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Narrative
 Image
   The how & why of
   visual storytelling
      By Daniela Molnar
Stories are integral to human culture.




Visual stories are a powerfully direct
method of conveying information,
ideas, and cultural wisdom.
Part 1: How do images
communicate?


                Part 2: Types of
                narrative images
Part 1: How do
images communicate?
Images tell stories using semiotics, a
sort of visual grammar.


> Semiotics <
Visual cues, or signs, are combined
into patterns that transmit messages
to the viewer.
Philosopher/scientist Charles Sanders Peirce (1839 - 1914) categorized signs as




  iconic                   symbolic indexical
An iconic sign looks like what it represents -- a
portrait or a scientific illustration, for example.
A symbolic sign does not look like what it represents and
its meaning must be learnt. Its meaning is fundamentally
arbitrary because it is based on cultural associations. For
example, a stop sign, a flag, a traffic light, a company’s logo,
or the Statue of Liberty.
An indexical sign is a clue that links meanings. Its
association with this meaning is not arbitrary but is
physically or causally connected. Smoke, for example, is
an indexical sign of fire; a pointing finger is an indexical
sign of whatever it is pointing at; 90 degrees on a
thermometer is an indexical sign that it is hot out.
“heart”

iconic   symbolic   indexical
All of these types of signs are used in combination in
visual communication. This is how images tell stories.

iconic, symbolic, & indexical
Walton Ford, Falling Bough, 2002

Iconic: This is an identifiable scene; the log looks like a log, the pigeons like pigeons, the sky like a
sky, etc. We can look into this landscape as we look at the world.
Symbolic: In cultural terms, the passenger pigeons represent societal shortsightedness, bloodlust,
and violence against nature. They also represent species extinction, and, more broadly,
environmental destruction.
Indexical: The falling log suggests imminent danger or destruction. The sunset colors suggest a time
of transition. The strong diagonal composition creates a sense of unease in the viewer.
Images have the power to impact how
  cultural messages are transmitted
  and received. This gives them the
  power to alter the culture itself.




  In March 2010, the Obama administration appointed Edward Tufte to a panel
advising the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RAT Board), which
    monitors the way the $787 billion in the stimulus package is being spent.
Republicans released the above graphic explaining how the Democratic
healthcare plan will—or won't—work. The process looks horrifyingly
complex; how will we get our insurance?!
This chart, which explains the same process, was released by the
Democratic party. It’s soothing tones and rounded edges suggest that
the new system will be as delightful as ice cream on a sunny day.
Part 2: Types of
narrative images
> Flavored <
A subjective, editorialized depiction of
a thing, person or place. The story is in
the implied viewpoint.
Another term for the “flavor” of an
image is its connotative meaning.
Many images have a denotative
meaning that differs from their
connotative meaning. The denotative
meaning is the literal meaning of the
image, while the connotative meaning
is the implied meaning, or the “flavor.”
Flavor can be thought of a meta-
narrative that is present in all
images in varying degrees.

              F lavored


         Linear       Paneled



              Aggregate
Some of the most obvious examples of flavored images can be found in advertising.




The literal, or denotative meaning of the original ad: This guy is a pretty smooth
character and he smokes Camel cigarettes.
The implied, connotative, flavored meaning of the original ad: Our cigarettes will make
you rich, sexy and powerful.

The literal, or denotative meaning of the Adbusters ad: Joe Camel is now Joe Chemo and
he is sitting sadly in a hospital bed alone.
The implied, connotative, flavored meaning of the Adbusters ad: Cigarettes will not
make you rich, sexy or powerful, but they will kill you.
Even scientific images can be flavored.
                           The author of the
                           Pernkopf Anatomy atlas,
                           Eduard Pernkopf, was a
                           leading Nazi who purged
                           the University of Vienna
                           medical faculty of Jews.
                           It is thought that the
                           cadavers portrayed in
                           the Atlas’ paintings are
                           likely victims of Nazi
                           concentration camps.

                           The denotative, literal
                           meaning of this
                           illustration: this is how
                           the muscles of the face,
                           throat, and shoulder
                           look.

                           The connotative, flavored
                           meaning: some human
                           life is disposable.
> Linear < Depicts the passage of time
and/or space in a single image


> Aggregate < Depicts (non-temporal)
relationships between things in a single
image composed of multiple parts


> Paneled < Depicts the passage of
time and/or space in multiple
sequenced images
> Linear < Depicts the passage of
       time and/or space in a single image




Piero della Francesca, Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes, c. 1460
Piero della Francesca, The Discovery and Proving of the True Cross, c. 1455
Chauvet Cave
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Maria Sibylla Merian
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Hadley Hooper, illustration about Parkinsons disease
> Aggregate < Depicts relationships
between things in a single image composed
of multiple parts




              Wendy Zomlefer
Lilian Snellling, Aerides houlletianum
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
From Colors 13, the wordless issue. Art directed by Tibor Kalman
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Galileo’s engravings of the moon in Sidereus Nuncius, 1610
Robert Weaver, April 1959, Esquire
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
> Paneled < Depicts the
passage of time and/or
space in multiple
sequenced images




Bayeux tapestry, c. 1077.
224 ft long embroidered cloth which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England as well as the
events of the invasion itself.
Luoshenfu, Gu Kai Zhi, 344-406 CE
ST
MATTHEW
I S LAN D
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling
How paneled images tell stories

          > Closure <

     > The frame as time <

        > Transitions <

      > Interdependent
      words & images <
> Closure <
Closure is the psychological leap that is essential to make paneled
images work. Closure occurs in the gutter, in the space between panels.
> The frame as time <
The frame is a unit of time – it can be a second, a minute, an hour, or an eternity.
The dimensions (and shape) of the panel are as important as the space between
the panels, as well as the placement of the panel on the page.
> Transitions <
                    There are six major types of transitions between frames, each
                      of which has a different effect on the pacing of the story.




moment-to-moment                   subject-to-subject                 aspect-to-aspect
requires very little closure       shows different people or things   transitions between aspects of a
                                   in a scene or idea                 place, idea, or mood




action-to-action                   scene-to-scene                     non-sequitur
single subject in a process        spans significant distances of     no logical relationship - lots of
                                   time or space                      closure required
scene-to-scene
spans significant distances
of time or space




aspect-to-aspect
transitions between aspects
of a place, idea, or mood
> Interdependent words & images <
Most, though not
all, comics rely on
a combination of
words and images
to convey an
idea. If the story
is driven mainly
by the imagery,
then the words        The words are telling most of the story here
can wander in
many directions.
If the story is
driven mainly by
the words, then
the images can
wander, becoming
more abstract and
                      The image is telling most of the story here
utilizing more
closure.




                      No words
Suspended In Language: Niels Bohr’s Life, Discoveries, And The
Century He Shaped By Jim Ottaviani, Illustrated by Leland Purvis,
Roger Langridge, Jay Hosler, Steve Leialoha, Linda Medley, Jeff Parker
Other titles by Jim Ottaviani Published by G.T. Labs
Clan Apis By Jay Hosler
how
why
Visual stories are a
uniquely powerful
way to communicate.


             They have the power
             to change the way we
             understand the world.

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Narrative Image: The How and Why of Visual Storytelling

  • 1. Narrative Image The how & why of visual storytelling By Daniela Molnar
  • 2. Stories are integral to human culture. Visual stories are a powerfully direct method of conveying information, ideas, and cultural wisdom.
  • 3. Part 1: How do images communicate? Part 2: Types of narrative images
  • 4. Part 1: How do images communicate?
  • 5. Images tell stories using semiotics, a sort of visual grammar. > Semiotics < Visual cues, or signs, are combined into patterns that transmit messages to the viewer.
  • 6. Philosopher/scientist Charles Sanders Peirce (1839 - 1914) categorized signs as iconic symbolic indexical
  • 7. An iconic sign looks like what it represents -- a portrait or a scientific illustration, for example.
  • 8. A symbolic sign does not look like what it represents and its meaning must be learnt. Its meaning is fundamentally arbitrary because it is based on cultural associations. For example, a stop sign, a flag, a traffic light, a company’s logo, or the Statue of Liberty.
  • 9. An indexical sign is a clue that links meanings. Its association with this meaning is not arbitrary but is physically or causally connected. Smoke, for example, is an indexical sign of fire; a pointing finger is an indexical sign of whatever it is pointing at; 90 degrees on a thermometer is an indexical sign that it is hot out.
  • 10. “heart” iconic symbolic indexical
  • 11. All of these types of signs are used in combination in visual communication. This is how images tell stories. iconic, symbolic, & indexical
  • 12. Walton Ford, Falling Bough, 2002 Iconic: This is an identifiable scene; the log looks like a log, the pigeons like pigeons, the sky like a sky, etc. We can look into this landscape as we look at the world. Symbolic: In cultural terms, the passenger pigeons represent societal shortsightedness, bloodlust, and violence against nature. They also represent species extinction, and, more broadly, environmental destruction. Indexical: The falling log suggests imminent danger or destruction. The sunset colors suggest a time of transition. The strong diagonal composition creates a sense of unease in the viewer.
  • 13. Images have the power to impact how cultural messages are transmitted and received. This gives them the power to alter the culture itself. In March 2010, the Obama administration appointed Edward Tufte to a panel advising the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RAT Board), which monitors the way the $787 billion in the stimulus package is being spent.
  • 14. Republicans released the above graphic explaining how the Democratic healthcare plan will—or won't—work. The process looks horrifyingly complex; how will we get our insurance?!
  • 15. This chart, which explains the same process, was released by the Democratic party. It’s soothing tones and rounded edges suggest that the new system will be as delightful as ice cream on a sunny day.
  • 16. Part 2: Types of narrative images
  • 17. > Flavored < A subjective, editorialized depiction of a thing, person or place. The story is in the implied viewpoint. Another term for the “flavor” of an image is its connotative meaning. Many images have a denotative meaning that differs from their connotative meaning. The denotative meaning is the literal meaning of the image, while the connotative meaning is the implied meaning, or the “flavor.”
  • 18. Flavor can be thought of a meta- narrative that is present in all images in varying degrees. F lavored Linear Paneled Aggregate
  • 19. Some of the most obvious examples of flavored images can be found in advertising. The literal, or denotative meaning of the original ad: This guy is a pretty smooth character and he smokes Camel cigarettes. The implied, connotative, flavored meaning of the original ad: Our cigarettes will make you rich, sexy and powerful. The literal, or denotative meaning of the Adbusters ad: Joe Camel is now Joe Chemo and he is sitting sadly in a hospital bed alone. The implied, connotative, flavored meaning of the Adbusters ad: Cigarettes will not make you rich, sexy or powerful, but they will kill you.
  • 20. Even scientific images can be flavored. The author of the Pernkopf Anatomy atlas, Eduard Pernkopf, was a leading Nazi who purged the University of Vienna medical faculty of Jews. It is thought that the cadavers portrayed in the Atlas’ paintings are likely victims of Nazi concentration camps. The denotative, literal meaning of this illustration: this is how the muscles of the face, throat, and shoulder look. The connotative, flavored meaning: some human life is disposable.
  • 21. > Linear < Depicts the passage of time and/or space in a single image > Aggregate < Depicts (non-temporal) relationships between things in a single image composed of multiple parts > Paneled < Depicts the passage of time and/or space in multiple sequenced images
  • 22. > Linear < Depicts the passage of time and/or space in a single image Piero della Francesca, Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes, c. 1460
  • 23. Piero della Francesca, The Discovery and Proving of the True Cross, c. 1455
  • 29. Hadley Hooper, illustration about Parkinsons disease
  • 30. > Aggregate < Depicts relationships between things in a single image composed of multiple parts Wendy Zomlefer
  • 35. From Colors 13, the wordless issue. Art directed by Tibor Kalman
  • 38. Galileo’s engravings of the moon in Sidereus Nuncius, 1610
  • 39. Robert Weaver, April 1959, Esquire
  • 45. > Paneled < Depicts the passage of time and/or space in multiple sequenced images Bayeux tapestry, c. 1077. 224 ft long embroidered cloth which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England as well as the events of the invasion itself.
  • 46. Luoshenfu, Gu Kai Zhi, 344-406 CE
  • 55. How paneled images tell stories > Closure < > The frame as time < > Transitions < > Interdependent words & images <
  • 56. > Closure < Closure is the psychological leap that is essential to make paneled images work. Closure occurs in the gutter, in the space between panels.
  • 57. > The frame as time < The frame is a unit of time – it can be a second, a minute, an hour, or an eternity. The dimensions (and shape) of the panel are as important as the space between the panels, as well as the placement of the panel on the page.
  • 58. > Transitions < There are six major types of transitions between frames, each of which has a different effect on the pacing of the story. moment-to-moment subject-to-subject aspect-to-aspect requires very little closure shows different people or things transitions between aspects of a in a scene or idea place, idea, or mood action-to-action scene-to-scene non-sequitur single subject in a process spans significant distances of no logical relationship - lots of time or space closure required
  • 59. scene-to-scene spans significant distances of time or space aspect-to-aspect transitions between aspects of a place, idea, or mood
  • 60. > Interdependent words & images < Most, though not all, comics rely on a combination of words and images to convey an idea. If the story is driven mainly by the imagery, then the words The words are telling most of the story here can wander in many directions. If the story is driven mainly by the words, then the images can wander, becoming more abstract and The image is telling most of the story here utilizing more closure. No words
  • 61. Suspended In Language: Niels Bohr’s Life, Discoveries, And The Century He Shaped By Jim Ottaviani, Illustrated by Leland Purvis, Roger Langridge, Jay Hosler, Steve Leialoha, Linda Medley, Jeff Parker
  • 62. Other titles by Jim Ottaviani Published by G.T. Labs
  • 63. Clan Apis By Jay Hosler
  • 64. how
  • 65. why
  • 66. Visual stories are a uniquely powerful way to communicate. They have the power to change the way we understand the world.