The Art of Making the Invisible Visible
“Although the mind may be part of your target, the heart is the bull’s-eye.” — Peter Guber
When you design album covers for the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, David Byrne, Aerosmith, or Pat Metheny, you are undoubtedly a very busy person. And indeed, Stefan Sagmeister has never had reason to complain about a lack of work. That's also why the graphic designer regularly records the message, "Call us in a year," on his answering machine and treats himself to a year-long sabbatical.
His first sabbatical, however, soon turned into a disaster. The workaholic had dreamed of drifting through his days without a plan and simply enjoying life. Instead, after only a short time, he found the experience mentally excruciating. So Sagmeister did what he always does: he made a list—a list of all the things, and above all the activities, that he loves and believes make him happy.
Highly motivated, the Austrian-born designer throws himself into the search, leaving nothing to chance. He enlists professional help from psychologist and happiness researcher Jonathan Haidt, who works with him to develop a systematic plan for his quest. Together, they settle on three methods that Sagmeister will test for three months each in search of greater happiness: meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drugs (prescription antidepressants).
Sagmeister documents the entire experiment in a film that is well worth watching: The Happy Film.
He spends seven years making The Happy Film. Along the way, he processes the death of his mother, the end of three relationships, and the loss of his film director and friend, Hillman Curtis, who dies of cancer. He sets out to discover the recipe for happiness—for all of us. He himself, however—spoiler alert—will not be significantly happier when the film is finally complete.
How do you tell the story of happiness? It is not only a challenge for Sagmeister's presentations; it is equally central to the film itself. Both have to make something visible and tangible that even the human mind struggles to grasp. To solve this challenge, Sagmeister relies on the skills that define him as a designer. The tools of graphic design are powerful emotional triggers: words and images.
Words arranged like images create cinema in the mind. Images that speak become central elements of a presentation, carriers of meaning, and much more than decorative embellishments. Anyone who knows how to combine words and images creatively, sensually, and as equal partners unlocks the full potential of visual storytelling—and Stefan Sagmeister is a master of it.
In his search for happiness, eggs burst with joy. Water balloons drench him from above. Coffee cups and milk glasses overflow. Jell-O jiggles across the screen. Monkeys play Scrabble with bananas, and geese devour letters. Balinese temple dancers perform quotations through dance, and trees begin to speak.
His stories about happiness tell of longing and frustration while meditating in Bali, of confession and self-discovery under the stern gaze of a New York psychotherapist, and of self-deception and neurosis while taking prescription stimulants—even under medical supervision.
And anyone who looks closely will notice that even his rational arguments function as emotional triggers. Facts and statistics are presented not simply to inform but to fill the audience with wonder. One example comes from his talk "7 Rules for Making More Happiness." Sagmeister invites his audience on a journey through time. Had he been born one hundred years earlier, he most likely would have entered the same profession as his father. His mother would have chosen the woman he married, and he probably would have died in the very place where he was born. All of that has changed dramatically over the past century.
Today we choose where we live—in Sagmeister's case, New York instead of Bregenz. We choose our own careers; Stefan Sagmeister became a graphic designer instead of a merchant like his father. And we decide—most of the time, at least—whom we fall in love with.
But are these decisions really as independent and self-determined as we believe? Or is it, in fact, our subconscious that governs most of what we do? According to Sagmeister, several statistics suggest that we are less free than we imagine. Why, for example, are there more men named George living in the state of Georgia than anywhere else in the United States? Why do American boys named Dennis rank "dentist" much higher among their dream professions than boys with other names? Why are women named Paula statistically more likely to marry a man named Paul?
Sagmeister himself initially doubted these findings. Then his own family proved him wrong: his parents are named Karolina and Karl, and his grandparents Josephine and Josef.
In searching for an answer to the question of whether we are the architects of our own happiness—or merely driven by our subconscious—Sagmeister constantly shifts between rationality and emotion, between objective statistics and subjective personal experience. This dynamic interplay defines not only the content of his presentations but also the way he presents them.
He plays the full keyboard of human emotions: surprise, wonder, joy—but also grief, anger, and frustration. He is never afraid to reveal those emotions himself on stage, prompting his audience to mirror them and respond with empathy.
In the end, he even has the courage to hop through New York wearing a pink bunny suit or attempt to float into the sky suspended beneath hundreds of balloons. At least, that was the plan. But reality has other ideas.
Instead of experiencing the lightness of happiness and soaring into the air, Sagmeister finds himself standing in a snow-covered field outside New York, forced to admit that he is simply too heavy—even for hundreds of balloons. The yellow balloons drag him across the frozen ground for a short distance, but they never quite manage to lift him off. Happiness, it seems, is not so easily caught.
So, what abstract subject will you be speaking about in your next presentation or speech? Where might you invest more effort in making the invisible visible? With the right story, you already have everything you need.
This text was published first in the book What's Your Story? Leadership Storytelling für Führungskräfte, Projektverantwortliche und alle, die etwas bewegen wollen, by Petra Sammer (O'Reilly Media).
Learn more about the art of storytelling for leaders in Between the Lines – A Guide to Storytelling, by Petra Sammer. Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0ax3rLfy
His first sabbatical, however, soon turned into a disaster. The workaholic had dreamed of drifting through his days without a plan and simply enjoying life. Instead, after only a short time, he found the experience mentally excruciating. So Sagmeister did what he always does: he made a list—a list of all the things, and above all the activities, that he loves and believes make him happy.
A list for happiness?
But can a list really be the recipe for happiness? Sagmeister is determined to find out, and in the process he also discovers the central theme of his sabbatical: designing happiness.Highly motivated, the Austrian-born designer throws himself into the search, leaving nothing to chance. He enlists professional help from psychologist and happiness researcher Jonathan Haidt, who works with him to develop a systematic plan for his quest. Together, they settle on three methods that Sagmeister will test for three months each in search of greater happiness: meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drugs (prescription antidepressants).
Sagmeister documents the entire experiment in a film that is well worth watching: The Happy Film.
He spends seven years making The Happy Film. Along the way, he processes the death of his mother, the end of three relationships, and the loss of his film director and friend, Hillman Curtis, who dies of cancer. He sets out to discover the recipe for happiness—for all of us. He himself, however—spoiler alert—will not be significantly happier when the film is finally complete.
Telling the Invisible
Happiness—what subject could be more emotional? Stefan Sagmeister tells the story of his search for happiness in numerous talks and presentations. In doing so, he faces the challenge of communicating something that cannot be seen, touched, felt, smelled, or tasted. Or can it?How do you tell the story of happiness? It is not only a challenge for Sagmeister's presentations; it is equally central to the film itself. Both have to make something visible and tangible that even the human mind struggles to grasp. To solve this challenge, Sagmeister relies on the skills that define him as a designer. The tools of graphic design are powerful emotional triggers: words and images.
Words arranged like images create cinema in the mind. Images that speak become central elements of a presentation, carriers of meaning, and much more than decorative embellishments. Anyone who knows how to combine words and images creatively, sensually, and as equal partners unlocks the full potential of visual storytelling—and Stefan Sagmeister is a master of it.
In his search for happiness, eggs burst with joy. Water balloons drench him from above. Coffee cups and milk glasses overflow. Jell-O jiggles across the screen. Monkeys play Scrabble with bananas, and geese devour letters. Balinese temple dancers perform quotations through dance, and trees begin to speak.
His stories about happiness tell of longing and frustration while meditating in Bali, of confession and self-discovery under the stern gaze of a New York psychotherapist, and of self-deception and neurosis while taking prescription stimulants—even under medical supervision.
Talking About Happiness—or Showing It
Sagmeister takes his audience on an emotional roller coaster. Both his film and his presentations are distinguished by a constant interplay between factual information and deeply emotional stories. The exploration of happiness becomes an emotional journey—rich in words and rich in images.And anyone who looks closely will notice that even his rational arguments function as emotional triggers. Facts and statistics are presented not simply to inform but to fill the audience with wonder. One example comes from his talk "7 Rules for Making More Happiness." Sagmeister invites his audience on a journey through time. Had he been born one hundred years earlier, he most likely would have entered the same profession as his father. His mother would have chosen the woman he married, and he probably would have died in the very place where he was born. All of that has changed dramatically over the past century.
Today we choose where we live—in Sagmeister's case, New York instead of Bregenz. We choose our own careers; Stefan Sagmeister became a graphic designer instead of a merchant like his father. And we decide—most of the time, at least—whom we fall in love with.
But are these decisions really as independent and self-determined as we believe? Or is it, in fact, our subconscious that governs most of what we do? According to Sagmeister, several statistics suggest that we are less free than we imagine. Why, for example, are there more men named George living in the state of Georgia than anywhere else in the United States? Why do American boys named Dennis rank "dentist" much higher among their dream professions than boys with other names? Why are women named Paula statistically more likely to marry a man named Paul?
Sagmeister himself initially doubted these findings. Then his own family proved him wrong: his parents are named Karolina and Karl, and his grandparents Josephine and Josef.
In searching for an answer to the question of whether we are the architects of our own happiness—or merely driven by our subconscious—Sagmeister constantly shifts between rationality and emotion, between objective statistics and subjective personal experience. This dynamic interplay defines not only the content of his presentations but also the way he presents them.
Emotional Triggers Through Words and Images
Throughout his stories, Sagmeister skillfully alternates between images and words in surprising ways, continually encouraging his audience not only to listen but also to look. It is a model worth following for every speaker.He plays the full keyboard of human emotions: surprise, wonder, joy—but also grief, anger, and frustration. He is never afraid to reveal those emotions himself on stage, prompting his audience to mirror them and respond with empathy.
In the end, he even has the courage to hop through New York wearing a pink bunny suit or attempt to float into the sky suspended beneath hundreds of balloons. At least, that was the plan. But reality has other ideas.
Instead of experiencing the lightness of happiness and soaring into the air, Sagmeister finds himself standing in a snow-covered field outside New York, forced to admit that he is simply too heavy—even for hundreds of balloons. The yellow balloons drag him across the frozen ground for a short distance, but they never quite manage to lift him off. Happiness, it seems, is not so easily caught.
So, what abstract subject will you be speaking about in your next presentation or speech? Where might you invest more effort in making the invisible visible? With the right story, you already have everything you need.
This text was published first in the book What's Your Story? Leadership Storytelling für Führungskräfte, Projektverantwortliche und alle, die etwas bewegen wollen, by Petra Sammer (O'Reilly Media).
Learn more about the art of storytelling for leaders in Between the Lines – A Guide to Storytelling, by Petra Sammer. Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0ax3rLfy
This text was written by a human; AI tools were used for spelling and grammar checks. Photo by Echo Wu on Unsplash.
