7 Ted Talks every Designer should watch

Ted Talks started way back in 1984 as a conference and has been held annually since 1990. Initially, its focus was technology, design and entertainment. It has given us a lot of thought provoking and deep insightful content to watch. There are a total of Close to 50,000 talks which have been given at 10,000 events since 2009.

Well that’s a lot to watch and listen to. Don’t worry fellow designers we have hand picked a few of our favorites for you. At Desera we always discover and recommend the best content for our viewers to watch and expand their creative and intellectual horizon.

Here are few Ted talks every designer should have on their list.

1. “Why you should make useless things” by Simone Giertz Ever failed at failing? Simone Giertz spills the beans on why creating useless stuff is the ultimate confidence boost. From funky alarm clocks to toothbrush helmets, get ready for a dose of creative chaos! This talk will surely help you get some confidence in creating as much as possible.
2. “Where joy hides and how to find it” by Ingrid Fetell Lee Find out what are the secrets of joy with designer Ingrid Fetell Lee. Spoiler alert: rainbows, bubbles, and googly eyes are involved. Learn how to sprinkle more joy into your life, one whimsical discovery at a time.
3. “The secret language of letter design” by Martina Flor Martina Flor spills the tea on the secret language of letters. Forget what you thought you knew about fonts! This talk will make you see street signs and book covers in a whole new light.
4. “Taking imagination seriously - Janet Echelman” Lose your paints, find your art. Janet Echelman's journey involves geeky creativity on a massive scale. Brace yourself for billowing, building-sized sculptures that redefine what it means to think big.
5. “The first secret of design is… noticing” by Tony Fadell Tony Fadell, the genius behind the iPod, tells the secrets on design superpowers. It all starts with noticing things others overlook. Get ready to see the world through designer lenses! A talk which will leave you looking at the world with a different lens.
6. “The beauty of data visualization - David McCandless” David McCandless turns data into art. Forget boring graphs; and see what makes up for stunning diagrams that hold hidden patterns. It’s design as a navigation tool through the sea of information. Huge numbers, complex analytics, mathematical equations, sales figures and what not, make it fun and interesting to digest with the skill of data visualization.
7. “Designers – Think big! - Tim Brown” At Desera we always inspire you to think big. So is this recommendation where Tim Brown challenges designers to be more than trend-chasers. It's a call to arms for "design thinking" that's local, collaborative, and game-changing. Let's design a world that rocks! Its in our hands.

Did we miss your favorite here? Share your favorite TED talk with us on Instagram: @desera.co.