About The Shapes of Stories
We love stories. We read, listen, and watch them for fun. It's by accident they become our obsession. We have Kurt Vonnegut to thank most. His simple idea captivated us.
Every story has a shape.
How It Works
Every story can be drawn on a simple graph.
- The horizontal (BE) axis is Time, from Beginning to End.
- The vertical (GI) axis is Fortune. Good is up, Ill is down.
A character's journey is made of a few simple movements.
-
↑Rise: A change for the better. The more arrows (↑↑,↑↑↑), the more sudden and dramatic the rise. -
↓Fall: A change for the worse. The more arrows (↓↓,↓↓↓), the more sudden and catastrophic the fall. -
→Stasis: No change.
The Common Shapes
History never repeats but it does rhyme. The same is true for stories.
Rags to Riches
↑
A steady rise from humble beginnings to success.
From Bad to Worse
↓
A steady decline ending in catastrophe.
Man in Hole
↓↑
Fall into trouble, then climb back out.
Icarus
↑↓
Rise to great heights, followed by a dramatic fall.
Boy Meets Girl
↑↓↑
Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back.
Oedipus
↓↑↓
Fall, rise, then fall again.
Complex
. . .
Not every story follows a simple arc. Some weave together multiple patterns, creating something uniquely complex.
Our Designs
We transform stories into minimalist designs. Each piece captures a character's journey built from key moments in the narrative.
Story: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Protagonist: Jay Gatsby
Shape: ↑ ↓↓↓ (Icarus)