particular audience will not reach it.

Then how?

There are many ways to tell a story or to present data. How

do you know what kind of presentation to use?

The main thing to consider is: which archetypes will help

you to communicate your message?
ANALOGY

Elephant’s fear of the mouse

COMPARE

PROVOKE
 MAKE CONNECTIONS

direct consumption
of water through
visible, everyday
acts such as
flushing a toilet, and
the indirect, invisible
consumption of
water

PERCEPTIONS- MATERIALIZE IT

In trying to
understand an
issue, we are often
asked to
comprehend
measurements that
are difficult to
grasp.
 COMEDY
https://w w w .youtube.com /w atch?v=oJLqyuxm 96k

WHAT CAN GO WRONG AGAIN?

Visual Cliches - The

hazards of overdoing it
and relying too much on
grabbing attention
quickly, without offering
useful or insightful
information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOBv2Cx8WIE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7E-Ym5LEJA
 STORYTELLING VIA
VIDEOGRAPHY &
PHOTOGRAPHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICcE
72RwEyc&index=1&list=WL
SHOT COMPOSITION
All great pictures and videos have one thing in common — they are well composed. Composition
— also called “framing” — is fun to talk about, because there is no right or wrong. The only
rule is that there are no rules. But there are a few tips to help you take better pictures:

FRAMING
Pay attention to framing. Nothing ruins a
photo faster than distracting elements in the
background. Don’t get so focused on the
photo’s subject that you ignore what else is
going on around them. Watch out for poles,
trees and power lines, and look all the way
around the edges of the frame, asking “Is this
what I really want?”

RULE OF THIRDS
Learn the Rule of Thirds. The human eye has its “visual center” and this is the place that it is
naturally drawn to. Imagine the viewfinder is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically.
This grid creates four points where the lines cross. For the greatest impact, place the subject
where the lines intersect, instead of in the center of the frame.
Third Lines
Intersections

Third Lines

1/3 1/3 1/3

FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND
Every photo has a foreground and a
background. How you want people to look
at your picture tells you what to do with the
foreground and background. To blur the
background, zoom in close and choose a
large aperture setting (like F2.8). This works
really well for pictures of a person.

LINE OF SIGHT
Change your line of sight. Try kneeling, or
even putting the camera on the ground. Or
climb a flight of stairs so you’re higher than
the subject you’re photographing. Digital
cameras with twist and tilt LCD screens make
it even easier. Changing angles provides a
new way of seeing things, and makes for a
more dramatic picture.

LEAD THE EYES

Look for elements that lead the eyes through
the photo. A winding path, a row of telephone
poles or even a line of chairs at the beach can
serve as elements in a good photo.
FIND PATTERNS
Keep your eyes open for patterns. Interesting
photos can be made of the waves and
patterns created by drifting snow, a flock of
birds flying in formation or pipes stacked at a
construction site.

GET IN CLOSE
Try getting in close. Look for texture, in the
wrinkles of a face or the bark of a tree. Pay
attention to details.

CROPPING
Cropping brings a photo to life. If you edit photos on the computer, you are no longer limited
to the standard 4 x 6, 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 print sizes. Look at each photo and think about what
you really want people to see. Then crop everything else away. Try some unusual shapes, like
panoramas or narrow verticals.

Original Photo Cropped Photo

CAMERA SHOTS
ESTABLISHING SHOT OR EXTREME LONG SHOT (ES)
Used to establish a setting or sense of place.
Shot is captured very far away from the
subject.

LONG SHOT (LS)

Captures all of the subject, this shot generally
establishes the size of the subject relative
to place (for example a person from head to
toe).

MEDIUM SHOT (MS)

This shot captures half of the subject,
generally seen from waist to head for a
person.
CLOSE-UP SHOT (CU)
This shot focuses in closely on the subject.
Used most frequently with people during
interviews.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP SHOT (ECU)

Goes in even closer to the subject than the
Close-Up Shot and is used to focus on details
or to make a more interesting shot.

CAMERA ANGLES
BIRD’S EYE VIEW
Shooting the subject from way above.
HIGH ANGLE
A shot that is just above the subject looking
down, but not nearly as high as Bird’s Eye
View. This shot can make the subject look or
seem smaller and inferior.

LOW ANGLE
A shot that is just below the subject, looking
up at them. This shot is used to make
subjects look larger and more powerful, for
example the President is usually shot from a
low angle.

CANTED ANGLE
A shot that it is tilted. Generally used to
create the feeling of imbalance.
PLANNING
VISUAL STORY

How do you feel

about plans?
What makes visual storytelling different when you
are doing it for a campaign for a particular
social, legal, cultural, political, or economic
change?

●storytelling is at the service of your goal for

change and your message, rather than
just the story itself or the ideas of the filmmaker.

●Advocacy storytelling is about

effectively communicating this message to the
audience and encouraging them to act.
“You want to move your audience to action. That’s
the difference between advocacy media and
entertainment media. Entertainment is a passive
experience. It’s laid out by the filmmaker. A good
advocacy filmmaker turns things over to the
audience. ”
Peter Wintonick

How do you feel about it?

Nonprofit
Communication

Myths
 • Clear goals and objectives
• A thorough situation analysis
• Determining your target audience
• Developing effective messages
• A sets of strategies and tactics
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Evaluation and Planning

Goals and Objectives

• The outcome of what you’re trying to

accomplish vs. how you will accomplish it
• What’s going to change as a result of your
communications?
• Linked to your organization’s
organizational objectives
Situation Analysis

Public landscape: Consider the ways in

which your organization and issue is
positioned and understood by the public.
Public opinion research is absolutely
invaluable for bolstering (or sometimes
contradicting!) your own “best guesses.” It
is well worth searching for any public
opinion research that has already been
conducted on your issue area or
organization.

Situation Analysis

Media Environment: A clear understanding

of the media landscape in which you will be
operating is critically important.
Allies and Opponents: Avoid making
“shopping lists” of allies or competitors.
Who publicly supports your organization’s
position
Your Audiences

Your Audiences

• Who are you talking to?

• What do you want

them to know about you?

• What do you want them to do?

Emotion – Information - Motivation

Your Audiences

• Audience Group
• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Location
• Occupation
• Education
• Personal online behavior
• Motivation and objectives
• Our objectives

Your Audiences
Your Audiences

Let’s do an exercise.

Your 3 most important audiences.

Messages

Message
Development
Or Story
Telling
Strategies and Tactics

Basically,
strategies are the
broad, creative
ways you are
going to achieve
an objective.
Tactics are the
specific activities
that help you
execute your
strategy.

Strategies and Tactics

• What are you

Goal trying to
accomplish?
• “Game plan”
for
Strategies accomplishin
g goals • Activitie
s--how
Tactics & you
Tools execute
your
strategi
es.
 Strategies and Tactics

Goals: To increase awareness about domestic

violence
Strategy: Mobilize the media against domestic
violence
Tactics: Create a social media campaign/send
newsletters/make a short film/send post
cards/arrange a photo competition.
• Provide support/services
• Increase awareness/visibility
• Support policy change
• Help gain support and recognition
• Increase funding
• Change behavior or attitudes
• Recruit volunteers
• Attract members, clients, donors,
etc.
• Organize community

Planning Your Information

Design
What kind of data is best presented as a picture, video,
chart, a diagram or a map? In what way, screen, print or ?

How do you know what information to focus on and what to

exclude?

What is your overall strategy?

What is my key message or desired outcome?

What can I leave out?

 What will move your
constituency or target?
How it will be read by your target audience? Does your
audience have a prior interest in your subject or are you
trying to reach a new audience?

Consider the story you are telling as well as the tone, style,
and format of your message.

The goal is to summarize your story in one clear,

direct sentence. This is your mission statement.

Confirm it by answering three important questions:

●What is your purpose
●Who is the audience?
●How will we tell the story? - Style and
Approach
●How will the story be used? - Dissemination
What is your purpose?
•Educate – ABOUT the issue
•Motivate – CARE about the issue
•Mobilize – ACT upon the issue

Messages

A few good
message tests…

1. Is it personal?

2. Are you conveying uniqueness?

3. Is there a call to action?

4. Does it add value?

 Messages

Stories + Facts
emotion “proof”
heart statistics
connection numbers
self-identification a need beyond one

Style and Approach

What content is crucial to provide? Who is the storyteller? Whose
perspective and whose voice? Who are the participants? What
tone would best serve your documentary? Somber? Provocative?
Authoritative? Humorous?

What is the best balance among observation and discovery,

interviews, narration, voiceover and re-enactments? How will you
use graphics and music? Is the story quick paced or lyrical? What’s
the optimal length? (Less is almost always more.)
Distribution
How and where will the piece be used? What is the primary use of
the finished product?

Fundraising? Volunteer recruitment? Something else? It’s

important to stay focused on your primary use.
STORYBOARD
References:

Big Duck / Developing a Communications Strategy for Your

Nonprofit

EKATERINA WALTER JESSICA GIOGLIO, The Power of Visual

Storytelling McGraw-Hill Education

SPARKOL, http://www.sparkol.com/

TheGivingPartner Essential Nonprofit Communications Plan

Image Credits:

http://thenextweb.com/
http://knowyourmeme.com/
Simon Lee
angeline veeneman