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Ellen Lupton

Change Lab Episode 11: Ellen Lupton on Design as Storytelling

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.

Thinking about design as a hero’s journey, we want our user to pass through a portal from an ordinary experience through our brand through or product before they return to life and are reborn

Ellen Lupton

In this episode of Change Lab, Ellen makes a compelling case for the integral relationship between storytelling and design. Connecting a well-designed experience to the mythological hero’s journey, she cites Ikea as the ultimate example of an 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.



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