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Society & Culture

The accidental brilliance of makeshift signs | Kate Canales

podcast April 13, 2026


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What happens when the design of everyday things misses the mark? People fill in the blanks. Designer Kate Canales has spent more than 20 years photographing the handmade, improvised signs that appear when the original falls short. From perplexing bathroom directions to our struggles with doors and point-of-sale machines, her photos capture something technology can’t replace: our instinct to look out for each other and leave a few instructions behind.

If you’ve got a photo you’ve taken of a makeshift sign like the ones Kate discusses in her talk, she’d would love to see it! Please visit www.thereifixedit.design to learn more.

Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast


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