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Words drive the cause

“I have a dream”, “Think different”, “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” —just three phrases out of hundreds demonstrating how well-chosen words capture their instigator’s ambitions. These phrases helped helping Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs and the French nation change their respective worlds.

21st century story making

If some words are more effective at bringing design strategy to life, how do we make these words work in a way that’s appropriate for the 21st century? Brands can connect with their audience in an increasing number of ways. We don’t just need to find the words that make the story compelling — we have to also think about how to share this story across multiple communication platforms.

Which is why the hot new blingo word in brand is “transmedia”. The basic premise of transmedia is rather than using different media channels to retell the same story, you use them to communicate different parts of the story. Its success relies on fragmenting a story and making each platform do what it does best which, in turn, makes for a richer, longer lasting story. This means that words and the ability to storyboard and create an engaging narrative becomes even more important to how designers go about their business. It’s no longer enough to think that an image is worth a thousand words. In a transmedia world, what lays behind that image needs to be broken up and re-assembled into different formats through different technologies in a way that heightens interaction.