Netflix Documentary Profiles 8 Visionary Designers

Abstract is about “designers who shape the world around us—from architecture to illustration, cars to typography.”

Top left, Bjarke Ingels, courtesy BIG. VIA 57th St, courtesy Streeteasy. Tinker Hatfield, courtesy Wikimedia. Jordans, courtesy GQ. Second left, Christoph Niemann, courtesy Instagram. Christoph Niemann illustration, courtesy christophniemann.com. Ilse Crawford, courtesy Ikea. Ilse Crawford collection, courtesy Studio Ilse.  Bottom Left, Paula Scher, courtesy Pentagram. Paula Scher map, courtesy CoolHunting. Platon, courtesy PhotoCareer. Time magazine cover 2007, courtesy Time.


For all those design creatives, there is a Netflix documentary you can binge, starting today. It features the world’s most prominent designers showcasing their worlds and spilling the secrets that define their passions. Created and produced by Scott Dadich of Wired magazine, Abstract is “an eight-episode documentary series about creativity, about visionary designers who shape the world around us—from architecture to illustration, cars to typography.”

He also claims in his letter as an editor that “Abstract will help you understand the future by seeing the intent behind the objects that surround us—and the beauty in the decisions that led to them.”

The renowned designers featured are:

  • Tinker Hatfield, the famous longtime designer for Nike. His most prominent designs include Air Max 1 and Michael Jordan III – XV.
  • Bjarke Ingels, the young Danish starchitect behind 2 World Trade Center and VIA, the pyramidical apartment complex in Midtown Manhattan.
  • Ralph Gilles, the Canadian-American Automobile designer. He is the head of Design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
  • Paula Scher, the American graphic designer, educator, and painter who is one of the principles of Pentagram, a multidisciplinary design firm. Her famous works include brand identities for MoMa, The Public Theater, and the Metropolitan Opera.
  • Christoph Niemann, an illustrator, artist, and author. He has regularly illustrated for The New York Times and The New Yorker.
  • Ilse Crawford, a British designer, academic, and creative director. She designs furniture, products, and spaces to enhance human behavior and actions in everyday life. One of her famous projects includes a range of furniture for IKEA.
  • Platon, one of the world’s best photographers. He has photographed powerful world leaders, including Vladimir Putin in 2007 for Time’s Man of the Year, which won him the World Press Photo award for 2008.

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