# Abstract: The Art of Design (2017)

> A Netflix docuseries that goes inside the minds of leading designers across architecture, graphic design, fashion, and industrial design.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/61397

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 14
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Christoph Niemann, Tinker Hatfield, Es Devlin, Bjarke Ingels, Ralph Gilles, Paula Scher, Platon, Ilse Crawford
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333098/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: inspiring, reflective, polished, intimate, warm

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim the series for its vivid, accessible portraits of designers and the way it reveals how design shapes everyday life.

## Synopsis

Abstract: The Art of Design (2017-2019) is a American documentary docuseries created for Netflix, running two seasons and fourteen episodes of roughly forty-five minutes each. Each episode steps inside the working life of a single leading creator, with designers such as architect Bjarke Ingels, set designer Es Devlin, illustrator Christoph Niemann, graphic designer Paula Scher, and Nike footwear designer Tinker Hatfield speaking directly to the camera about their studios, sketches, and unfinished ideas. The engine of the show is curiosity about process: how a rough concept becomes a building, a poster, a sneaker, or a stage, and what obstacles, budgets, and collaborators shape the outcome along the way. Rather than a single narrative thread, it is a portrait series, with each installment functioning as a self-contained study across disciplines including architecture, graphic design, fashion, and industrial design. Its visual register is polished and cinematic, with close studio shots and tactile details of materials and drawings. The mood is warm, reflective, and inspiring, leaving viewers appreciating how design quietly shapes everyday life. Fans of Chef's Table, Objectified, and Exit Through the Gift Shop will find resonance in its intimate portraits of creative minds at work.

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