What is a Minimalist Video?

“Whether you do minimalist video or not, a great way to train your team to think creatively is to give them a defined sandbox to play.
Because if you can come up with great ideas in a small sandbox, think how big they can make them when you expand the sandbox.“

-George Hammer, former Chief Content Officer, IBM

What creative approach are you taking to bring to life your brand?

Depending on brand personality and context, some brands take a minimalist creative approach (Ikea, Apple), while others – a maximalist (Santa Cruz skateboards, 3D NFT art).

To help me unpack this exciting topic, in this episode of the Visual Storytelling Today podcast, I chat with George Hammer, former Chief Content Officer of IBM. George is one of the dominant voices in visual storytelling these days, so I was quite honored to finally have him on the show.

We talked about the wonders of “less-is-more” in storytelling, his fascinating journey in storytelling from the early days to his work as SVP of Content at Digitas overseeing campaigns for clients such as Accenture, HP, GE, LEGO and American Express, heading digital content at Discovery Channel, and as of recent, creating a global content organization at IBM.

We also discussed his visual storytelling philosophy, key challenges and much more (see full topic list below).

Watch the full video recording of this interview:

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Topics we discussed:

Use the time stamp markers on the above video to easily navigate.

• What is your backstory?
• Can you share more about how you built IBM’s content organization?
• How do you define visual storytelling?
• What are the common challenges marketers need to watch for?
• What is a minimalist video?
• What guidance do you give your team when creating a visual story?
• Can you show 2-3 examples of successful minimalist video executions?
• What are the steps you take when creating a minimalist video from concept to distribution?
• How do you measure success along the buyer’s journey?
• What is the future of visual storytelling?
• With the raging pandemic, what’s the impact of the virtual workplace on telling stories?
• What are your top 3 tips when creating a successful minimalist storytelling experience?
• And much more!

Examples of minimalist videos George shared:

Use the time stamp markers on the above video to easily navigate.

IBM Blockchain: Bonds of Trust — Blockchain and disaster relief

John Lewis: The Bear and the Hare

Google: Year in Search 2020

Tim Urban: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

How are you using minimalism in your visual storytelling? Feel free to drop a line below.