Bridging the gap between visual representation

Bridging the gap between visual representation and narrative storytelling involves
tracing the development of human communication from simple images to complex
stories. Here's a more focused overview of how this evolution occurs:

### Primitive Visual Communication

1. **Cave Paintings and Rock Art**

- **Purpose**: Documenting daily life, rituals, and significant events.

- **Example**: Lascaux Caves (France), Altamira Cave (Spain).

- **Bridge**: These visuals were often the first steps towards storytelling, providing
a visual record that could be "read" and interpreted.

### Early Symbolic Representation

2. **Petroglyphs and Pictographs**

- **Purpose**: Using symbols to represent objects, animals, and humans.

- **Example**: Native American rock carvings, Australian Aboriginal rock art.

- **Bridge**: These symbols started to represent more abstract concepts and

sequences of events, hinting at narrative elements.

### Development of Writing Systems

3. **Proto-Writing Systems**

- **Purpose**: Early attempts at written communication using symbols that

represent sounds or ideas.

- **Example**: Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs.

- **Bridge**: These systems allowed for more complex storytelling, moving from
static images to dynamic sequences.

4. **Early Scripts and Written Records**

 - **Purpose**: Recording laws, stories, and historical events.

- **Example**: The Code of Hammurabi, the Rosetta Stone.

- **Bridge**: Written records could convey more detailed and intricate stories than
visual symbols alone.

### Combining Text and Image

5. **Illuminated Manuscripts**

- **Purpose**: Manuscripts adorned with illustrations to complement and enhance

the text.

- **Example**: The Book of Kells, the Lindisfarne Gospels.

- **Bridge**: The interplay between text and image in these manuscripts created a
richer narrative experience.

### The Rise of Printed Books

6. **The Printing Press**

- **Purpose**: Mass production of books, making literature more accessible.

- **Example**: Gutenberg Bible.

- **Bridge**: Illustrated books could reach a wider audience, combining visual

elements with extensive narratives.

### Modern Visual Storytelling

7. **Comics and Graphic Novels**

- **Purpose**: Merging visual art with narrative text to create engaging stories.

- **Example**: "The Adventures of Tintin" by Hergé, "Persepolis" by Marjane

Satrapi.

- **Bridge**: This medium uses a combination of images and text in a structured

sequence, directly linking visual art to narrative.
8. **Film and Animation**

- **Purpose**: Telling stories through moving images and sound.

- **Example**: Early silent films, Disney animations.

- **Bridge**: Films and animations bring stories to life through a blend of visuals,
dialogue, and music, creating immersive experiences.

### Digital and Interactive Media

9. **Video Games and Interactive Storytelling**

- **Purpose**: Engaging users in stories through interactive and immersive

environments.

- **Example**: "The Legend of Zelda" series, "The Walking Dead" game series by
Telltale Games.

- **Bridge**: Players become part of the story, influencing outcomes and

experiencing narratives in dynamic ways.

### Integration of Visual and Narrative Art

10. **Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)**

- **Purpose**: Providing immersive storytelling experiences through advanced

technology.

- **Example**: VR storytelling experiences like "Half-Life: Alyx," AR narratives like

"Pokemon Go."

- **Bridge**: These technologies combine visual and interactive elements to create

fully immersive storytelling environments.

The Science of Storytelling

The world of data is changing. So is how we tell stories about it.

In a September 2016 interview with NPR Marketplace, National Geographic editor-in-chief

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Susan Goldberg spoke to host Kai Ryssdal about the power of visual storytelling, which has
provided a transformative conduit for the publication in the new digital era. Speaking to National
Geographic’s conversion from traditional print magazine to social media heavyweight, Goldberg
commented that “everything is visual today”—especially stories. It’s worth noting that National
Geographic is dominating visual storytelling online, using powerful imagery to captivate and
educate 19 million Snapchat users, 60 million Instagram followers, and 50 million Facebook
followers. The magazine is also throwing its hat in the ring with data visualization with its Data
Points blog.

Media and journalists are not the only ones putting emphasis on data storytelling, although they
arguably have been a particularly imaginative bunch of communicators. Today we’ve seen the
power of storytelling used to color in conversations on just about every type of data imaginable—
from challenging astronomical principles, to visualizing the tenure pipeline at Harvard Business
School, to quantifying the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood. In every organization and every
industry, data stories are becoming the next script for how we share information.

For as diverse as data stories can be, they all have one thing in common: They give us
something to connect to in a very literal sense. Let’s delve into the power of stories, first by
looking behind the curtain at the science of storytelling and then looking at some incredible data
stories over time to see how they have capitalized on the secret sauce of storytelling.

The Brain on Stories

In Chapter 1 I mentioned that evidence exists of the cognitive effects of storytelling embedded
within our neurology. Here’s how: When we are presented with data, only two parts of our brain
respond. These are Wernicke’s area—responsible for language comprehension—and Broca’s
area—responsible, again, for language processing. For the very powerful human brain, data is
easy. The brain’s response to these stimuli is a relatively simple input-and-respond transaction
that requires the utilization of these two basic areas. Because we’re focused only on seeing and
responding to information (agree/disagree), there’s no great need to overexert our neuro-
horsepower.

Unlike simple data, stories require a substantial cognitive boost. Here’s an easy thought
exercise. Imagine that tonight we have pasta on the menu. However, our pantry is empty, so to
prepare this meal we need to go to the market. Let’s make a quick mental list of our ingredients:
pasta, some tomato sauce, perhaps some herbs, garlic, and Parmesan cheese—if we’re feeling
fancy we can grab a loaf of garlic bread, too. Now, let’s pretend we get to the market, only to
discover it’s closed. So, instead of cooking we decide instead to go to our favorite Italian
restaurant (it’s okay if yours is Olive Garden—mine is, too) and order something from the menu.
Suddenly the image changes: We’re no longer looking at a bunch of individual items on a grocery
list; we’re imagining a waiter setting down a big, beautiful dish of flavorful and delicious spaghetti
in front of us. Perhaps we also hear the buzzing backdrop of restaurant sounds—water glasses,
clinking silverware, and so on. If we think about it long enough—or if we’re hungry enough—we
can almost taste the food.

This is the difference between visualizing data, and presenting a story: rather than itemizing a list
of ingredients (data points) we are presenting a full, sensory-engaging dining experience
(see Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1 Visualizing versus presenting.

You can think of this storytelling experience in a more traditional way, too, by considering the
difference in reading a novel and watching a film. When reading, you are tasked with using your
imagination—you’re reading the raw data of words and building the story in your own mind.
Conversely, when watching a film, your imagination is off the hook. Images of characters and
settings, costumes, spoken dialogue, music, and so on are displayed for you on the screen.
When you watch a live presentation, like a play or a 4D movie, you also get a few extra pieces of
sensory information, like the smell of a smoke machine or carefully chosen scents to accompany
the story pumping through the air.

These extra storytelling details have a profound effect on the brain (see Figure 2.2). Beyond the
two areas of the brain that activate when presented with data, when presented with a story, five
additional areas respond. These are

• The visual cortex (colors and shapes)

• The olfactory cortex (scents)

• The auditory cortex (sounds)

• The motor cortex (movement)

• The sensory cortex/cerebellum (language comprehension)

 Figure 2.2 The brain on stories.

The Human on Stories

Beyond the sciences, there’s also a lot of truth to the old saying “everyone loves a good story.”

Storytelling has been an integral part of human expression and culture throughout time. All
human cultures tell stories, and most people derive a great deal of pleasure from them—even if
they are untrue (think of fantastical stories or fables). Beyond entertainment, stories teach us
important lessons; we learn from them. In many cases they are how we transmit information—
whether through metaphoric tales, instructions, or legends. Stories also have the ability to
transport us; we give the author license to stretch the truth—although, in data storytelling, this
license extends only as far as it can before the data loses its elasticity and begins to break down.
Data stories, above all, must be true. They are works of narration, but of the non-fiction variety.

Okay, so we love stories—but why? There’s no easy answer to this question, and frankly from
academe to industry, the research is crowded with books and articles attempting to explain the
cognitive basis of all storytelling and literature under the heading of storytelling psychology. That
said, we can distill all of these dialogues into two primary possible contenders for why we tell
stories: the need to survive (fitness) and the need to know (closure).

Fitness
As much as we might try to argue it, human beings did not evolve to find truth. We evolved to
defend positions and obtain resources—oftentimes regardless of the cost—to survive. These
concepts are at the heart of Darwinian theory of natural selection: survival of the fittest as the
mechanism, and our ability to overcome (or, biologically, to reproduce), fitness.

Human biology aside to survive in competitive and often unstable environments—whether

wilderness or business—one thing we’ve always had to do is understand other people. In fact,
one of our most expensive cognitive tasks where we exert an impressive amount of energy is in
trying to figure out other people: predict what they’re going to do, understand motivations, assess
relationships, and so forth. Beyond people, we are also driven to understand how things work. If
we know how they work, we can conquer, fix, or control. All of these lead to winning, which
equates to survival and continuation. Stories act as guides to give us the information and
confidence we need to harness this knowledge. They increase our fitness.

Stories outside the box

Creating visualizations that tell compelling stories often involves thinking outside the box
and using unique datasets or novel approaches to highlight interesting patterns. Here are a
few examples of creative visualizations that go beyond traditional charts and graphs:

1. Social Network Analysis

Analyzing and visualizing social networks can reveal insights into relationships and
interactions. For instance, visualizing email exchanges within an organization can show
communication patterns and identify key influencers.

2. Sentiment Analysis Over Time

Visualizing sentiment analysis of social media posts or news articles over time can show how
public opinion on a topic changes. This can be particularly powerful when paired with
significant events.

3. Geo-Spatial Visualizations

Mapping data onto geographical locations can tell stories about regional variations. Examples
include mapping the spread of diseases, election results, or environmental changes.

4. Life Logs and Personal Data

Visualizing personal data, such as daily activities, travel logs, or health metrics, can tell
stories about an individual's lifestyle and habits.