INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL STORYTELLING(Part 1)

https://www.varsityscope.com/2022/05/the-joys-of-african-storytelling.html
Stooory stoooory, story.
Once upon a time….time time
(Anthemic Beginning of most African Stories)

Today’s story is today.
It’s most likely not the story of the clever Tortoise beating the Elephant to a village square race.
It’s more likely the story of a resilient CEO who starts a business on scraps and has built an enviable multinational company.
Today’s story is not likely about flying gods with magic wands or semi-gods with superhuman strength and fire oozing from their mouths, it is more likely about an idea, a product, the journey of a brand or that of its founder. It’s the story of why you need to hit the subscribe button or load your credit card to buy a product, or invest in a new business.
The power of telling stories has not changed, but the stories we tell have changed and the range of things we can now tell stories about has expanded tremendously.
What story are you telling today and how are you telling it? Do you tell your stories in a visually stunning way or do you feel content to use texts and words alone?
What is visual storytelling and how can this incredible art position you to attract, convert and engage a waiting audience?

WHAT IS VISUAL STORYTELLING?
It’s visual. It’s ‘story’ and it’s ‘telling’ something to someone.
We can decide to go that basic in defining what Visual Storytelling and we won’t be missing too much.
But a more formal definition won’t hurt and here’s a very fine one according to https://www.wearecognitive.com;
Visual storytelling is the art of communicating messages, emotions, narratives and information in a way which reaches viewers at a deep and lasting level. Delivered through rich visuals, these are either recorded from the real world or created by artists and visual thinkers.
https://www.wearecognitive.com/blog/why-is-visual-storytelling-important

So, there we have it again.
It’s got to be visual. It’s got to be ‘story-like’ and it’s got to be ‘telling’ something to someone.

WHY THE ENTIRE WORLD IS GOING VISUAL
And you may wonder;
“I’m no skit-maker or Vlogger’, I’m just a guy making quality-leather shoes from the skin of Buffalos in Zimbabwe. Why do I need to go visual, or tell stories? I just want to sell my premium-quality shoes?
Great! Did you see what you did there?
You just told us a story! You just told us what makes your shoes different from other shoes in town, you just made us realize that your leather skins come all the way from Zimbabwe.
Guess what! With a camera, some voice over, some Buffaloes and some nice video editing, this simple story of ‘shoes made from Buffalo skins in Zimbabwe’…you might be on your way to gaining a thousand more clients who will simply buy your shoes not because of its features but because of the story behind the shoe.
So yes, visual storytelling is for all of us. Not just the Vlogger or the Skit maker, but for the Shoe-seller, Photographer, Thought-leader, church pastor, NGO founder, Teens Dance Instructor, and the list goes on.
It’s not just emotional connection that is powering the fast-scaling visual storytelling market, there are two other core drivers innately making the entire world go visual.
According to 3M, visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text and 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
According to OneSpot, 92% of consumers want brands to make their ads feel like stories. This is not hard to believe as the human brain prefers information packaged as stories.
THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL STORYTELLING…IN A BIT
Like the golden rule of visual storytelling says, “Keep it Short and Simple” (KISS), this guide to Visual Storytelling is meant to be kept “short and simple” as it comes in two parts. While we have looked at the WHAT and WHY of visual storytelling in this first part, we will be plunging into the 4 principles of a compelling visual story in the second part.
It’s a buzzing world out there, one that boasts of 4.6 billion content every day and 25% of all businesses leveraging on video as a marketing tool…this world is yours for the taking as you brace up for an eye-opening ride into the immersive world of visual storytelling.