Sensory storytelling: when design brings the story to life

We all know the power of a good story. But what happens when the story is no longer just told, when it is felt, in the body, in space, and in breath? That is the question posed Carolin Vedder, motion designer based in Vienna, in the work of Mohammed Ben Totoch, Storytelling, the art of captivating through design (Dunod).

As part of our partnership with the author, We Are COM is pleased to share Carolin Vedder's presentation, which explores a territory still relatively uncharted by communicators: sensory storytelling, or what she calls the "choreography of perception".

Why does this matter to us? Because sensory storytelling promotes a simple yet radical idea: information perceived through the body is retained better than information heard only. This can enrich our presentations, events, and immersive experiences. Let's hear it for ourselves 🎬

When design becomes a sensation

Cartesian logic alone is insufficient when it comes to transmitting living energy. Studies of Paul Zak, The Neurobiology of Trust (2004), demonstrated that our brain is programmed to respond better to stories that instinctively link it to emotions and hormones:

• empathy. – oxytocin (the hormone of social behavior): it awakens an emotion that connects the audience to the characters;
• la tension – cortisol (stress hormone): it introduces a dilemma or conflict that will capture attention and maintain suspense;
• le looseness – dopamine (pleasure molecule): it resolves the conflict by causing a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

While traditional storytelling already engages our neurological system, some designers are now exploring more immersive territories. This is the case with Carolin Vedder, a Vienna-based motion designer active in multisensory design with an approach she calls "choreography of perception."

She presents it in four points:

• Sensory storytelling is defined as the strategic combination of multisensory stimuli, a methodology that relies on known principles of human perception in order to establish a direct and visceral connection with the subject matter. The narrative is experienced in the physical and cognitive experience of the audience and transforms the presentation of information into an embodied experience;
• sensory storytelling draws inspiration from cognitive science and research on multisensory integrationShe conceives of narrative as a series of perceptual transitions. The progression of the story is perceived when the audience detects a change in their physical, attentional, or perceptual state. The human body, with its complex sensory apparatus and deeply ingrained memory systems, constitutes the primary interface for interpretation. The design process then becomes a choreography of perception, where elements traditionally relegated to the environmental background become central vectors of meaning;
• The sensory narrative palette mobilizes, in addition to the five senses, environmental and temporal parameters such as space and thresholds, time and rhythm, temperature and airflow, density and respiration, effort and feedback. These parameters structure the experience and compose a grammar of embodied meaning. They constitute the basic elements for creating embodied and meaningful narrative experiences.

The designer's role is to deliberately capture attention.The goal is to manipulate sensory signals to guide the audience's internal state, while preserving their attentional capacity. A sensory narrative employs a hybrid structure in which sensory input contributes to the plot's progression. This architecture revolves around three interconnected design elements:

• la line narrative : the central sequence of events, reduced to its essential elements to preserve the cognitive space required for sensory processing;
• le signal sensory : a specific and timed stimulus (a sound, a smell, a texture) aligned with a critical narrative moment;
• la boucle feedback : the bodily or attentional response of the public to the signal (orientation, micro-actions, breathing, posture, choice) which confirms the narrative turn and reinforces memorization.

This structural integrity allows the narrative arc to be built through physically experienced phases, for example:

• another entry establishes the rules of the world through acoustics and light levels;
• un threshold executes as a clear perceptual shift via a change in matter or a variation in air temperature;
• another revelation occurs with a fall into silence followed by a wider sound field.

The audience understands the story because each phase alters the situation through changes that are quickly perceptible, sometimes before they are put into words. Meaning is communicated with little explanation, and memory is reinforced by consistency of signals and repetition of landmarks.

What sensory storytelling changes for us, communicators

You will understand, the storytelling sensory shifts the focus of what the public your disposal towards what he vit. A grammar that is still new, but already valuable for anyone who wants to leave a lasting impression, whether at an event, a brand experience, or simply during a speech.

To learn more, see Carolin Vedder's work on multisensory-design.com and the complete book by Mohammed Ben Totoch. Storytelling, the art of captivating through design (Dunod).

And you, when will your first campaign, conceived as a choreography of perception, be launched?