&lotte works with cultural institutions and companies looking for creative spaces that make an impact while also helping them expand their reach. I look for ways to move and surprise people. To do this, I use storytelling in my spatial designs. Storytelling means telling a story to create engagement, allowing us to achieve a shared goal. Maybe there are now a few imaginary question marks floating above your head… If so, I’d be happy to take you along in my view on storytelling. And perhaps you’re thinking: I’ve known this for years! In that case, I still hope to tell you something new ;)!

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At the end of last month, I had the opportunity to speak to Vepa’s ambassadors during an inspiration day about circular project management at Nationale-Nederlanden (NN). In the renewed interior of NN’s offices, I was responsible, commissioned by Gielissen, for the communication layer explaining the sustainable materials and solutions used throughout the offices. (If you need a refresher, take a look at these projects: Nationale-Nederlanden Workplace and Nationale-Nederlanden Museum Wall.) I was asked to give a presentation explaining how to tell a good story.

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Storytelling is a popular term, but what does it actually mean? In Dutch, it translates simply as telling a story. This can be done through written text, audio, spoken language or visual elements such as colour and materials. I believe making a story visible within a space is essential to telling a good story. At a single glance, visitors should be able to understand what the space is about while also being encouraged to discover more and more.

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That’s why I like to approach the concept from the perspective of exhibition design. Information in an exhibition is presented in different layers. As a visitor, you can gradually zoom in on the information through A-, B- or C-texts. A visitor’s first impression is based on what they see and feel when entering: atmosphere, colour, light, sound, shape, etc. They then look at the title and/or introductory information about the subject (the A-text). Next, the different themes of an exhibition can be distinguished through a shorter, but still general, thematic text (the B-text). Finally, there are the labels accompanying objects or other small textual references (the C-text). Visitors choose which information they need: some only read the A-text, while others read everything there is to read.

 

I also like to use this way of breaking down a story in my designs. This allows the user to zoom in further or simply stay at the surface. One thing is certain: there is always more to discover! At NN, the story of the sustainable interior was also incorporated through layered storytelling. This was particularly important because employees were returning to a work environment that had completely changed after working from home for an extended period. By adding communication, I wanted to take them along in the process and provide context for all the changes. Below you can see a few examples of what this looks like.