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Mohsen Saraji – Thematic Designer of the City Star Project
In the era of experience-based brands, stories are no longer limited to advertisements or digital narratives; space, human interaction, and direct experience themselves become part of the brand narrative. This philosophy is the core of the place-based brand, and storytelling is its main tool. In this view, every element of the space, every character, and every designed moment is part of the overall brand story.
Place-based Brand and Multisensory Experience
A place-based brand focuses on creating a deep and meaningful experience. In this model, the visitor is not simply a consumer, but an active participant in the narrative. His experience of the brand, from the moment of entry to exit, is guided by the design of the path, space, sound, light, and interaction with the characters. This multisensory experience makes the audience not just have a simple visit; but enter a meaningful and emotional world.
Storytelling and Theme Design at City Star
Our experience at City Star is a practical example of the use of storytelling in a place-based brand. The narrative centerpiece is a human adventurous journey to another star in search of a better life. This story is designed to guide the visitor along an emotional and physical path, and each floor of the building represents a stage in the human journey and experience along this path.
Theme and Stages of Narrative
First Floor: Beginning of the Journey and Hope – The visitor enters the world and is met with a sense of curiosity and hope. The design of the space, lighting and colors inspire a sense of discovery and preparation for adventure.
Middle Floor: Challenge and Engagement – On this floor, the audience is faced with obstacles and challenges that are designed to be interactive with elements and characters. These moments are Emotional Engineering and make the audience deeply involved in the narrative.
The final floor: New Horizons and Fulfillment of Goals – The end of the journey is designed with a sense of accomplishment, peace, and a better perspective. The lighting, sound, and spatial experience at this stage convey a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Characters and Human Interaction
The characters in City Star are not only entertainment, but also part of the brand’s narrative. Each character has their own unique clothing, speech, and behavior, and their interactions with the visitor put the audience at the heart of the story. These characters encourage the visitor to take an active role in the story and not just be an observer.
Visual and Audio Language
In City Star, the visual and audio language is carefully designed to enhance the story experience:
The colors and lighting of each floor are in harmony with the stage of the journey, guiding the audience from hope to challenge and then to a new horizon.
Ambient music and sounds enhance the intensity of emotional moments and give the audience a sense of real presence in another world.
Signs, patterns, and environmental cues not only guide the path, but are also part of the story.
Moments of Wonder and Active Engagement
One of the key aspects of the experience at City Star is the design of Moments of Wonder. These moments are emotional surprises that invite the visitor to explore and actively participate. On each floor, Moments of Wonder are designed to fit the content of the story; for example, encountering an alien, accessing an interactive experience, or discovering a secret space that reveals the next stage of the journey. This design allows the story to not only be told, but also experienced and become an emotional memory in the mind of the audience.
The Scientific Principles of Experience-Based Storytelling
The City Star experience showed that storytelling in a place-based brand should be based on five key principles:
Be audience-centered: The visitor should be placed at the center of the story and have the opportunity to actively participate.
Coherence of elements: Every part of the space, every character, and every interaction should align with the overall theme and stage of the journey.
Intentional emotional moments: Peaks and surprise moments should create memories and brand belonging.
Narrative flexibility: The brand world should be able to expand and change without compromising the core identity.
Multisensory experience integrity: The experience should be created through seeing, hearing, touching, and moving, immersing the audience.
Storytelling is at the core of creating an experience in a place-based brand. City Star is an example that shows that when the visitor embarks on an adventurous journey and all the elements of space, sound, light, and human interaction are in harmony with the story, the brand becomes more than a physical place, into a meaningful and collaborative world. Simply put, the philosophy of storytelling in a place-based brand is:
Every floor is a chapter of a story, every interaction is a scene, and every moment is a memory that shapes the brand identity.