Seven Netflix Movies Every Designer Should Watch

Happy Friday! To celebrate the weekend, I am sharing a few Netflix movies for designers. Have you watched any of these, or have any others to recommend? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

01. Art & Copy (DVD only)

I have nostalgia when thinking back to watching Art & Copy for the first time while in college. I went to a small school in East Texas, and they had such an unexpected vibrant art community. I remember watching Art & Copy at the modern art museum, which was nestled between old antique shops and cobblestone roads.

All this to say, this is such a great movie and I recommend anyone in the graphic design, marketing or communications field to give it a try! The movie interviews the creative visionaries behind large campaigns including “just do it”, “got milk?” and “think different”.

02. Exit Through the Gift Shop

I have such a love for this movie! I encourage you to watch it with friends/family, because you will be left wanting to discuss this documentary afterward! It follows the journey of a film maker who is gathering footage for a documentary about street art, and meets one of his idols – Banksy. Give it a try… it is genius on so many levels.

03. The Pitch (TV show)

The Pitch is a TV series that follows the journey of two competing ad agencies that go head-to-head when competing for a new client. They only have seven days to develop a strategic + creative ad campaign, with hopes of winning and leaving with a new client. It shows the intensity behind the scenes when working with a team to craft a unique + winning campaign.

04. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Ok really… Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favorite all time movie, but this Wes Anderson movie is on instant play! I would highly recommend all Wes Anderson movies, if you are a graphic designer, or appreciate those details. Wes Anderson shows an impeccable attention to detail throughout all of his movies – from hiring Jessica Hische to create a custom typeface for his Moonrise Kingdom film, to a consistent color palette throughout each movie. The set design, costumes, makeup, and branding for the fake businesses in the movie are so thoughtfully curated. And this just touches the visual aesthetic of the film! The wit + dry humor in the Grand Budapest Hotel can’t be beat either. I could go on and on… so why not make a weekend of it and watch a few Wes Anderson movies!

05. Art 21 (DVD only)

I remember watching Art 21 segments in my art history classes in college. This PBS series takes you behind the scenes into the studios of modern artists who share their processes, thoughts + concepts of their artwork. Each episode is a documentary style, and you are exposed to new artists, and gain an appreciation of their work. Highly recommend if you enjoy art history!

06. Helvetica (DVD only)

If you are a graphic designer, chances are you are no stranger to the film “Helvetica”, which celebrates the beautiful + widely used font, Helvetica. This film looks into how this typeface is used, and what impact typography has on our lives. A must see if you are interested in graphic design!

07. Jobs

Jobs is a film that focuses on the career of Steve Jobs, and the success of Apple. As we all know, Apple products are so beautifully created, down to the packaging they are delivered in. This film highlights Jobs’ attention/perseveration of these design details, as well as gleans insight to his vision behind his company. He really considered the brand + vision of Apple, more so than the business aspect. Though the movie portrays him as a somewhat unlikeable character, I respect that he stuck to his brand, and had such intentionality behind every aspect of Apple.