Stefan Sagmeister tells tales on 'storytellers'

Sagmeister is a well known graphic designer - maybe best known for his work designing material for the music industry. It is quite possible that he may, ultimately, be remembered for this interview in which he responds to the craze for people in marketing to describe themselves as 'storytellers'. 

“Recently, I read an interview with someone who designs roller coasters, and he refers to himself as a storyteller. No, f—head, you are not a storyteller, you are a roller coaster designer, and that is fantastic!”

It's an interesting point. We do tell stories in marketing, but it is marketing, not storytelling. Some years ago my partners in a venture and I registered BrandStory as a trademark. I think it lapsed, but that was nearly 20 years ago. Industry luminaries like Mike Hutcheson from Image Centre has riffed on the theme for years too - Mike is an epic storyteller in person and in print.  

With the emergence of content marketing the storytelling trope has been reanimated. It's a bit like being a hipster though. If you have to tell people you're a hipster…you get my drift, I'm sure. 

Hear more from Stefan Sagmeister in his TED Talk