Last weekend I was walking down the street with my daughter, and I happened to notice a red bicycle, angled slightly against a tree. It was snowy and icy and frigid outside, and I remember pausing and wondering who, in their right mind, would have been riding that bike on a 20-degree winter day. I also noticed half a dozen other people walk by and take no notice of what was to me a pretty cool visual impression. To me, I saw that bike as being central to a story.
This moment made me think of how powerful the visual element is in conveying any story, regardless of the medium. It also made me consider the brilliance of my art director, Haniel Hann, who is a genius when it comes to capturing something visually, finding the art in it, and turning it into a compelling story.
The reason Haniel is so different from a typical graphic designer is that his real gift is in visual storytelling. In fact, his background is not in graphic arts, it’s as a photographer and cinematographer. For Haniel, the way in which he goes about capturing that story is 99% attributed to what happens before the picture is taken. It’s in the thought process he goes through, the research he does, his gifted eye, and his deep knowledge of design as a means to convey a powerful message.
In our business, it can be very difficult to describe the real value in design. Many people think that if a website looks pretty, it’s been designed well. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The real value in design is in the process, the preparation. Those are the elements that cause people to really respond, engage, and relate to you and your business.
I look at website design the way I might consider a wedding album coming together: capturing a series of images in moments that ultimately deliver a compelling story. I challenge you to ask yourself this week: is your website design achieving that?
To your success!
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