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Looking to spark some creativity? These documentaries about creative people, places, skills, and schools are sure to inspire. Don’t waste any time searching for one to watch—we’ll help you pick one here.
Click on the screen to land on a movie
Design Decoded
Title
2021
Released
Yes
MULTIPLE PARTS?
N/A
imdb score
Ceros Inspire TV
pLATFORM
Oh, what do we have here? ???? Check out our brand new video hub, featuring conversations with exciting creatives and explainer videos that dive into the histories of some ubiquitous UX elements.
Arguing about what to watch on Netflix before ultimately just giving up and watching
The Office is a tale as old as time. Let us take the decision-making stress off your shoulders with this trusty random generator.
Helvetica
Title
2007
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($3.99)
Platform
Changing the world, one letter at a time. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design, and a global visual culture.
Rams
Title
2018
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.5/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($4.99)
Platform
A documentary portrait of Dieter Rams, one of the most influential designers alive, and a rumination on consumerism, sustainability, and the future of design.
Eames: The Architect
and the Painter
Title
2011
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
Platform
The relationship between Charles Eames and his wife Ray ignited a burst of design ingenuity whose impact on the world can still be felt over half a century later.
Sign Painters
Title
2013
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.2/10
imdb score
Free on
film site
Platform
Sign Painters explores the unacknowledged art form of hand-painted signs through anecdotal accounts from artists across the country.
Objectified
Title
2009
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.1/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($4.99)
Platform
A feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.
Abstract: The Art
of Design
Title
2017
Released
Yes
Multiple Parts?
7.6/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
Step inside the minds of the most innovative designers in a variety of disciplines and learn how design impacts every aspect of life.
Fully Awake: Black Mountain College
Title
2008
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
N/A
imdb score
Vimeo
Rental ($5.95)
Platform
A documentary that explores the North Carolina college's progressive pedagogy and radical approach to arts education.
Grand Designs
Title
1999
Released
Yes
Multiple Parts?
8.5/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
Host Kevin McCloud presents people who take self-building houses to a new level, following every step of their ambitious plans from beginning to end.
LEGO House: Home
of the Brick
Title
2018
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
6.5/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
In Billund, Denmark, a nearly 130,000-square-foot house inspired by the iconic Lego bricks is constructed, capturing the awe of kids of all ages.
Urbanized
Title
2011
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.3/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($4.99)
Platform
A feature-length documentary about the design of cities that looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's most foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
Art and Copy
Title
2009
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
6.9/10
imdb score
PBS Docs on Amazon
Platform
Discover the work and wisom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time, people who have profoundly impacted our culture.
Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight
Title
2008
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.0/10
imdb score
Free on YouTube
Platform
An in-depth profile of Milton Glaser, an iconic graphic designer, teacher, and creative thinker.
Jeremy Scott: The
People's Designer
Title
2015
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
6.5/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($2.99)
Platform
The journey of fashion designer Jeremy Scott from humble roots on a Missouri farm to creative director of Moschino is charted in this documentary.
Drew: The Man Behind The Poster
Title
2013
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.5/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
Platform
Doc about Drew Struzan, whose most popular works include the Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Back to the Future and Star Wars movie posters.
Pressing On: The Letterpress Film
Title
2017
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.4/10
imdb score
Peacock
Platform
Why has letterpress printing survived? Irreplaceable knowledge of the historic craft is in danger of being lost as its caretakers age. Fascinating personalities intermix with wood, metal, and type as young printers try to save a traditional process.
The Pixar Story
Title
2007
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.8/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
Go behind the scenes at Pixar Animation Studios with this Emmy-nominated documentary tracing the creation and history of the groundbreaking company.
Spaceship Earth
Title
2020
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
6.4/10
imdb score
Hulu
Platform
The true, stranger-than-fiction, adventure of eight visionaries who in 1991 spent two years quarantined inside of a self-engineered replica of Earth's ecosystem called Biosphere 2.
Death by Design
Title
2016
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon
Prime
Platform
Death By Design investigates the electronics industry and reveals how even the smallest devices have deadly environmental and health costs.
Dior and I
Title
2014
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.3/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
Platform
A film that brings the viewer inside the storied world of the Christian Dior fashion house with a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation at Raf Simons' first haute couture collection as its new artistic director.
The Toys That Made Us
Title
2017
Released
Yes
Multiple Parts?
8.1/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
The minds behind history's most iconic toy franchises discuss the rise -- and sometimes fall -- of their billion-dollar creations.
Indie Game: The Movie
Title
2012
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.6/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($1.99)
Platform
A documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
The Creative Brain
Title
2019
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
6.3/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
Neuroscientist David Eagleman taps into the creative process of various innovators while exploring brain-bending, risk-taking ways to spark creativity.
Powers of Ten
Title
1977
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
N/A
imdb score
Free on
Youtube
Platform
A short film created by industrial design power couple Charles and Ray Eames, built upon a prototype film that was released nine years earlier.
Architecture, Art,
& Design: 100 Years
of the Bauhaus
Title
2019
Released
Yes
Multiple Parts?
N/A
imdb score
Free on
Youtube
Platform
A three-part series celebrating the legendary German art school, its famous faces, and the movement that it spawned.
Chair Times: A
History of Seating
Title
2020
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
8.2/10
imdb score
Free on Vitra
Platform
It's just what it sounds like: a documentary about chairs. This film features 125 objects in the Collection at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.
Franca: Chaos
and Creation
Title
2016
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.6/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
A documentary filmmaker chronicles the life and times of his mother, Franca Sozzani, the editor of Italian Vogue and a fashion-world provocateur.
Sketches of
Frank Gehry
Title
2006
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($3.99)
Platform
An intimate portrait of the most acclaimed and controversial architect in modern history, directed by his longtime friend and supporter Sydney Pollack.
I Am Sun Mu
Title
2016
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
7.2/10
imdb score
Youtube
Rental ($3.99)
Platform
A story of the life and work of Sun Mu, a North Korean propaganda artist who defected to South Korea and now creates satirical pop art.
The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography
Title
2015
Released
No
Multiple Parts?
6.7/10
imdb score
Netflix
Platform
Filmmaker Errol Morris probes the life, work and studio of his pal Elsa Dorfman, a Polaroid photographer who's shot luminaries and regular folk alike.
Design Decoded
Title
2021
Released
Yes
Multiple Parts?
N/A
imdb score
Ceros Inspire
TV
Platform
Oh, what do we have here? ?? Check out our brand new video hub, featuring conversations with exciting creatives and explainer videos that dive into the histories of some ubiquitous UX elements.
Documentary Generator
Design
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The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography
Title
2015
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
6.7/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
Filmmaker Errol Morris probes the life, work and studio of his pal Elsa Dorfman, a Polaroid photographer who's shot luminaries and regular folk alike.
I Am Sun Mu
Title
2015
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.2/10
imdb score
YouTube Rental ($3.99)
pLATFORM
A story of the life and work of Sun Mu, a North Korean propaganda artist who defected to South Korea and now creates satirical pop art.
Sketches of Frank Gehry
Title
2006
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($3.99)
pLATFORM
An intimate portrait of the most acclaimed and controversial architect in modern history, directed by his longtime friend and supporter Sydney Pollack.
Franca: Chaos and Creation
Title
2016
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.6/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
A documentary filmmaker chronicles the life and times of his mother, Franca Sozzani, the editor of Italian Vogue and a fashion-world provocateur.
Chair Times: A History of Seating
Title
2020
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
8.2/10
imdb score
Free on Vitra
pLATFORM
It's just what it sounds like: a documentary about chairs. This film features 125 objects in the Collection at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.
Architecture, Art, & Design: 100 Years of the Bauhaus
Title
2019
Released
Yes
MULTIPLE PARTS?
N/A
imdb score
Free on YouTube
pLATFORM
A three-part series celebrating the legendary German art school, its famous faces, and the movement that it spawned.
Powers of Ten
Title
1977
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
N/A
imdb score
Free on YouTube
pLATFORM
A short film created by industrial design power couple Charles and Ray Eames, built upon a prototype film that was released nine years earlier.
The Creative Brain
Title
2019
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
6.3/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
Neuroscientist David Eagleman taps into the creative process of various innovators while exploring brain-bending, risk-taking ways to spark creativity.
Indie Game: The Movie
Title
2012
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.6/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($1.99)
pLATFORM
A documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
The Toys That Made Us
Title
2017
Released
Yes
MULTIPLE PARTS?
8.1/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
The minds behind history's most iconic toy franchises discuss the rise -- and sometimes fall -- of their billion-dollar creations.
Dior and I
Title
2014
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.3/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
pLATFORM
A film that brings the viewer inside the storied world of the Christian Dior fashion house with a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation at Raf Simons' first haute couture collection as its new artistic director.
Death by Design
Title
2016
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
pLATFORM
Death By Design investigates the electronics industry and reveals how even the smallest devices have deadly environmental and health costs.
Spaceship Earth
Title
2020
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
6.4/10
imdb score
Hulu
pLATFORM
The true, stranger-than-fiction, adventure of eight visionaries who in 1991 spent two years quarantined inside of a self-engineered replica of Earth's ecosystem called Biosphere 2.
Rams
Title
2018
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.5/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($4.99)
pLATFORM
A documentary portrait of Dieter Rams, one of the most influential designers alive, and a rumination on consumerism, sustainability, and the future of design.
Helvetica
Title
2007
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($3.99)
pLATFORM
Changing the world, one letter at a time. Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design, and a global visual culture.
The Pixar Story
Title
2007
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.8/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
Go behind the scenes at Pixar Animation Studios with this Emmy-nominated documentary tracing the creation and history of the groundbreaking company.
Pressing On: The Letterpress Film
Title
2017
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.4/10
imdb score
Peacock
pLATFORM
Why has letterpress printing survived? Irreplaceable knowledge of the historic craft is in danger of being lost as its caretakers age. Fascinating personalities intermix with wood, metal, and type as young printers try to save a traditional process.
Drew: The Man Behind The Poster
Title
2013
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.5/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
pLATFORM
Doc about Drew Struzan, whose most popular works include the Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Back to the Future and Star Wars movie posters.
Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer
Title
2015
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
6.5/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($2.99)
pLATFORM
The journey of fashion designer Jeremy Scott from humble roots on a Missouri farm to creative director of Moschino is charted in this documentary.
Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight
Title
2008
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.0/10
imdb score
Free on YouTube
pLATFORM
An in-depth profile of Milton Glaser, an iconic graphic designer, teacher, and creative thinker.
Art and Copy
Title
2009
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
6.9/10
imdb score
PBS Docs on Amazon
pLATFORM
Discover the work and wisom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time, people who have profoundly impacted our culture.
Urbanized
Title
2011
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.3/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($4.99)
pLATFORM
A feature-length documentary about the design of cities that looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's most foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
LEGO House: Home of the Brick
Title
2007
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
8/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental ($3.99)
pLATFORM
In Billund, Denmark, a nearly 130,000-square-foot house inspired by the iconic Lego bricks is constructed, capturing the awe of kids of all ages.
Grand Designs
Title
1999
Released
Yes
MULTIPLE PARTS?
8.5/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
Host Kevin McCloud presents people who take self-building houses to a new level, following every step of their ambitious plans from beginning to end.
Fully Awake: Black Mountain College
Title
2008
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
N/A
imdb score
Vimeo Rental ($5.95)
pLATFORM
A documentary that explores the North Carolina college's progressive pedagogy and radical approach to arts education.
Abstract: The Art of Design
Title
2017
Released
Yes
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.6/10
imdb score
Netflix
pLATFORM
Step inside the minds of the most innovative designers in a variety of disciplines and learn how design impacts every aspect of life.
Objectified
Title
2009
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.1/10
imdb score
Amazon Rental
pLATFORM
A feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.
Sign Painters
Title
2013
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.2/10
imdb score
Free on film
Site
pLATFORM
Sign Painters explores the unacknowledged art form of hand-painted signs through anecdotal accounts from artists across the country.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
Title
2011
Released
No
MULTIPLE PARTS?
7.2/10
imdb score
Amazon Prime
pLATFORM
The relationship between Charles Eames and his wife Ray ignited a burst of design ingenuity whose impact on the world can still be felt over half a century later.
