As data evolves from a tool of measurement to a medium of expression, Danny Somoza, creative director at Invicomm, explores its growing role in brand storytelling.

It is not radical to say that data tells stories. This is something firmly absorbed into the  lexicon of modern communications. But what really grabs my attention is how data  itself has evolved, not just in terms of volume or accessibility, but moreover its capacity  to carry emotional weight, narrative tension and creative expression. 

Refik Anadol is a media artist who has transformed datasets into dreamy generative art.  His art, to me, is the greatest example of data becoming poetic, touching the audience  on a new level, creating emotions, transporting data from spreadsheets to the big  screen. 

Data has gone beyond the dashboard, shifting from an instrument of measurement to  become a medium of meaning. And for brand communications, that changes  everything. 

From clarity to artistry 

As communicators, we are used to associating data visualisation with clarity. Scott  Berinato, in his book Good Charts, emphasises that visualisation “isn’t about making  things pretty, it is about making them readable and persuasive”. This is true, persuasion  is key, it gives unrefusable truth, drives deep conviction, generates belief. However, data is evolving beyond persuasion, beyond proof and it is now moving into expression. 

“Data is not a footnote. It is the protagonist” 

In recent years, we have seen data merge with creative disciplines – generative art,  motion, sonic branding – creating outputs that feel as emotional as they are factual. Data is not a support act, not a footnote. It is the protagonist. 

Today’s visualisations can be immersive, interactive, self-generated. Data art allows brand storytellers to do more than just show data; we can feel it, interpret it and use it  to provoke thought. 

Beyond metrics, toward meaning 

The evolution of data collection and analysis has been astonishing. What used to take  weeks now can be done in seconds through machine learning and AI-powered tools. The danger with data is its seductive volume. The obsession to measure everything can  easily eclipse the need to understand something.

David Aaker, one of branding’s great thinkers, reminds us that strong brands are built  on differentiation, relevance and esteem. And data can help with all three if you ask the  right questions.  

“Data isn’t just descriptive; it is storytelling fuel” 

Differentiation is about telling a story only your brand can tell. Data uncovers those  distinctive truths. These data insights allow you to build a story grounded in what makes  you different, rather than generic positioning. 

Relevance is about telling a story that your audience cares about. Data helps you to  move from “telling the story you want to tell” to “telling the story they want to hear”. Letting real-world signals shape your story, so your brand resonates. 

Esteem is about perception and credibility. Data helps us translate noise into nuance,  and use data not as a justification tool but as a creative trigger. So, data is not just  descriptive; it is storytelling fuel. 

Because audiences don’t connect with spreadsheets, they connect with stories. And  the most powerful brand stories aren’t imagined, they are discovered. 

Data as a brand language: The Maintel Case 

Take our recent rebrand for Maintel Holdings PLC. They came to us at a pivotal moment  as they had changed their business strategy. To achieve the company's ambitions, we  discovered that a repositioning was needed to portray them as a more solid, insight-led  partner in the ever-changing digital space. 

Their new brand story revolves around the idea of remaining solid in an uncontrollable dynamic world. This dynamic world is the digital space, in which we are all so  dependent nowadays, indispensable for every business.  

“Maintel’s brand doesn’t just tell a story, it demonstrated it.” 

There is nothing more powerful that letting the real data do the talking. We developed a  real-time data-driven artwork visualising service status data, including uptime and  performance metrics. The artwork is as uncontrollable, unpredictable and uncertain as  the reality of the digital space, data point per data point. 

We translated data flows into a visual language, not as decoration but as semantic  cues. In doing so, we grounded the brand’s new expression in the systems that power it.  

Maintel’s brand doesn’t just tell a story, it demonstrated it.