Inspiration can come from anywhere. Nearly every design challenge begins with some exploration and search for inspiration. Today, Max Werner shares where he finds inspiration.
For a decade, Gary Hustwit’s film, Objectified, has inspired me. It introduced me to many inspiring designers and many beautiful things. It was, and still is, very fun to watch.
![](https://www.payette.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/objectified_.jpg)
The first time that I watched Objectified anticipated my professional relationship to design. Then, I delighted in the wonderful soundtrack, the fine objects and the well-considered wisdom that transcends scale and disciplinary boundaries. I delighted in the movie’s thoughtfulness, intensity, and humor.
In spite of Objectified’s incredible who’s-who-of-design cast, Jonathan Ive and the film’s five minutes that feature him particularly inspired me. I was moved by Ive’s clarity and pursuit of calm, focused work. Ten years later, I remain moved by those pursuits and I remain inspired by an unspoken question embedded in his discussions of the iPhone’s screen and the MacBook’s indicator light – To what do things defer? This question is one of the most important personal legacies of Objectified’s palpable inspiration. And, professionally, it’s a critical guide toward clarity while making a drawing, producing a chart, organizing my desk, or writing a blog post.
Objectified is available through Hustwit’s website, a platform through which he has provided a rotation of free film streams during the COVID-19 crisis. I hope that you can watch the film or at least Jonathan Ive’s five minutes that begin at 13:42. And I hope that they bring pleasure and inspiration.
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