There’s a comforting idea in marketing that if you just pick the right format — the perfect post, the perfect video, the perfect template — the story will tell itself.
In reality, stories are a bit more particular than that.
Some are best told with words.
Some need pictures.
Some benefit from movement, sound, or a sense of space.
And some only really make sense when you combine a few things together.
Words still do a lot of the heavy lifting
Copywriting is often where stories start. The right words can explain, reassure and guide people through complexity. They’re especially useful when nuance matters, or when what you do isn’t immediately obvious at a glance.
But words alone can’t always show how something feels.
Pictures show what words can’t
Photography has a habit of saying things very quickly. Light, scale, texture, atmosphere — all in a single moment. For many businesses, images do the job of proof: this is real, this is how it looks, this is how we work.
Sometimes one good photograph does more than a paragraph ever could.
When movement and space matter
Video adds rhythm, pace and human presence. Virtual tours and digital twins add something else again: context. They let people explore, pause, and understand environments or processes that are hard to explain from the outside.
They’re not always necessary — but when they are, nothing else quite replaces them.
Design is what holds it together
Design is the quiet organiser in the background. It gives stories structure, consistency and breathing room. Without it, even good content can feel scattered. With it, everything feels intentional — even when it’s simple.
The right mix beats the loudest one
The point isn’t to use everything, all the time. It’s to choose the right combination for the job in hand.
A complex service might need careful words and calm design.
A physical space might need photography or a virtual tour.
A story about people might need video.
Sometimes, less really is more.
Good storytelling isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about judgement.
And that’s where the human bit still matters.