Communication is about telling stories. Everything you see tells you a story .”The Taj mahal gives you a story . The Red fort gives you a story.“ in fact, you can conjure up stories from any scene you come accross in daily life – in the market, on the road, at home . Even visuals or symbolic images you see on the screen. Prof. Anirban showed us images in a cloud of a devil, a woman with scattered hair and red eyes and a tigress against a black sky . He asked the audience whether you can make a story with it. The answer was obviously , yes ! What kind of story ? A supernatural one. Similarly views of green pastures , blue sky, mud huts would lead to story of a rural life. He said, a creative mind is always making stories in his head. The designer has to communicate these images through various genres viz.,text, illustrations, photographs,videos, movies etc. for his client.
“A plot must have a hero and the conflict that is stopping him from reaching the goal “, staes Prof. Anirban Lahiri, head of Communication Design Course at IMS DIA . “There has to be Character conflict & goal /consequence. There must be struggle otherwise there is no story. Conflicts make the plot.” Giving the example of the movie Munnabhai , he says, there has to be a plot first. The Plot is skeletal in the beginning. It has to be filled with muscles etc. to make a full story. Munnabhai is a mafia don who wants to please his father by pretending to be a doctor. What follows is a story of masquerades, trickery , comedy as well as romance with the house doctor, who happens to be the Dean’s daughter.
The goal of communication design is to convey the message of a brand through a story. Branding takes place through a series of stories. He gave the example of the famous, “Fair & Lovely” campaign which carried the product’s message through a simple visual showing a girl becoming gradually fairer by the day. Sometimes an innovative symbolic poster for an event leaves a strong impression like the map of London engraved on the sole of a shoe to announce the London Marathon.
Communication is done through one , two or more mediums of communication . Therefore, a student of communication design learns all about graphics, storytelling, character design, AR/VR ,VFX, UI/UX , Game Art Design, Animation Films, short films , sound design, experience design , Art Direction, Event management and Advertising.
When asked how does he get ideas or generate Stories, Prof. Lahiri said that it varies. Sometimes one is sitting quietly and you get an idea whereas sometimes you get story ideas in the hustle and bustle of a crowd in daily life. A relaxed, thinking mind can brew any number of ideas if one focuses on the aim of his design and the client’s requirements.