Joy as the original UX design The optimization hangover Rethinking the brief: from hook to lift Joy as compass Choose joy in the design process The strategic imperative of joy
The case for joy. Rebellion in soft clothing Urgency is brittle. Joy is renewable. What joy as strategy actually looks like 1. Designing for emotional lift 2. Surprise and delight as brand currency Joy as KPI Did it spark delight? If so, it deserves to ship. Micro-case studies (Joy in the wild) Marimekko’s 2025 collaborations…
Opening scene: Everyone’s a sleuth now Act I: Mystery is engagement, not murder Act II: Layered worlds instead of single stories Mini case reference: Amos Rex x teamLab: Massless (2025) Act III: Your audience is the detective Act IV: Build characters, not just content Act V: Don’t just deliver content. Create a case Closing line
Act I: The mistake of all action, no change Act II: The difference between what happens and why it matters Plot arc Character arc External events Internal evolution What happens What it means Linear Fragmented or circular Transactional Transformational Focus on doing Focus on becoming What we plan What we feel Act III: You are…
You thought this would be linear, didn’t you? The small reflect the whole Once upon a glitch in the algorithm And then…? Choose your re-entry We end where we didn’t begin
Emotional truth vs. factual distortion Red flags. When story becomes strategy without soul 1. Trauma-trigger marketing 2. The testimonial trap 3. The false founder myth 4. Borrowed voices, misused power The literary ethics of copywriting The ethical storytelling checklist (save this) The ethical freebie or, why the Mad Libs Workbook doesn’t manipulate The stories you…
Safe storytelling isn’t safe anymore What makes a story stick (and sting)? Who’s doing it right and raw How to raise the stakes in your own stories Tell the story that costs you something
Control, but make it cinematic The power of shared myths The cult blueprint. How brands engineer devotion 1. Sacred symbols & rituals 2. Indoctrination through language 3. The Gatekeeper Effect 4. Manufactured identity 5. Rituals over transactions The ethical panic button (but not really) Now, watch it work It’s your turn
The myth of the masterplan Whether or not you narrate it. Plot twist vs. pivot. Know the difference Plot twist Pivot Plot twists shock. Pivots resonate. Why brands pivot (and why it often falls apart) How to pivot in public (without losing the plot) 1. Narrate the shift as it happens We’re in a season…
After the (story) arc The forgotten half of the Heroine’s Journey Why brands need a post-journey strategy Mapping the post-heroine arc for brands 1. Return with a secret 2. Reckoning with the familiar 3. Rebuilding trust from a new place 4. The second offering What it all looks like in practice Brand storytelling doesn’t end…