The idea

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.

The building blocks

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.

A few 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.

How we make each design

Every shape is made by hand. We read the whole book, focused on the story’s protagonist.

1
We track the protagonist’s fortune. As the story progresses, we mark where things rise and fall for them. We know this is subjective, but we do our best to stay true to the story.
2
We connect the dots. We step back, smooth past the bumps, and draw the story’s essential shape.
3
We choose the words. For each stretch of that shape, we pick the story moments that define it, and those words become the line you see.
4
We turn the shape into art. The colors and fonts we choose are inspired by the story, so every design feels like the story it tells.

Prints are interactive

Every print comes with a small NFC tag that connects it to a digital version you can explore. Here’s how to set it up.

1
Slip the NFC tag behind your print, inside the frame or taped to the back. Any spot works, but we recommend the lower-left, behind the title and author.
2
Hold the top of your phone to the print, over the tag.
3
Tap the link that appears, and your story’s shape opens.
4
Explore the interactive version of your print. Tap along the shape to read the story moment behind each word.
Nothing happens.
Make sure NFC is on. iPhone (7 and newer): it is always on, so just hold the top edge steady for a second. Android: Settings › Connected devices › NFC.
Do I need an app?
No. Tapping just opens a web page in your browser.
Do I need internet?
Yes. Tapping opens a web page, so your phone needs a connection.
I have more than one print.
Each tag opens its own story. Tap one to find out which, then slip it behind that print.
My phone has no NFC.
No problem. You can explore every shape in the Library below.
Is the tag safe?
Yes. It has no battery or power of its own, so it can’t harm your phone or the print.

The Library

Every shape we have made lives in the Library. Wander the shelves and find your next one, by book, by author, or by the shape of the story itself.

Explore the Library Shop the collection
The Shapes of Stories
theshapesofstories.com
The Great Gatsby print
B E G I B E G I Rise ↑ Fall ↓ Stasis → Gatsby reunites with Daisy Gatsby is shot dead Befriends Nick. Reunion with Daisy. Dream Dies. Shot Dead. Funeral Abandoned.