Inspiring TED talks that design agencies should watch

We live in an age where access to information, new ideas and education is fast, easy and in many cases free! Originally launched in 1984, TED has become a global phenomenon with events world wide, and hundreds of inspiring, motivational and educational TED talks.

We have collated a range of TED talks from over the last couple of decades or so, that have inspired me and my team.

Design is in the details

A classic from 2005. Paul Bennett shares how design can be used to solve small problems that have huge effects.

The first secret of design is… noticing

Tony Fadell challenges us to think…. can things be better? Why are things the way they are? How can we improve?

Designing objects that tell stories

Yves Behar tells his story and shares examples of where design tells a story, invokes emotions and creates conversation.

Organic design, inspired by nature

Ross Lovegrove had us laughing in the first minute. He unpacks “DNA”, Design, Nature Art and discusses “fat-free” design.

How giant websites design for you (and a billion others, too)

Margaret Gould Stewart from Facebook shares three rules for designing on a huge scale. We’ve seen often how a small change can create outrage in an app, she unpacks this and how design can have a large scale positive impact.

Designers — think big!

A call to action from Tim Brown, who unpacks “design thinking” as an approach for bigger impact.

What inspires you?

As an agency we regularly take time to read books both fiction and non-fiction to help build up our “brain muscles” and to feed our creativity. Finding new ways to solve a problem, or to look at how we work on our products or as a team excites and motivates us.

What TED talks or other online content has had an impact in your life and business? Let’s have a conversation, share in the comments below.