Visual storytelling has always been instinctive to humans. Even cave men knew that if something was important - from hunting tactics to tales of spiritual significance - it made sense to draw it out, where it could be seen and shared. Yet, so often, when we hope to stir an audience into action, we rely heavily on data - of which there is no shortage these days - forgetting that data alone doesn’t win hearts and minds, and it doesn’t tend to move people like stories do.
“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”
Steve Jobs
Nowhere is this disconnection more evident than in discussions around climate change and air pollution. Scientists and activists present us with staggering data - rising temperatures, pollution levels, and other alarming trends - we hear it, we even understand it, yet too often, the message fails to connect with its audience and ignite the kind of radical shifts in behaviour required to avert the climate crisis. But why?
Connecting the Dots
Despite being imaginative creatures, few of us can take a few pertinent data points and conjure a mental image so vivid that we feel compelled to act on it.
Visual storytelling connects the dots between data and emotion for us, allowing audiences to grasp complex topics intuitively and develop a clearer understanding of how actions impact outcomes. Visuals transform a distant, uncertain future into something tangible and urgent - and something we can’t ignore. Seeing really is believing.
The impact of visuals goes far beyond just simplifying data; they also trigger and engage our emotions far more effectively than text alone. This emotional engagement makes the message more memorable and impactful. Visuals bring home the effects of our actions - and inactions - making us more likely to grasp their significance and be motivated to act.
The 'Climate Stripes' 
Take the example of British scientist Ed Hawkins’ “climate stripes,” which represent global temperatures since 1850 through a simple but striking series of coloured stripes. By turning a collection of numbers into something we can see and understand at a glance, Hawkins has transformed an abstract concept into something tangible, relatable, and undeniably impactful.
These stark data visualisations have featured on the cover of Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book, on the catwalks at London Fashion Week, and on the sides of double-decker buses. They have been embraced as a kind of shorthand for something too enormous comprehend otherwise.
Big narratives, big change
When we created this animation for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), we weren't aiming for the simplicity of the climate stripes. But we, and the team at WWF knew, that through animation we had an opportunity to make visible the global implications of rainforest deforestation - a crisis of unimaginable proportions unfolding far from home.
Similarly, the Blue Communities marine research project needed to engage coastal communities with their research on maintaining fragile marine eco-systems. It was critical that these communities were inspired to live more sustainability - and by showing them their possible futures, our animations and infographics became an important part of their drive for change. 
Pictures vs. peril
Of course, visual storytelling isn’t just for climate change. It applies wherever you need to increase understanding, galvanise support and inspire collective action. Businesses, too, face existential threats and our ability to inspire our colleagues to pull in the same direction can be the thing that makes the difference. If we want to inspire action, we must let people SEE the future they are building - for better or worse. Because until they see where they are heading, they may not believe.
To see how visual storytelling can inspire action, get in touch with our team below to find out more.
