You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh. The signs really are everywhere. If we stop to appreciate the wonder of the world,

there are so many moments of accidental brilliance that can be experienced. Sometimes these signs are kind of subtle.

You just know what to do.

Other times, this sign is actually helping us think.

That's designer and professor Kate Canales.

In her talk, she shares a unique obsession

with the handmade signs posted all around us. The subtle, helpful, and oftentimes hysterical,

extra instructions humans add to point-of-sale machines, doors, and conspicuously in bathrooms.

She took to the TED stage to share a selection of the hundreds of photos of quirky signs

she's collected over the years and offers a simple but important message.

I think of myself as almost like an anthropologist in the world of everyday instructions, no matter how you may feel about the

advancement of technology in our everyday lives. These signs are evidence that we still need each

other out here in the real world to do some very basic things. This talk is highly visual, but we wanted to make sure we could share it with our podcast

listeners as well. So we reached out to Kate and asked if she would describe the

images for you, which we're including here alongside portions of her talk.

That's all coming up right after a short break.

And now our TED Talk of the Day.

My name is Kate.

I am a designer.

And my design superpower is noticing.

I am pretty much always watching how people navigate the designed world.

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