We believe in the power of stories. And we know images are the most powerful tools that tell stories. THE EXPLORER helps you find the visual images that have the right meanings to tell your stories most effectively.

We have analysed thousands of images to reveal the relationship between the image and the message transfer in terms of emotions, metaphors and allegories. Our analysis reveals implicit meanings that are reflected by images to the unconscious.

Through this analysis, we have discovered that the deeper meanings of the images touched upon one or more of six elements found in every story.

We have called this set of elements the “6 Universal Metaphors of Stories” .

All communication campaigns, advertisements, and corporate communication projects mainly aim to tell the brand’s story most accurately to the target audience.

And visual images are the most powerful means to convey the meaning and emotion in telling the story of brands.

So, choosing the right image begins by correctly determining the place of the desired image in the story.

Mythology, novels, movies, stories, tales, anonymous accounts and others… When analysed metaphorically, all stories have six elements on an unconscious level, regardless of their genre or topic.

Emotional and semantic clusters, 6 Universal Metaphors of Stories are present in every story. Such elements of expression as images, words and sentences, chosen according to the essence of the Story Components, take the transfer of emotions and meanings in that story to a very high level.

Because of these characteristics 6 Universal Metaphors of Stories must be considered in the images and expressions used while communicating the brand, particularly when images with strong transfer of meaning and emotion are used.

Each image often contains more than one Story Component with messages it reflects unconsciously. Some of the Story Components may be more dominant in one image, while others more in the background in the same image.

6 Universal Metaphors of Stories consists of ENERGY, DECISION, ROUTE, CONNECTIVITY, EMOTION and STABILITY.

  • ENERGY

    Visual Hints: Power, Strength, Resource, Abundance, Overflow, Exhilaration.

    Every story has energy. That energy reflects unlocking the potential, heightening, multiplying, power, and outflowing.

    The mighty power of Zeus—the god of the sky, lightning and rain—which can create and destroy at any given time; the strength of Superman that can lift even skyscrapers; the dazzling treasure discovered by Ali Baba... They all make us feel exhilarated and bubbling with high ENERGY. This ENERGY can manifest itself in a hero, in an event or in a context. In communications where one desires to reflect abundance, plenitude, power and exhilaration, it is important for visuals containing ENERGY to stand out.

  • DECISION

    Visual Hints: Controlling, Decisiveness, Taking the Reins, Taking Responsibility, Confidence, Being Active.

    An effort to be a party to something and give a direction exists in each story. So stories contain different DECISION’s which determine the fate of the story. Sometimes sleeves are rolled up and things are steered. Occasionally, all possibilities are calculated from a distance and steps are taken accordingly. Some things, be it a human or a system, weigh and guide some other things.

  • ROUTE

    Visual Hints: Paths, Directions, Processes, Flow, Change, Transformation.

    Each story also has a flow. A story definitely contains a process, things that change and get transformed, sometimes like the transformation of an unattractive cygnet into to a charming swan in the story “The Ugly Duckling”

  • CONNECTIVITY

    Visual Hints: Getting In Touch, Being In or Out, Linkage, Being Part Of.

    Stories are built on RELATIONS. The phenomena in the stories constantly interact. All elements are constantly in RELATION with a concept: person with the self, person with another, person with space, person with life, place with another place. They interact with one another, they intertwine or dissociate.

  • EMOTION

    Visual Hints: Being in Positive or Negative Positions, Conditions or Emotions, Good or Bad, Enjoyment and Fun or Fear and Disgust.

    Events in stories have positive or negative effects, which crack the door open to different states. Be it happiness, joy, sadness or grief, each story revolves around similar positive and negative EMOTIONS.

  • STABILITY

    Visual Hints: Stableness, Equilibrium, Purity, Cleanliness, Right with the wold, Serenity, Stillness, Peace.

    All action and events in stories originate from the pursuit of stability, what we basically call "that’s it."

    This may sometimes be a grand phenomenon and sometimes, a small, ordinary one. So STABILITY certainly exists in stories either overtly or covertly. STABILITY sometimes manifests itself suddenly in an ideal we struggle for, in a state of mind we want to achieve, or sometimes in a character that reflects holiness or at a moment when we want to stop time, as in Star Wars’ wise Yoda.