Digital Storytelling
for Science and Research

We create digital storytelling experiences for science and research organizations that need to communicate complex ideas with greater clarity, depth, and public relevance. Our work helps organizations translate knowledge into more engaging, accessible, and visually compelling forms across websites, reports, campaigns, and interactive experiences.

Organizations
we work with

We work with organizations engaged in science, research, education, and public communication. These are often institutions doing thoughtful, specialized work that needs to be translated for broader audiences without losing nuance, credibility, or depth. These clients include:

  • Conservation and environmental nonprofits
  • Higher Education Institutions, Departments, Professors
  • Architects, Landscape Architects, and Engineers
  • Quasi-governmental organizations and NGOs
  • Governmental Agencies

Common challenges
we help solve

Science and research organizations often have important knowledge to share, but turning that knowledge into a strong public-facing experience can be difficult. Digital storytelling can help bridge the gap between expertise and engagement, making complex ideas clearer, more compelling, and easier to navigate.

  • Complex Ideas, Dense Content

  • Strong Research, Weak Storytelling

  • Multiple Audiences

  • Difficulty Reaching Broader / Lay audiences

  • GIS / Mapping Problems

  • Difficulty Selecting Technologies / Services

Our
Approach

We approach digital storytelling as a way of translating knowledge into clearer, more engaging public experiences. The goal is to create digital systems that communicate complex ideas with substance, clarity, and a stronger sense of connection.

  • 1. Understand Your Audiences and Work

    We begin by learning about the work itself, the audiences you need to reach, and the goals of the project. That includes the subject matter, the communication challenge, the existing content, and the broader context the work needs to live within.

  • 2. Shape a Clearer Story Structure

    We develop sitemaps, wireframes, content outlines, and narrative structures that help organize information into a more coherent experience. This process helps clarify what needs to be said, how it should be grouped, and how people can navigate through it more intuitively.

  • 3. Design an Engaging and Informative Experience

    We create visual and interactive systems that help make the material more accessible, compelling, and memorable. The goal is an experience that supports understanding without flattening the subject matter.

  • 4. Support Content and Launch Readiness

    We help carry the project through the content phase by supporting writing, editing, imagery, and production needs as the work takes shape. We also help prepare the final experience for launch and make sure your team feels confident using and managing it.

  • 5. Build for Real-World Use

    We create digital experiences that are flexible, maintainable, and grounded in the practical realities of the organization. Whether the project lives within a broader website or stands as a distinct storytelling experience, it should be built to last and to work well over time.

Case
Studies

Why
Tanager

Why organizations come to Tanager for this kind of work.
Our work with organizations connected to nature, science, education, and public life has given us a strong understanding of the challenge of translating specialized knowledge into more accessible and engaging public experiences.

  • Subject Matter Familiarity

    We are comfortable working with complex material and understand the importance of communicating it clearly without losing depth or credibility.
  • Deep Experience

    We’ve worked with many science-focused organizations over more than 15 years, across branding, websites, exhibits, campaigns, and public-facing digital experiences.
  • Integration of Strategy, Design, and Storytelling

    We approach storytelling as both a structural and visual challenge. Content, narrative flow, design, and interaction all need to work together.
  • Technical Expertise

    We have experience in a wide variety of technologies, platforms, and media, and can create custom applications based on your content.

Testimonials

As designers, the team at Tanager are artists. As technicians, well, they’re artists. Their design work instantly captures your attention, as it must. The tech behind the design works flawlessly, as it must to allow the design to draw visitors deeper and deeper into the content of the site. — Arthur Pearson, CEO, Roger Tory Peterson Institute
The Tanager team is deeply invested in their clients, which comes through in every step of the design process. They are skilled designers with a beautiful aesthetic. Their true skill, however, is in listening and visioning for and with their clients. They work alongside the client: getting to know the organization so that they fully understand limitations and aspirations, and they transform those conversations into an impressive, highly functional end product. Beyond the quality of their design work, the team at Tanager is a joy to collaborate with. We are delighted with the way that Tanager helped us transform our website and we would highly recommend them. – Kaity Ryan, Executive Director, Norman Bird Sanctuary

FAQ

What kinds of science and research organizations do you work with?

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We work with a range of organizations connected to science, research, education, and public communication. These include nonprofits, quasi-governmental orgnizations, NGOs, governmental agencies, higher education institutions / departments, professors, and independent researchers.

Can you help with writing and editing?

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Yes. We often support writing, editing, and content refinement as part of these projects, especially when material needs to be adapted for broader audiences.

Do you source / provide images and videos?

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Yes. We often help source stock imagery, curate existing media, and shape a broader visual language that supports the story being told.

What technologies do you use?

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We are generally platform-agnostic, finding the right tool for the project. Some tools we've used include Wordpress, Google Maps, Arc GIS, Map Libre, React, d3, and more.

Can these projects live within a broader website?

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Yes. Sometimes the work is a dedicated experience, and sometimes it is part of a larger website or content ecosystem. We can help determine the right structure for the project.

Can you create custom graphics/artwork?

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Yes. Creating custom artwork is typical of these kinds of projects and typically included in our design processes.

Can you create infographics?

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Yes. We can create interactive infographics or static graphics as needed.

Need help turning
complex content into a digital
storytelling experience?