Finding Inspiration: Max Werner

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.

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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