“Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.”

– Ceceil B. Demille

TED Talks are always full of new ideas and is the ultimate sources of inspiration online. If you’re finding it difficult to start work, stay motivated or just generally are in need of fresh ideas – take a look at these.

1. David Carson: Design, discovery and humour

If you’re interested in typography, David Carson is the man to reference to. His talks are filled with humour, but also a lot of serious talk about typography and emotional design. You’ll be amazed at how a change in typography design impacts your audience. David also promotes his ideology about making your work personal (and always trying something new), because this is what creates a connection between you and those who are viewing your design.

2. Milton Glaser: How Great Design Makes Ideas New

Milton Glaser is a legendary designer whom you should know (he’s the man that design the I <3 NY). He advocates for putting a new spin on ideas, pushing boundaries and rethinking design as you know it. It’s impossible to stop listening to a man that is so passionate and devoted to his work. You’ll get lots of ideas from this very short 15 minute video.

3. Marian Bantjes: Intricate beauty by design

Your designs will always be unique if you pour a bit of yourself into them. With 20 years of experience in typography and graphic design, Marian Bantjes showcases her work and personal approach to design in general and discusses how it has impacted and benefited the consumers and herself. 

4. Stefan Sagmeister: Happiness by Design

Stefan Sagmeister speaks of the happy moments in his life and how they have effected his design career. The message to take away from this talk is that there are 2 ways of experiencing happiness with design: being happy while experiencing the design and being happy while designing. Laughter is the inevitable outcome of this one. 

5. Tim Brown: The Powerful Link Between Creativity and Play

Tim Brown is the CEO of the firm IDEO, which promotes innovation and design. He advocates for ‘design thinking’, an incredibly interesting theory that can be applied to any work force, office or even your personal business. Fusing design, business and social studies, Tim Brown makes his talk interactive and causes one to think outside the box. 

The last video is a brief talk on a subject loosely fit to actual design, but it’s another MUST watch for all designers. 

Elizabeth Gilbert: Success, Failure and the Drive to Keep Creating

As designers, and creative individuals, we’re bound to be hit by failure at some point in our careers. Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love gives a short presentation about her experience with success and failure, and finding that courage to move on. 

At the end of the day, she claims that you have to find your ‘home’. Home being not the roof over your head, but rather returning to the place that makes you feel at home. For Elizabeth Gilbert it is writing. 

Where is your home?