Objects tell human stories is a document that argues objects are better than words and pictures alone for communicating ideas and stories in the digital age. It discusses how objects have historically been used to document human achievements and provide intuitive, emotional context that informs how people understand information. The document advocates using real, physical objects to tell stories as they provide a universal language that engages people on an emotional, tactile level better than digital information alone.

1. Objects tell
human stories
Why what we share with
physical objects makes them
ideal for telling stories in
the digital age!

2. Objects are the original
expression of culture
and civilisation
Objects are one of the basic forms
of human communication (along with
speech, words and pictures). !
For millennia, objects were used to
document human achievement — hence
our museums are full of them.!

3. 1439: Here come
words and pictures
The invention of printing
revolutionised communications by
replacing objects with text and
imagery as the dominant method of
articulating ideas, culture and
information.!

4. Genius
medieval
invention
Eye magazine!
Printing was the (almost — good for 550 years)
perfect way to distribute information — cheap, fast
and accessible. Gutenberg knew Information wanted
to be free — given different technology, he’d have
invented the internet.!
Printing’s only limitation: it tied information to
physical objects (e.g. books), which aren’t free.!

5. A revolution in
two halves
Far from being revolutionary,
the explosion of digital
media is merely the ultimate
expression of Gutenberg’s
medieval vision – free
dissemination of information
as words and pictures!

6. Free at last
Eye magazine
without the words
and pictures!
Digital technology frees information from the
limitations of physical objects … and frees objects
from the relentless demand of information’s need to
be free (or failing that, cheap)*!
* Gutenberg’s invention was pretty much perfect as he created it.
550 years of printing development has been almost entirely focused
on making the object cheaper.!

7. A glut of information
Liberated from the object, information exploded in
an absolute abundance. Like any commodity in
sudden over-supply, its currency has crashed.!

8. More information
doesn’t always
lead to better
understanding
As humans, we need intuitive /
emotional references as well as
information to understand what
we want and need.!

9. For all the information that now surrounds us, we
still only have 24 hours in a day. The over-supply
of information has created a paucity of attention. !

10. What information consumes is rather
obvious: it consumes the attention of its
recipients.
Hence a wealth of information creates a
poverty of attention, and a need to allocate
that attention efficiently among the
overabundance of information sources that
might consume it.
Herbert Simon

11. We’re all now
thinking less
The human response to fastmoving, complex situations is to
rely on primitive systems to gain
a quick understanding (Kahnemann
System 1). Thinking (System 2) is
slower and hard work. And humans
are lazy.!
Technology and the glut of
information is making us more
intuitive*.!
* BrainJuicer Research!

12. Thinking isn’t feeling
Objects provide the intuitive and emotional context
to information — what we feel rather than what we
think.!
And because our
intuitive process are
faster than our
cognitive processes,
intuition always
informs our thinking.!

13. Thinking isn’t feeling
Knitted!
Cute, soft, cuddly,
friendly, toy-like!
Chainsaw!
Hard, dangerous,
frightening,
definitely not a toy!

14. Our relationship with objects is intuitive and
emotional. An object tells how it feels and how we
feel about it (Sartre).!
We surround ourselves with man-made objects that
tell us who we are and how we fit in the world – we
call our possessions our belongings.!

15. We are like objects
As infants, we
discover that we are
separate entities with
distinct boundaries
between ourselves and
the world we live in. !
We learn this through
objects as they are
separate entities too.!

16. Objects inform our basic
understanding of the world
around us — separate entities.!

17. We use the word thing to describe any perceived separate entity:
– 1. An unspecified inanimate physical entity – e.g. clothing (“I haven’t a
thing to wear”), possessions (“my things”)
– 2. Any other living structure: animals (“all the things in the sea”),
people (“you lucky thing”)
– 3. An action, event, thought, or utterance: matters (“things have
changed”), characteristics (“they had one thing in common”), abstract
patterns (“the latest thing in retail”)
– 4. An acknowledgement or response to a need: (“I’ve got just the thing
for you”)
– 5. Personal interests: (“reading isn’t my thing”)
– 6. Linguistic emphasis: (“the thing is”)

18. The value of objects
is intrinsic
Objects communicate their
value through their
physicality. Their value
is intrinsic — it’s
necessary for them to be
expensive; the more they
cost, the more they say.!
Nobody knows this
better than Apple.!

19. Ownership is everything
Communicating with objects
involves a transfer of
ownership and an intuitive
understanding of loss and
acquisition.!
The currency of this
transaction is the
intrinsic value of the
object.!
Just like a gift, the more
valuable the object, the
better the communication.!

20. All objects have
origin stories
All objects are made by someone
(or something) somewhere at some
time — all have a story to tell.!
A meteorite is the most
travelled object on Earth. It’s
travelled billions of miles to
be in your hand.!

21. Objects are authentic
We are all intimately
familiar with the
language of objects. We
can spot fakery because
it doesn’t feel right.!

22. A universal language
Every infant in the world
learns about objects — a
universal experience that
doesn’t favour old vs young,
rich vs poor, east vs west.!
Objects don’t have a specific
audience; objects talk to
everybody. !

23. Our interaction with objects is
tactile, intuitive and emotional.!
It’s all about how they feel when we
hold them in our hands.!

24. FEEL
= emotion!
= tactile sensation!
This is no linguistic
coincidence. In our minds
emotion and tactile sensation
are conflated to be one and the
same. !
Subconsciously (and sometimes
consciously) emotion can
present as tangible, physical
sensation. !

26. Humans are tactile,
emotional animals
The innate human tendency to conflate tactile
and emotional sensation is a powerful mechanic.!
This mechanism is intuitive and fast. So, it’s
possible to prime slower cognitive processes —
to inform and change how people think.!

27. Objects are heuristics
for overcrowded minds
Objects can short-circuit
slower, distracted and
overloaded cognitive
processes. !
If you want to make people
feel something, rather than
give them words and pictures
that might trigger their
emotions — just give them
something they can feel.!

28. An intuitive, emotional
medium for the digital
age
People need to know
how things feel —
especially when
they don’t have
time to think.!

29. We don’t just want
more information
We need better
understanding

30. MAKE OBJECTS
Tell Stories

31. ARTOMATIC is a unique physical
communications agency that helps
organisations tell their stories through real
things that people hold in their hands.

32. We take take the essence of a brand, idea or
message and physicalise it — creating and
manufacturing real things that speak directly
and powerfully to people.

33. CONTAINER is a new publication — a collection of
original and exclusive objects commissioned from ten
artists around a common theme.!
The first issue, CONTAINER #1:Hot&Cold features
original objects by Daniel Eatock, James Bridle,
Mother, Malcolm Garrett and others and is produced in
a limited edition of 200. Each copy is numbered and
signed by all the artists.!
CONTAINER #1:Hot&Cold is available at:!
www.containerwebsite.com for £300 + shipping!

34. This thinking is available as a personal
presentation to inspire strategic, creative and
marketing teams.
For 2014, each presentation comes with a
free copy of CONTAINER #1:Hot&Cold

35. For more information:
Tim Milne
ARTOMATIC
32-38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH
+44 207 421 9369
www.artomatic.co.uk
tim@artomatic.co.uk
@timARTOMATIC