Design inspiration can come from just about anywhere. Here at InVision, we love how videos blend typography, static images, movement, and sound together to create visceral experiences.
We asked some of our favorite creative professionals to share their picks of the best design-focused videos with us. Then, we sorted them into three categories: Thought Leaders, Illustration and Animation, and Marketing and Advertising. Check out 24 inspiring videos below and those who recommended them.
Inspired by Thought Leaders
John Maeda: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders
In this TED talk, President of the Rhode Island School of Design, John Maeda, shares a lifetime of work in art, design and technology, concluding with a picture of creative leadership in the future.
Saul Bass: On Making Money vs Quality Work
American graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Saul Bass, candidly speaks in his studio about making money versus making quality work.
Philippe Starck: Design and Destiny
French creator, designer and architect Philippe Stark speaks, sans slides, about his design, art, and its place and purpose in our history.
John McFaul BLAB 16
Designer and Creative Director John McFaul speaks at a BLAB event by Northern Digitals about his creative process and what happens when you crash.
Ramit Sethi | Chase Jarvis LIVE | ChaseJarvis
Award-winning photographer Chase Jarvis welcomes business guru Ramit Sethi to The Garage to share his advice for what it takes to be successful as an artist.
Neil Gaiman 2012 Commencement Speech “Make Good Art”
English author Neil Gaiman speaks to a graduating class from The University of the Arts and passes along the best advice he was ever given.
Michael Bierut Graphic Designer – The Creative Influence Ep.13
Michael Bierut talks about his mentor Massimo Vignelli, how the internet has changed the way we do design work in the 20th century and what make a logo endure.
Zane Lowe meets Rick Rubin
Lowe meets legendary music producer Rick Rubin and talks about his experience creating records with several notable artists.
Experience Design with Jason Silva
Silva freestyles important truths about experience design.
A Design Film Festival 2014: Tadao Ando, From Emptiness to Infinity
The documentary portrays one of the world’s most renowned architects: the Japanese ‘Master of Minimalism’, Tadao Ando.
Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off
In this TED talk, designer Stefan Sagmeister explains why he closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical every seven years.
Simon Sinek: If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business
Simon Sinek speaks the 99% Conference about how you can help the human race.
Inspired by Illustration and Animation
Dumb Ways to Die
Metro’s PSA is cute and contagious while making a serious point to be careful around trains.
Recommended by:
Cupidiculous
Using 2D cel-animation and 3D techniques, Cupidiculous humorously tells the story of Adam and Eve while simultaneously warning against over-consumption and global warming.
84000 // Words of the Buddha
Created by Giant Ant for the non-profit 84000, this beautifully animated video details its process to translate into modern languages the 95% of Buddhist texts that have yet to be done.
Perfectionists: Wimbledon’s Official Trophy Engraver by Stella Artois UK
In a beautiful mix of illustration and animation, Stella Artois UK delves into the world of Roman Zoltowski, engraver of the Wimbledon trophies since 1979.
Walking City
Bending sculpture and video, Walking City slowly evolves while it walks, becoming the materials and patterns she encounters.
Inspired by Marketing and Advertising
Apple – Designed By Apple – Intention
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpZmIiIXuZ0
Apple describes its thought process for product design using simple typography and visuals.
URB-E indiegogo
This video, produced as part of an indiegogo campaign, details the design of a new type of motorized city bike.
Sense: Know More. Sleep Better.
This over-funded kickstarter describes a simple system that tracks your sleep behavior, monitors the environment of your bedroom and reinvents the alarm.
The Most Boring Ad Ever Made?
Leica Camera spends 45 minutes polishing the new Leica T by hand to show the care it takes in making each one.
Mohawk Massimo Vignelli
Mohawk Paper interviews renowned designer Massimo Vignelli about his experiences as a book designer as part of its “What Will You Make Today?” campaign.
Turkish Airlines Commercial Kids and Mini Airport
Children’s imaginations come to life when they create an airport in their backyard.
TV 2 Summer Idents
This project was filmed using six go-pro cameras attached to a stand that was self designed and printed out with a 3D printer to suit the purpose.
Margaret Kelsey leads content marketing at Appcues. Before Appcues, she built content programs for InVision’s design community for 3.5 years and has roots in painting and PR. She’s a big fan of puns, Blackbird Donuts, and Oxford commas—probably in that order.