What Makes Things Cool?

Although trends might seem completely random, there are well-documented patterns to what becomes popular. A 20th century industrial designer, who created some of America’s most iconic looks, developed a theory of coolness that has been backed up by various scientific studies. Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic, explains the science behind why we like what we like.

Authors: Derek Thompson, Nic Pollock, Alice Roth

And follow him on Twitter: @DKThomp

Photo Sources:

Wikimedia,
Getty Images
Reuters Pictures
AP Images

[chrissimon]

Raymond Loewy was an industrial DESIGNER, not engineer. There a "slight" difference between the two...

[Ascertivus]

Loewy balanced novelty and familiarity in his works; humans love that mix of both. Brilliant!

[soltom]

Hey Derek, just thought I'd tell you that your presentation was spot on. Good job man. Looking forward to some more videos.

[ruffey]

This was really informative. I heard Derek talk about the MAYA concept on Bloomberg's Gameplan podcast and applying the slowly exposure effect at work in meetings!

[greggmontgomery]

Raymond Loewy was and Industrial Designer not an Industrial Engineer. There is a significant difference between the two disciplines. Gregg Montgomery - Industrial Designer

[cipherhunt]

In music too! you like the stuff you listened to already, or that is familiar, and you slowly but surely find yourself in different genres. As we get older, we get stuck in the same familiarity and that can stop us from exploring different options... etc.

[ChrisFranco]

This series is fantastic. Really great content.

[Trong]

Nice job, I like that yall have so far stuck with more "obscure" topics. Keep it up. Also, bring back James Hamblin.

[sjwimmel]

I love this channel and especially this video! It makes you view the world in a different way, which is what I look for. I'm amazed this channel doesn't have more subscribers!

[gilbertvancitters]

Good stuff, love these design focused talks, thank you for making it.

[millefune]

Wow, haven't seen Derek since the old "Economics in Plain English" videos. Glad to see he's still around!

[hook]

So good! There's a MAYA dose of psychology in the video itself lol. Bring on the rest of the series.

[jik]

Awesome video! Excited for the series :)

[shannonguo]

Thank you Derek, your parsing is awesome and made it easy for me to understand Raymond's MAYA stage.

[ibelwong]

your content matches your title " COOL". love it.

[chrispile]

Longtime Loewy fan here.... Very insightful video. Thanks!

[RetoolIst]

Just read Derek's book - Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. Surprised there was no mention of it, as this video gives a pretty good overview of some of the key ideas. Worth a read if you're interested in diving a bit deeper!

[somecuriosities]

Great vid - look forward to more of them :-D

[jfbaquero]

Raymond Lowey was an INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER a professional career in its own right, very different from an Engineer!

[Verpokl]

this is a pretty cool series thank you!