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5 inspirational videos every designer should watch

5 min read

Design inspiration is everywhere and here at Abstrakt, we love nothing more than spending time researching and reviewing websites on the awwwards.

I could personally spend hours getting lost in UI Movement. It's not often we think to look to film and short videos for inspiration, but of course, it's an excellent source of inspiration and design motivation.

We’ve picked a mix of 5 movie documentaries and a few talks that we think all creatives should watch. These clips celebrate design in all of its glory and highlight how design is present in our everyday lives and the power it has on those who come into contact with it.

A number of the movies take a closer look at the lives and creative processes of visionaries across the industry, including the likes of Apple, Uber, Netflix and Twitter. Whilst others look at the difficulties that professionals in our industry can face - and how they put their creativity and passion to use when the work is no longer there.

So, pull up a comfy seat, grab the popcorn and enjoy our picks for must-see design inspiration:

The First Secret of Great Design | Tony Fadell

As human beings, we get used to "the way things are" really fast. But for designers, the way things are is an opportunity ... Could things be better? How? In this funny, breezy talk, the man behind the iPod and Nest thermostat shares some of his tips for noticing — and driving — change.

Design Disruptors | A Documentary From InVision

Today’s most disruptive companies have a new guiding principle: a fierce focus on customer-centric product design. Design Disruptors features an elite group of 15 disruptive companies—valued at one trillion dollars combined—who share the perspectives and sacrifices necessary to upend age-old industries and disrupt the status quo.

Watch in full

Abstract: The Art of Design | Netflix

Produced in-house as a Netflix Original, this series is basically the Mind of a Chef for designers, which profiles the design elite includingstarchitect Bjarke Ingels, Nike footwear designer Tinker Hatfield, and Pentagram graphic designer Paula Scher. Critical the series is not. But there’s no better portrait of the place and time of design today than this slickly produced series.

Watch in full

Lemonade | Erik Proulx

What do people who were once paid to be creative for a living do when they’re laid off? They get creative with their own lives. Lemonade is an inspirational film about 16 advertising professionals who lost their jobs and found their calling, encouraging people to listen to that little voice inside their head that asks, “What if?”

Watch in full

Got A Wicked Problem? First, Tell Me How You Make Toast | Tom Wujec

Making toast doesn’t sound very complicated -- until someone asks you to draw the process step by step. Tom Wujec loves asking people and teams to draw how they make toast, because the process reveals unexpected truths about how we can solve our biggest, most complicated problems at work. Learn how to run this exercise yourself and hear Wujec’s surprising insights from watching thousands of people draw toast.

Want a giggle? See Wujec’s collection of “How to make toast” in this fun gallery

Nikki Article

Nikki Taylor

Nikki leads our digital projects to guarantee exceptional quality at every step of project delivery with a background in UX design.

She has specialist knowledge in project management and digital design.

Connect on LinkedIn.


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