An interactive series exploring the relationship between storytelling and design
About the Project
With the power to entertain, educate, inspire, and motivate, stories, both fictional and nonfictional, make a significant impact on our world. More Than a Moment is a series designed to share stories in a visual and meaningful way.
This series of illustrative prints is inspired by real stories submitted by over 100 people. A five-question survey was designed to ask questions that prompted stories surrounding the topic of memory. The survey asked questions such as: What memories do you have of your childhood home? What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? The survey was distributed through email and social media to reach as many people as possible. Stories were chosen and interpreted through digital illustration to capture the overall feeling of the storyteller’s experience.
In order to bring each story to life for an interactive experience, the original storyteller’s words are presented on a screen when its corresponding illustration is placed under a camera. Wekinator software, processing software, and code are used to recognize each image and prompt its story to appear, so a viewer can see its origin.
Above: The More Than a Moment exhibit at Kutztown University
Right: Sneakers: One of the many illustrations and its story
What is an object that has special significance to you?
A tiny pair of black, high-top Converse sneakers, with scratches on the toes. The white laces more like gray, with splatters of brown and black. They are used and old, but they bring me joy. These two shoes bring me memories of happiness. I remember the moment my 2 year-old son opened the box, gasped and said, “Mommy, mine?!” He squealed with joy, pulled them on, asked me to tie each one, and took off running. He loved those high tops and he wore life into them. They now dangle from a peg board in his room, a reminder of how tiny he was or how much he has grown. But every time I pass them by, I smile, and see his twinkling eyes as he slipped them on that very first day years ago.
Aimee Bergonia
About the Designer
Kalyn Kepner holds an MFA in Communication Design from Kutztown University and a BA in Creative Writing from Susquehanna University. Inspired by her studies in creative nonfiction, Kalyn is passionate about incorporating storytelling in her design projects.
Illustrations by Kalyn Kepner
To see other design work from Kalyn, visit www.kalynkepner.com.