The Secret to Actually Producing Great Visual Storytelling

STEP TWO@LeslieBradshaw ||#StepTwo || #INBOUND14

(i.e., how to actually do it)

visual storytelling’s

howdy :)

I am the Managing Partner of their NYC office & head up marcom globally

I am the Managing Partner of their NYC office & head up marcom globally

In my career, I’ve helped pioneer visual storytelling efforts on behalf of some awesome brands

AGENDA

(Latin: “Things fit to be done”)AGE ND A

The underpant stealing gnome dilemma.

Your romantic relationship with visual storytelling.

The production of visual storytelling dilemma.

The nitty gritty of visual storytelling. All 12 gritty steps.

Post script: what makes a visual storytelling team tick.

The underpant stealing gnome dilemma.

Your romantic relationship with visual storytelling.

The production of visual storytelling dilemma.

The nitty gritty of visual storytelling. All 12 gritty steps.

Post script: what makes a visual storytelling team tick.

The underpant stealing gnome dilemma.

Your romantic relationship with visual storytelling.

The production of visual storytelling dilemma.

The nitty gritty of visual storytelling. All 12 gritty steps.

Post script: what makes a visual storytelling team tick.

The underpant stealing gnome dilemma.

Your romantic relationship with visual storytelling.

The production of visual storytelling dilemma.

The nitty gritty of visual storytelling. All 12 gritty steps.

Post script: what makes a visual storytelling team tick.

The underpant stealing gnome dilemma.

Your romantic relationship with visual storytelling.

The production of visual storytelling dilemma.

The nitty gritty of visual storytelling. All 12 gritty steps.

Post script: what makes a visual storytelling team tick.

UNDERPANTS !

GNOMES !

ROMANCE !

GRIT

#STEPTWO

STEP ONE:collect underpants

STEP TWO:

STEP THREE:profit.

STEP ONE:decide to use

visual storytelling

STEP TWO:

STEP THREE:profit.

THE ROMANCE

THE FLIRTATION…

you “like” and “share” visual content from other brands

THE FLIRTATION…

you “like” and “share” visual content from other brands

THE SEDUCTION…

everyone is doing it! they look so successful!

THE HEARTBREAK…

producing good work is hard

time

budget

THE HEARTBREAK…

producing good work is hard

time coordinating stakeholders externalities

approvalsdata = weak story = weak

trust = weak

overly branded

budget

THE HEARTBREAK…

producing good work is hard and it doesn’t always work out

budget

lost in translation

coordinating stakeholders externalities

beat to the punch

timing just “off ”

approvals

time overplayed tactic

data = weak

design = weak

story = weak

trust = weak

overly branded

no ROI

THE NITTY GRITTY

1. Customer Research

2. Identify Opportunities

3. Test Propositions (Repeat 1 - 3)

4. Supplementary Research

Get out in the field. Ask open-ended questions.

OBSERVE real behaviors.

Distill your findings. Extract out the opportunities. Let the data speak for itself.

Start with sketches + small batches. Don’t blow your budget on one BIG idea.

Do you have all the data you need to make a sound

argument? No? Go fish.

5. Analysis6. Creative Brief

Development7. Sketch /

Wireframes8. Copywriting

Combine what you know + what you’ve learned. Be ruthless RE: cutting fat.

Combine goals, mandatory elements, dimensions,

sketches.

Don’t be afraid of pen and paper. Or Balsamiq.

Everyone should contribute.

Respect a designer’s time by buttoning up the copy and

nailing character count.

9. Moodboards & Styleframes

10. Combine Design + Copy

11. Edit12. Release, Refine,

ReuseExplore styles through

mood boards (Pinterest!) and rough color mock ups.

Sort of like folding the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Taste the batter!

Get a fresh set of eyes on all aspects of the asset.

Release and monitor performance. Templatize and watermelon smash.

PLAN THE WORK, WORK THE PLANPH

ASE

1PH

ASE

2PH

ASE

3

PHASE 1

over opinionevidence

over opinionover your goals

evidence customer

over opinionover your goals

over tatical enthusiasm

evidence customerstrategy

1. CUSTOMER RESEARCH

Flickr : darronb

2. IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES

Flickr : nathangibbs

3. TEST PROPOSITIONS

my pic :-)

4. SUPPLEMENTARY RESEARCH

Flickr : jacobgutierrezflores

over BDUFsmall batches

PHASE 2

over BDUFsmall batches

over BDUFover table tennis

small batchesco-design

over BDUFover table tennis

small batchesco-design

over “creatives”T.E.A.M.

5. ANALYSIS

Flickr : internetarchivebookimages

6. CREATIVE BRIEF

my doc :-)

7. SKETCH / WIREFRAME

Flickr : baldiri

team’s rough sketches

turned into this…

8. COPYWRITING PRECISION

Flickr : mamchenkov

over finitudecontinuous improvement

PHASE 3

over finitudecontinuous improvement

over finitudeover marketing fluff

continuous improvement real value

over finitudeover marketing fluff

over profit

continuous improvement real value

trust

9. MOODBOARDS & STYLEFRAMES

Pinterest: Tiffany Farrant Gonzalez Mark Kulakoff Jehoaddan Kulakoff

10. COMBINE DESIGN + COPY

Flickr : benward

11. EDIT WITH FRESH EYES

Flickr : nics_events

12. RELEASE, REFINE, REUSE

Flickr : joeybls

Concept: @jchernov

reso

urce

s

time

Video eBook

reso

urce

s

time

Styleframes = Snackables for Social

Animatics = Gifs

Vector Images = Template Building Blocks

Script = Blog Posts

Video eBook

Thesis

Evidence

Authors

Graphics

FINAL ADMISSIONS

Respecting the process is key.

Used to sell it, still believe in it. Most of the time.

The second step is always hard.

Respecting the process is key.

Used to sell it, still believe in it. Most of the time.

The second step is always hard.

Respecting the process is key.

Used to sell it, still believe in it. Most of the time.

The second step is always hard.

SPECIAL THANKS

@TheTraceyCarl @Kyle_Musgrave

@marklemunyon

@alixmcalpine @olsonchr @RobynCantTweet

@tiffanyfarrant @ripetungi

@supnah @ChristianJDay

@ripetungi

@jennykarn

@jchernov

@nishachittal

@michael_hendrix

@theEABrown

@sarahEhill

@kulakoff

@JehoaddanK

leslie@madebymany.com

@lesliebradshaw

PLEASE STAY IN TOUCH :)

POST SCRIPT: WHAT MAKES YOUR

TEAM TICK? !

WHAT TICKS YOUR TEAM OFF?

“…the client allows us to experiment and trusts our vision without injecting heavy-handed branding or logos.”

!

!

!

- @alixmcalpine creative, BuzzFeed

I LOVE IT WHEN…

“… the client knows exactly how the content will be used, and then repurposed.” !

- @supnah content strategist, BitTorrent

I LOVE IT WHEN…

“…the client fully shares the brand with me. Not just a brand guide, but the raison d’être… it’s a lot more genuine if we're telling the story of the company as well [as the product].”

- @olsonchr content strategist

I LOVE IT WHEN…

“… the client hands over the all the data, and says: ‘we think this is the story, but would like for you to help us refine / find it’.” !

!

- @ripetungi information designer

I LOVE IT WHEN…

“Good content should deliver on both business needs and user needs. It's easy for clients and agency folks to keep the business needs in mind, but fighting for value for the end user can be difficult at times.” !

- @Kyle_Musgrave content strategist, Havas Worldwide

"The hardest parts of a visual storytelling project are all at the beginning, when your focus is on crafting strong content before even beginning the visual work.” !

- @michael_hendrix strategist, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation

“It's easy to get excited about the data set and to want to share everything you have. But there's a real art in cutting the fluff to reveal the singular message you want to get across.” !

!

- @jennykarn co-founder, Beutler Ink

“Sketches are the key to happiness, smooth approvals and sunshine all around. !

One of our designers sketches things by hand with pencil to paper and I love that we have a tangible product on our side to hold on to after a project is completed.” !

- @alixmcalpine creative, BuzzFeed

“… the client is married to one visual solution instead of being open to letting the designer explore ideas.”

!

!

!

- @RobynCantTweet art director, Beutler Ink

I HATE IT WHEN…

I HATE IT WHEN…“… the client gives piecemeal feedback and copy updates round after round after round, when … we could have received the feedback in one complete round — our time is as valuable as theirs!” !

- @ChristianJDay creative director, Knight Studios

“… the client doesn't have a clear objective for telling the story in the first place. Why will your audience find this story of value? Who is the audience you are telling this story to?”

!

- @TheTraceyCarl content strategist

I HATE IT WHEN…

“…the client judges the world through a camera instead of their eyes.”

!

!

- @theEABrown strategist

I HATE IT WHEN…

“… my boss asks for the impossible, or asks for sky high conceptual ideas without understanding the executional realities.”

!

!

!

- @nishachittal strategist, msnbc

I HATE IT WHEN…

I HATE IT WHEN…

“… the client shoehorns their marketing objectives into the story.” !

!

!

- @marklemunyon client manager, NOBODY

“… decides the creative strategy before proper research and team brainstorming.” !

!

- @sarahEhill content strategist

I HATE IT WHEN…

“… I am told I only have a width of 600px to work with.” !

!

!

- @tiffanyfarrant information designer

I HATE IT WHEN…

I HATE IT WHEN…

“… the client starts with the visual, before allowing the data to reveal the story it wants to tell.”

- @ripetungi information designer

I HATE IT WHEN…

“… the client is certain they want to say X very emphatically, but is pretty sure X is not actually true or that any evidence exists for it.”

- @supnah content strategist, BitTorrent

leslie@madebymany.com

@lesliebradshaw

PLEASE STAY IN TOUCH :)