Ellen Lupton is a design thinker of the highest order. As curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City, she has produced numerous exhibitions and books, including Thinking with Type (2004), which is used by students, designers, and educators worldwide. Her most recent book, Design is Storytelling, published in late 2017, explores the connection between good design and a compelling narrative.
In this episode of Change Lab, Ellen makes a compelling case for the integral relationship between storytelling and design, drawing connections between a well-designed experience and the mythological hero’s journey and citing Ikea as Exhibit A for a successful experiential design narrative.
Finally, Ellen reflects meaningfully on her role as an educator and the importance of approaching design as a full-body sensory experience guided by the physicality of the materials used and the making process itself.
Learn more about Ellen's work:
Thinking with Type Design is Storytelling Cooper Hewitt Maryland Institute College of ArtKaren Hofmann on building an accessible, affordable and inclusive education
Jackie Amezquita on migration, memory and making art
Aimee Mullins on Finding a World of Possibilities in Every Problem
Artist Lita Albuquerque on Regeneration After the Fire
Artist Kim Schoenstadt on finding redemption through creativity and kinship
James Meraz on creating a path through unimaginable loss
Change Lab Season 10: Forged in Fire, Make to Heal
53 Google's Ivy Ross on Reimagining the Life You're Meant to Live
52 Tisha Johnson on design as a growth mindset
51 Aimee Bender on writing into uncertainty
50 Ann Hamilton on the Power of I-Don’t-Know
49 Mike Shinoda on the Alchemy of Making Music and Art
48 Artist Diana Thater is determined to reveal a world worth saving
Change Lab Season 9: Make to Know
47 Pasadena City College President Erika Endrijonas on leveling the playing field
46 UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ on creating institutional change from within
45 Fuller Seminary President Mark Labberton on the theology of making
44 Dan Brodnitz on democratizing education at LinkedIn Learning
43 Occidental College President Harry Elam on finding a roadmap for systemic change in revolutionary theater movements
42 D’Wayne Edwards on building a pipeline for diversity in sneaker design
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