One of the highlights of the TED conference this year was…

…Watching Roman Mars record an episode of his audio podcast, 99% Invisible, live in front of an audience. The topic of his TED Talk/podcast recording session was all about the design of flags. I want you to to stop and think about that. With all of the celebrities and amazing stories that are told on the TED stage, one of the most engaging and fascinating presentations was a guy, sitting behind a desk, recording an audio podcast (with a script) about the design of flags. While it does sound dry, it was anything but dry. Roman Mars is a master storyteller. And, the stories he’s most interested in are about design. Not the design of objects that have captivated our attention, but the design of things that we see everyday that are – to riff on the name of his podcast – mostly invisible to us. Many brands and marketers are tinkering with podcasting (audio and video) more and more. The growth in podcasting continues to impress. More and more people are discovering this format, and are becoming engrossed by the depth of niche content that is available. Figuring out how to produce something worthwhile (with frequency and consistency) is a challenge. Storytellers like Roman Mars have mastered it.

What you have here.

There is no doubt that the content of this podcast is great, entertaining and informational. As a professional marketer, what makes this TED Talk that much more interesting is in watching how he builds his stories, edits them, pulls it together and turns it into a real show.

Watch this: TED – Roman Mars – Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you’ve never noticed.