Purchase the book on the iBookstore
“iPad Design Lab” trailer on Vimeo.
The EPUB version of book is HERE:
To all of those who are writing to let us know that you can’t buy iPad Design Lab: Storytelling in the Age of the Tablet, in your countries, or for your tablet or phone, the good news is that we have completed the EPUB version and it is ready for download via Amazon.com for Kindle:
http://tinyurl.com/8u99txw.
Read the Society of Publication Designers’ review of The iPad Design Lab here:
http://www.spd.org/2012/10/must-read-ipad-design-lab.php
Read the review from Dr. Pegie Stark Adam in her blog
http://pegiestarkadam.com/
TAKEAWAY: The days of the lazy photo caption are counted, and not a moment too soon. Instead, multi mini stories for details in one photo.
Milk that photo for all its possibilities
This image sent to us by Frank Deville captures mini stories to describe details in one single photo. Headline reads: Breakfast in the Rocky Mountains.
One photo, multiple stories.
Not that this is a new concept, but it is one that is becoming more widespread as digital strategies for storytelling make their way into the world of print.
A good thing is happening: those lazy, often meaningless captions that we find under photos, are giving ways to mini stories. Â Readers smile, although copy editors don’t. Â We know that anything that is too reader friendly will not be too editor friendly. However, we are here to make friends with the readers, in any case.
Look at the example here, from Bild am Sonntag, of Germany. Â The headline reads Breakfast in the Rocky Mountains, and the double page image includes various mini stories pointing to specific details that are visible in the photograph.
When we think of how to rethink all things print, here we have one strategy that will go a long way to guarantee that readers come back.
Perhaps it is time to change that now clicheish phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words, and turn it into a photo is worth a few mini stories. One photo, multiple mini stories, one very happy , entertained and well informed reader.
Details of the photo
This photo includes four mini stories as follows:
The nose
They can smell dead bodies many miles away from where the body is lying
The feet
Each foot has five fingers, equipped with long nails to hold on to the prey.
The fur
The color depends on where they live, red, black or brown
The mouth
They like to eat fruits off the trees, but they eat nuts, 85% vegetarian, but they also like to eat fish, meat (deer a favorite), insects
A second photo and mini stories from Bild
The headline reads: In the name of the can. THis is another example from Germany’s Bild.
It is all about the sports empire created by the popular drink, Red Bull. “it always gets bigger and more successful, but also poses dangers.”
The double page spread includes a story, but also 12 separate mini stories that are self contained and go with small images on the page.
This would be an easy page to translate to a tablet pop up, for example.
The practical side
In professional workshops: don’t forget to include a unit on the power of mini stories as a more efficient way to tell photo stories than just a simple caption or cutline.
In the classroom: we need to train storytellers who will be able to handle the short, all inclusive story.