Visual narrative

There was that era when everything was a kind of theme cartoon style thing, and there was another when it was much more sober and modern.

So I wonder, given the kind of lush kind of imagery and the kind of visually driven aesthetic of the new magazine, are there ways in which the narratives can be told primarily through illustrations? You suggested just now that there's a way in which readers can understand it as a kind of visual storytelling.

Mm-hmm.

We are making space for that.

Oh, that's great.

As we get towards the end of this here, how does visual storytelling make you a better business leader?

Oh man, that is such a good question.

Um, I think we both have a lot of familiarity with the structure of storytelling, I think, Todd.

Right, it feels like a sneak peek into their world.

But what do you think about the visual storytelling aspect?

It's fascinating.

Music videos can elevate a song, but they also risk overshadowing the music itself.

And then on the flip side, I also like, I want to be mindful of younger readers, uh, and not, you know, so I'm not going to go like full Hickman or anything, but I, you know, I, I will try and do more, you know, uh, challenging spreads or things that, you know, uh, uh, that aren't just, uh, you know, your, your, your basic kind of easy to read panels.

And I think the reason for that is kids are reading so many comics and kids inherently get visual storytelling.

I teach workshops across uh libraries all across my home state and the thing that always surprises me is the younger the kids are the better they understand visual storytelling inherently it's the teens that struggle and adults that struggle it's not the kids not the younger you know like kids in that middle grade they inherently get it um basically if you look at like a lot of kids media um Uh, like books that are a mix of like images and pros are just so common for kids.

You know, that's like most of what kids read.

And yet if you try and pitch that to like a publisher for an adult, like it's an illustrated novel, like good luck.

They've, like, lined everything up perfectly to, like, the pillows and like it all looks like they're in the same-

Again, visual storytelling.

Just, like, great choice.

Yeah.

But they really were the first visual before movies, before television, before any of those things that we typically think about.

With visuals, you hear the term visual storytelling a lot today.

That really started with magazines.

If we go back to the Civil War era, there were magazines like Harper's that ran battlefield sketches.

We're going to talk about television in a couple weeks.

And when we get there, I want you to remember this, because we'll bring it up again.

Television did not invent visual storytelling.

Magazines did.

We have a fun guest for you guys today.

Shlomi Ron is an author, keynote speaker, and visual storytelling executive who operates in

the intersection of brand narrative, cognitive

AI, and strategic decision making.

He is the co-founder and CMO at Design Advantage AI, as well as the CEO and founder of the Visual Storytelling Institute.

At Decision Advantage AI, Ron leads brand strategy and go-to-market messaging for advanced AI and decision science platforms, translating complex cognitive computing and defense tech capabilities into high stakes market positioning.

Through the Visual Storytelling Institute, he advises executive teams and brands on humanizing complex messaging through visual narratives.

Ron is the author of Total Acuity, How to Ignite Your Brand with Visual Storytelling, hosted the Visual Storytelling Today podcast, and an adjunct professor at Digital Marketing at Florida Atlantic University.

[upbeat music] Today we sit down with Danielle Schipirt, founder of Danielle Rose Design Company, whose work is rooted in connection, memory, and the deeply personal rituals of home.

Drawing from her background in visual storytelling, Danielle creates interiors that are elevated, yet lived in, spaces where family, history, and individuality are not just honored, but beautifully woven into every detail.

This is Beyond the Design.

[upbeat music] Well, Danielle, welcome to the show.

[laughs] Well, before-

Me too

... before founding your studio, you built a successful career in visual storytelling for repo- retail brands.

What was the moment that you knew it was time to tell stories in a different way, different fashion, and more for, I guess, personalities and lifestyles?