Storytelling, by Design
Meet Jamie D’Amato.
Hey there, design folks!
My name’s Jamie, and I’m a fifth-year Interaction Design & Communications combined major, graduating this December! I’m currently the resident copywriter on Scout’s Marketing + Events team, and I’m so excited to send cool design things out into the universe.
I love all good stories, from books to video games to campfire ghost stories. As a writer and designer, I’m obsessed with the way design and storytelling intersect. When I’m doing UI/UX work, I find myself taking on the lens of a writer and figuring out the best story to tell. When I’m writing, I have to use design thinking to empathize with the user or reader. Design and storytelling really aren’t all that different, so below you’ll find some cool resources and obsession-worthy content about storytelling in design, design in storytelling, and everything in between.
What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund
Peter Mendelsund is an author and graphic designer known for his book cover art. In addition to books about cover design, he also wrote this gem, about the phenomenon of reading and the way our imaginations take words on a page and create universes in our minds. As a writer, this was so fascinating to me, and as a designer, the clever illustrations throughout brought the point home. It’s a super quick read thanks to the graphics, and it really shows how powerful human imagination is.
The Embrace of Immersive Content: An Industry Report
The Embrace of Immersive Content is a report on the design industry and the use of immersive, interactive content. It’s not your typical snooze-y report: the report itself illustrates the point of the report, which is that powerful content should tell a story and engage readers through design. This is the perfect argument for — and example of — design as a tool for storytelling, and storytelling as a tool for design.
Squid Game
Oh, and who would I be if I didn’t seize this opportunity to talk about my latest obsession?
You’ve probably heard of Netflix’s Squid Game, the Korean drama which broke all sorts of streaming records. With its high stakes, lovable characters, and endless shocking moments, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I first binged it. Beyond it being extremely compelling and relevant to modern capitalist society, it also uses bright, colorful design to juxtapose with its dark themes. The childish, colorful set and bright costumes were design choices that elevated the story, another example of how design and storytelling are intertwined.
Storytelling.design
Finally, we have a resource that basically sums up everything I wanted this week’s newsletter to be about! Storytelling.design is a hub for designers to hone their storytelling skills and learn about the importance of stories in design. It’s full of resources and references that perfectly illustrate the relationship between design and stories. I couldn’t say it better myself!
That’s all from me! Thanks for learning about design and storytelling with me!
Thanks for reading!
