17 inspiring TED talks on art and design

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A dose of inspiration for artists, designers, architects and other creative professionals. In these lectures, you will learn how Airbnb taught users to trust each other, why books are greeted with covers, and why an architect needs ears.

1. How to gain self-confidence and start creating

Anyone who utters the phrase: "I am far from creativity" should watch David Kelly's speech. Uncreative people do not exist, just many have lost faith in their abilities in childhood. In this lecture, you will learn how not to be afraid of criticism and regain self-confidence.

2. How live paintings are created

Alexa Mead is an innovative artist. When she wants to draw someone's portrait, she draws it directly on the person's body. At TED, she showed her unusual work and talked about how she learned to find the strange in the ordinary.

3. What is beauty

Love for beauty knows no national or cultural barriers. Dennis Dutton believes that in the course of evolution, man acquired a sense of beauty. This means that we all inherited an amazing mechanism from our ancestors: we can enjoy works of art and develop our sense of beauty.

4. How good design teaches you to trust

Design is more than beautiful looks. Joe Gebbia, founder of Airbnb, shares how the service has overcome the ingrained prejudice that strangers are dangerous. Through the design, Airbnb managed to build a system of trust between home owners and city guests.

5. Why a designer should always be a beginner

People quickly get used to everyday life. But the designer must notice existing problems and find solutions. The creator of the iPod design explains how Steve Jobs taught him the important principle of staying a novice and always looking at a product through the eyes of a potential customer.

6. Why do you need a design

Renowned designer Philippe Starck discusses why people design at all. When creating things, it is important to think about a global purpose - for what purpose you are producing them.

7. How happiness and design are related

The concept of happiness is not difficult to depict, for example, you can demonstrate smiling and happy people on an advertising poster. It is much more difficult to make the design call to be happy. In this talk, you'll see examples of good graphics that at least cheer people up.

8. How to make the right first impression

Graphic designer Chip Kidd makes great book covers, so he knows very well how important it is to create bright and memorable graphic images. With examples from life and his practice, he explains how two techniques for conveying ideas work - clarity and mystery. Very funny and informative performance.

9. How to create soulful architectural objects

Architect Thomas Heatherwick talks about a new original direction in architecture - biodesign. Instead of bulky and soulless buildings, there are unusual objects in which the connection between man and nature can be traced.

10. Why architects should be able to listen

Architects and designers usually use only eyes in their work. And they completely forget about the invisible architecture of sound. Julian Treasure explains why building acoustics is important for good health, mood and well-being.

11. What should be emotional design

Critic Don Norman talks about three must-haves in design that will make your product successful. It is a reminder that design benefits from human emotion.

12. Why simplicity is important in art and life

The rationale behind the idea of simplicity by John Maeda, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, is that life should contain more pleasure and less pain. At TED, he shared his experience of creating objects of technological art and discoveries that he came to along the way.

13. How to discern history behind a painting

Tracy Chevalier loves not only to look at the paintings, but also to imagine what stories are hidden behind them. You will hear three fascinating stories about famous paintings and their creators.

14. How bold design begins

Design evolves through the ingenuity of rebels and innovators. Elise Rawsthorne talks about design revolutionaries and gives the most unexpected examples. Learn how the pirate Blackbeard came up with the first logo, and how Nurse Florence Nightingale saved thousands of lives through interior design.

15. How to find inspiration

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi talks about the never-ending search for inspiration that fills every moment of his life. In his opinion, a creative person should always be a little bored, because it is boredom that pushes us to new discoveries.

16. How technology helps create extraordinary art

The artist Aparno Rao is not afraid of experiments and uses the achievements of modern technology with might and main in her work. At the same time, she always creates something extraordinary and funny. For example, a typewriter that sends emails, or a video camera that makes you invisible.

17. Why design is fun

There is nothing to do without a sense of humor in design. David Carson explains why a good designer is not afraid to experiment and have fun. At TED he showcases a collection of slides with unusual finds.