What designers can learn from comedians

I had to wait two years for it, but this weekend it finally happened. I saw Trevor Noah live on stage! It was fantastic and well worth the wait.

We already bought the tickets before the pandemic, but then of course the whole world shut down and the show was postponed. First for a year, and then another year.

But this weekend Trevor Noah finally came to Amsterdam to make us laugh. And laugh we did! Seeing him live and having a great time together with my girlfriend was a special moment for me.

Ever since he succeeded Jon Stewart as the host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah grabbed my interest. How did an unknown South African comedian come to host one of America’s most popular talk shows? I watched clips online now and then and thought he was charming and funny.

But it wasn’t until I read his book, ‘Born a Crime’, that I really became a fan. It’s easily one of the best books I’ve read in years. Not only is it absolutely hilarous, it’s also a heartbreaking story.

There’s something about Trevor Noah that resonates with me. Maybe it’s because like me, he’s the child of a mixed couple. Maybe it’s because he’s my generation. Maybe it’s because he has the qualities I admire in people. He’s charming, he’s really smart and he stands for social justice. Whatever it is, I’m a fan. He also inspires me as a designer. Because I believe designers have a lot to learn from comedians like Noah. I’ll mention two skills.

First of all Trevor Noah, like all good comedians, is a great observer. That’s what comedy is all about: to observe the world, find the weird things in it and tell us about it in a way that makes us laugh. Comedians have the ability to see things we don’t see, simply because they are better at looking. As designers, this is of course crucial skill. To simply observe and find the peculiar things about reality.

Secondly, comedians are great storytellers. And Trevor Noah is no exception. He is probably born with this talent and it shines through in everything he does. From the videos he shares online, to the words in his book to his performance on stage. His ability to tell stories is actually not a single skill. It’s a combination of many skills. Writing: the words he choses and the order in which he uses them for the biggest effect. How he talks: his tone and voice, his volume, his accentuations. How he moves: his body language. His mimicking: how he impersonates other people, accents or situations (he has an uncanny ability to do impressions of American presidents). His interaction: how he connects with his audience. All these skills combined always serve the jokes and thus the stories he tells his audience.

So next time you need some inspiration on how to do your work as a designer: just study Trevor Noah. And the good news: he has two shows on Netflix, so you don’t have to wait years before he gives a show in your vicinity.