THE LOOP // The 'Do you have an image problem?' edition

Featuring incredible visual storytelling expert Elise Motalli ?? , and a new exhibition by Luca Locatelli commissioned by Intesa Sanpaolo in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation .

'Coming up with ideas is my favourite, and the hardest, part' // Elise Motalli on turning ideas into images and images into action

Elise is a former service designer who spent much of her career using design to solve complex challenges for organisations and their customers. A growing passion for sustainability and the circular economy led her to increasingly focus on those types of projects.

In 2022 she quit her job and went freelance and is now using her design thinking and illustration skills to turn complex stories into accessible and simple images.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself - how did you get started?

"I’ve always been a creative person! As a kid, I loved art and drawing and into adulthood became drawn to design and problem solving.?

When I quit my job in 2022 to seek more freelance design work, I actually found my most requested service was?illustration. This was totally not planned! Up until this point, I was just posting illustrations on LinkedIn for fun to simplify complex ideas and put my ideas out in the world.?

So now in 2023, I’m an illustrator and designer helping people create illustrations that simplify and communicate sustainability and circular economy concepts for greater impact. In the past year, I’ve worked with global education companies, not-for-profits, design studios, consultants and authors."

Q. What do you think visual storytelling helps us to achieve that other forms can't?

Our world is still only 7.2% circular so we?need way more accelerated progress towards a future where we live in harmony with the planet.

I believe we need sustainability and circular economy ideas to become more normalised and communicated in a way that translates into action.

This is where illustration comes in! Visuals can stick in long-term memory. They can transmit messages faster. And they can also trigger emotions and actions.

In my own experience, I’m able to synthesize a lot of complexity into an illustration that simplifies information in a way that's engaging and digestible. This is why I believe illustration can be so powerful for the circular economy.

Q. What does your process look like - how do you start to break things down, where do your ideas come from?

Coming up with ideas is both my favourite and also the hardest part of the design process.

If the illustration is for personal work, the idea usually sparks when I’ve read an article, research paper or new statistic combined with my own thoughts, ideas and opinions. My mind loves to think deeply so sometimes the illustrations may present a new perspective or theory on something, which tends to spark debate on social media.

Alternatively for client work, I seek a detailed brief to understand what the client has in their mind for the illustration. I’ll aim to find out; what’s the purpose or intention for the illustration? What’s the context for use? Who is the intended audience? And what is the underlying message / call to action?

I then start the illustration super rough and create some ‘scribble’ versions for myself. Eventually, this starts to develop into 2-3 different options which I then add colour too.

I love working with feedback so based on client feedback I iterate upon the illustrations until it communicates what it needs to.

Q. Where do you think people go wrong/What could they try changing up?

In visual storytelling and Illustration I think people go wrong in wanting to show too much at once on the page. For example - for detailed diagrams sometimes they can be really complex or loaded with lots of information. So in this case, is there a way to create a simplified version that communicates the idea clearly but leads people to dive deeper into the detailed version?

I think there’s so much potential in us all picking up the pencil instead of using default stock images or other people’s work. Simple sketches (yes, even stick figures!) are great for communicating ideas quickly and efficiently. Hand drawing creates that ‘humanness’ which I believe makes it more accessible and friendly.

Elise's tips for creating engaging visuals //

? Use a clear format for the page. I usually use a square and use 2/3rds of the page for the visual and save 1/3rd for a bold title.

? Try to use simple visuals or diagrams e.g if you’re communicating something about a process or connections between things you could use a simple flow chart or systems map. Or if you’re summarizing a lot of information you could use a series of representative icons highlighting the main themes. There are many ways to represent information, be creative!

? Use a simple shape to start with. In my illustrations, I’m always using a series of basic shapes like squares, rectangles, circles etc combined with bold colours to make things pop.

? Have fun with it! Add humour and colour to make it playful and engaging.

Want to learn more?

As well as her own illustration work, Elise runs several courses for those looking to hone their visual storytelling skills.

You can find out more and see some of her other fantastic work over at elisemotalli.com

And find her on LinkedIn at Elise Motalli ??

The circular economy as you've never seen it before

Commissioned by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and its strategic partner, the Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo , artist Luca Locatelli has captured the beauty of the circular economy for a new exhibition at Turin's Gallerie d'Italia.

"There must be an awareness that our future won’t look like our past, as it will be transformed and further impacted by human activity. This is why our collective imagination needs to start envisioning sustainable change along with its new aesthetic because it’s our only way for survival." | Luca Locatelli

Art so often cuts through in ways that analysis cannot. I was lucky enough to be at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation when Emma Hislop became its first artist in residence.

Her presence and perspective prompted us to think about our work in so many different ways, making connections we had not made ourselves and opening up new avenues of thought.

I highly recommend this chat between Emma and Joe Iles which is not only a fantastic exploration of the connections between art, science and economics, but is also a rare opportunity to see Joe's knees.

And you can see more of Luca Locatelli 's beautiful images via his website //

And finally

The next edition of The Loop is already taking shape, with a fantastic look at how we can take an anthropologist's approach to discovery from Dr Amelia Kuch

If you have an idea or story you'd like to share or a subject you'd like to see tackled, then get in touch at [email protected]

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