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Ten Non-designer Films Every Designer Should Watch

In some films—beyond the usual “designer” picks like Helvetica or Netflix’s docs—there’s a wealth of thoughtful design hiding in plain sight. Even when the story isn’t about graphics, shot, prop or colour choice can spark. Here’s my cinematic field, where each film has sown seeds of inspiration in my design process.

Blade Runner

Screenshot from Blade Runner (dir. Ridley Scott, 1982) © 1982 The Ladd Company. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. Everything you know about cyberpunk—rain-soaked, neon-lit Asian megacities; flying cars; corporate behemoths in towering skyscrapers—owes its origins to Blade Runner. Before its 1982 premiere, nothing like it had ever been seen on screen. That’s how you set a trend: four decades on, it still awes and inspires.

👀 Why watch

The art and cinematography teams crafted a look that continues to influence—from Cyberpunk 2077 to today’s sci-fi worlds—and the lighting is utterly hypnotic.

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Samsara

Screenshot from Samsara (dir. Ron Fricke, 2011) © 2011 Magidson Films & Oscilloscope Laboratories. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. An hour and a half of pure visual bliss. A silent montage of people, their activities and the natural world—deserts, art, mountains, traffic, dance, architecture, production, and consumption—all pulsing to the one rhythm of samsara. The imagery speaks louder than words, and the idea unfolds through the editing.

👀 Why watch

To grasp true composition, metaphor and rhythm.

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District 9

The exoskeleton is seconds away from taking a round from a Denel NTW-20. Screenshot from District 9 (dir. Neill Blomkamp, 2009) © 2009 TriStar Pictures, QED International & WingNut Films. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. Neill Blomkamp’s debut is a triumph—melding biting satire, hard-edged sci-fi and raw African energy, all driven by an obsession with design. In interviews[1] he’s said that design is his favourite part of moviemaking, and you can see why: every weapon, vehicle, interior, robot and spacecraft is rendered with scrupulous detail. The film’s intentionally gritty, documentary-style look only heightens the impact. Weta Workshop Concept Art.[2] Alternate mercenary unit logos from The Art of District 9 art book.[3]

👀 Why watch

For the deeply thought-out design of every element and the standout stylisation. And for metaphors.

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The Fifth Element

Screenshot from The Fifth Element (dir. Luc Besson, 1997) © 1997 Gaumont. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. A dazzling concoction of grotesque futurism, madcap characters, a soaring soundtrack and Besson’s trademark action—all delivered with that uniquely French flair. Everything’s deliberately over-the-top and vibrantly unreal, yet somehow utterly enchanting. The Mondoshawan concept art for The Fifth Element subtly adapts motifs from the Papyrus of Ani’s Henu Barque—transforming its animal-head details, vertical ribbing and frilled collars into the alien’s anatomy—to weave ancient Egyptian imagery into its design.[4] Jean Moebius Giraud Concept Art.[5]

👀 Why watch

For its fearless, utterly charming production and costume design.

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Hardcore Henry

Screenshot from Hardcore Henry (dir. Ilya Naishuller, 2015) © 2015 Huayi Brothers Pictures, Bazelevs & Versus Pictures. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. A first-person action blast from director Ilya Naishuller—there’s no plot, dialogue or character drama, only non-stop fights, stunts and pure adrenaline. Back in school, we all toyed with POV shorts, but only Naishuller made it this polished and epic.

👀 Why watch

To see how a single technical trick can carry an entire film without script, actors or a big budget.

Ex Machina

Screenshot from Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland, 2015) © 2015 DNA Films & Film4. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. Everything here is flipped: no stunts or action—just conversations and the effort to understand one another. It’s set in a single location with a small cast, relying on a powerful idea, nuanced performances and strikingly stylish minimalism. The Juvet Landscape Hotel as Nathan Bateman’s mansion © Rightfully belongs to Arch Daily.[6]

👀 Why watch

To see how concept, acting and minimalist design can drive intense drama—and to admire the film’s stunning house design.

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Everything Is a Remix (2015)

A four-part docu-series showing how every creative work borrows from what came before—tracing who lifted from whom and how the end result takes on its own life. It’s oddly comforting if you worry your ideas aren’t entirely original.

👀 Why watch

To see that everything’s been done before—and learn how to riff rather than rip off.

Black Mirror

Screenshot from Black Mirror (TV series, 2011–present) © 2011 Channel Four Television Corporation. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. A sci-fi anthology on how technology shapes our lives, featuring beautifully realised interfaces and gadgets—so lovingly crafted you believe they exist, unlike the usual tangle of glowing lines and circles.

👀 Why watch

For its meticulously designed on-screen UX/UI and inventive device concepts

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The Geographer Drank His Globe Away

Screenshot from The Geographer Drank His Globe Away (dir. Alexander Veledinsky, 2013) © 2013 Marmot-Film & Red Arrow Film Company. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. I can’t think of any recent Russian film where everything clicks—the acting, characters, dialogue, music, plot, humour, cinematography, editing and composition all hit the mark. Even the opening credits feel made with real heart.

👀 Why watch

For its masterful composition, stirring soundtrack and an honest slice of life.

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eXistenZ

Screenshot from eXistenZ (dir. David Cronenberg, 1999) © 1999 The Movie Network, Natural Nylon, Téléfilm Canada & Serendipity Point Films. All rights reserved. Used under fair dealing for review. Every Cronenberg film is a revelation—this one left me reeling and shifted something inside. In eXistenZ, his obsession with the body blossoms into a truly bizarre, bio-organic playground.

👀 Why watch

For its one-of-a-kind, visceral world-building and flesh-meets-tech design you won’t see anywhere else.

🎞 Trailer

～ #inspires #2k21