 Hillenburg decided early on , prior to starting the production of the series , that he wanted SpongeBob SquarePants to be storyboard @-@ driven , rather than script @-@ driven . This required an approach in which artists " would take a skeletal story outline and flesh it out with sight gags , dialogue and a structure that would strike a balance between narrative and whimsy " . Hillenburg originally wanted " a team of young and hungry people " to work on the series . The primary figures , who had previously worked with Hillenburg on Rocko 's Modern Life , consisted of Alan Smart , Nick Jennings , and Derek Drymon . Head writer Steven Banks said , " The writers come up with an idea and write premises and outlines describing the story , and the storyboarders ( who are also writers ) write the dialogue while they draw the storyboard panels . Most other shows are script @-@ driven . We don 't write scripts and that has made all the difference ! " 
