“The site announcing America’s new design studio is a hot mess. That’s a clue.”
Authoritarian by design - DesignObserver
The "America by Design" initiative, issued by the Trump administration, pushes a harmful narrative with questionable visuals
designobserver.com
September 13, 2025 at 1:06 AM
“The site announcing America’s new design studio is a hot mess. That’s a clue.”
When bad design isn’t a mistake, it’s the strategy. The “America by Design” initiative isn’t just a messy website. It redefines design itself, away from accessibility and toward exclusion, erasure, and control. Latest essay by @emcg.bsky.social
Authoritarian by design - DesignObserver
The "America by Design" initiative, issued by the Trump administration, pushes a harmful narrative with questionable visuals
designobserver.com
September 12, 2025 at 5:32 PM
When bad design isn’t a mistake, it’s the strategy. The “America by Design” initiative isn’t just a messy website. It redefines design itself, away from accessibility and toward exclusion, erasure, and control. Latest essay by @emcg.bsky.social
"Every minute of every day now, you’re interacting with letterforms that someone drew, someone designed, someone made decisions about..."
We asked Sara Soskolne, Executive Creative Director at Monotype what she wishes people understood about typeface design: bit.ly/4jkkdzR
We asked Sara Soskolne, Executive Creative Director at Monotype what she wishes people understood about typeface design: bit.ly/4jkkdzR
Sara Soskolne is a typeface designer who thinks of herself as a craftsperson - DesignObserver
We’re surrounded by letters created by the human hand, and this “micro-nerdery” is what makes the viewer feel something
bit.ly
September 23, 2026 at 7:07 PM
"Every minute of every day now, you’re interacting with letterforms that someone drew, someone designed, someone made decisions about..."
We asked Sara Soskolne, Executive Creative Director at Monotype what she wishes people understood about typeface design: bit.ly/4jkkdzR
We asked Sara Soskolne, Executive Creative Director at Monotype what she wishes people understood about typeface design: bit.ly/4jkkdzR
“Design is the method of putting form and content together.” —Paul Rand
The form will follow. Start with the content.
Ref designobserver.com/thoughts-on-...
The form will follow. Start with the content.
Ref designobserver.com/thoughts-on-...
Thoughts on Paul Rand - DesignObserver
Twenty years after the event, John Maeda reflects on inviting Paul Rand to speak at MIT.
designobserver.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:39 PM
“Design is the method of putting form and content together.” —Paul Rand
The form will follow. Start with the content.
Ref designobserver.com/thoughts-on-...
The form will follow. Start with the content.
Ref designobserver.com/thoughts-on-...
October 16, 2025 at 10:27 PM
This book is a favorite for me, one of those that really gets your mind going creatively. 🤓 tagging photo b/c I’m a photographer and it inspired me 🙂 #peterblegvad #themindseye #hypnagogic #imagineobserveremember #pataphysician #makeart #drawing #photography
designobserver.com/imagine-obse...
designobserver.com/imagine-obse...
Imagine, Observe, Remember - DesignObserver
The poetically enigmatic title says it all: Imagine, Observe, Remember; it is a book about process, memory, remembrance and interpretation.
designobserver.com
January 31, 2025 at 5:44 PM
This book is a favorite for me, one of those that really gets your mind going creatively. 🤓 tagging photo b/c I’m a photographer and it inspired me 🙂 #peterblegvad #themindseye #hypnagogic #imagineobserveremember #pataphysician #makeart #drawing #photography
designobserver.com/imagine-obse...
designobserver.com/imagine-obse...
Interesting article on making softer and more comfortable the sounds made by the objects and devices we buy.
designobserver.com/a-quieter-pl...
#sounddesign
designobserver.com/a-quieter-pl...
#sounddesign
A quieter place: Sound designer Eddie Gandelman on composing a future that allows us to hear ourselves think - DesignObserver
How natural soundscapes are inspiring a new generation of product design — and why it's time we rethink the harmful sounds of everyday tech.
designobserver.com
June 17, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Interesting article on making softer and more comfortable the sounds made by the objects and devices we buy.
designobserver.com/a-quieter-pl...
#sounddesign
designobserver.com/a-quieter-pl...
#sounddesign
Really enjoyed this piece by @davesnyder.bsky.social:
"Your boss made a prototype. Good. The process was never the point."
designobserver.com/your-boss-ma...
#design #designobserver
"Your boss made a prototype. Good. The process was never the point."
designobserver.com/your-boss-ma...
#design #designobserver
Your boss made a prototype - DesignObserver
Good. The process was never the point.
designobserver.com
June 15, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Really enjoyed this piece by @davesnyder.bsky.social:
"Your boss made a prototype. Good. The process was never the point."
designobserver.com/your-boss-ma...
#design #designobserver
"Your boss made a prototype. Good. The process was never the point."
designobserver.com/your-boss-ma...
#design #designobserver
'the built environment isn’t constant. Sprawl did not exist 50 years ago, right? And now sprawl is a constant in the US. there are other ways of living & maybe there are better ways of living.'
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
DB|BD Season 12 Premiere: Designing for the Unknown – The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason - DesignObserver
In the Season 12 premiere of The Design of Business | The Business of Design, Michael Eliason joins Ellen McGirt to discuss climate-adaptive design, resilient cities, and how we can build for a changi...
designobserver.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:21 PM
'the built environment isn’t constant. Sprawl did not exist 50 years ago, right? And now sprawl is a constant in the US. there are other ways of living & maybe there are better ways of living.'
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
"What I hadn’t fully anticipated was how quickly technology would evolve, and how it would bring us to the threshold of a new era."
John Maeda revisits a decade of technological transformation in a new preface to “How to Speak Machine,” now up at @designobserver.com:
John Maeda revisits a decade of technological transformation in a new preface to “How to Speak Machine,” now up at @designobserver.com:
Should we teach AI to reflect human values, emotions, and intentions? - DesignObserver
John Maeda explores how AI must learn to reflect human values, creativity, and emotion in this new preface to How to Speak Machine.
designobserver.com
July 21, 2025 at 1:16 PM
"What I hadn’t fully anticipated was how quickly technology would evolve, and how it would bring us to the threshold of a new era."
John Maeda revisits a decade of technological transformation in a new preface to “How to Speak Machine,” now up at @designobserver.com:
John Maeda revisits a decade of technological transformation in a new preface to “How to Speak Machine,” now up at @designobserver.com:
your boy talking about his book Building For People on @designobserver.com's design of business | business of design podcast
Designing for the Unknown – The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
Designing for the Unknown – The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
DB|BD Season 12 Premiere: Designing for the Unknown – The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason - DesignObserver
In the Season 12 premiere of The Design of Business | The Business of Design, Michael Eliason joins Ellen McGirt to discuss climate-adaptive design, resilient cities, and how we can build for a changi...
designobserver.com
March 4, 2025 at 7:46 PM
your boy talking about his book Building For People on @designobserver.com's design of business | business of design podcast
Designing for the Unknown – The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
Designing for the Unknown – The Future of Cities is Climate Adaptive with Michael Eliason
designobserver.com/dbbd-season-...
"How designer Ethan Marcotte navigated ethical crossroads at 18F, championed labor rights in tech, and redefines compassionate design in the age of AI." @designobserver.com @ethanmarcotte.com designobserver.com/compassionat...
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte - DesignObserver
Designer Ethan Marcotte shares lessons from leaving 18F, the future of compassionate design, and what AI means for the value of our labor.
designobserver.com
June 11, 2025 at 1:07 AM
"How designer Ethan Marcotte navigated ethical crossroads at 18F, championed labor rights in tech, and redefines compassionate design in the age of AI." @designobserver.com @ethanmarcotte.com designobserver.com/compassionat...
New DBBD episode: @ethanmarcotte.com talks responsive design 15 years on, why he left 18F, the ethics of AI, and how compassionate design and tech labor organizing can shape a better future. Listen to the full episode out now. 🔗
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte - DesignObserver
Designer Ethan Marcotte shares lessons from leaving 18F, the future of compassionate design, and what AI means for the value of our labor.
designobserver.com
June 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
New DBBD episode: @ethanmarcotte.com talks responsive design 15 years on, why he left 18F, the ethics of AI, and how compassionate design and tech labor organizing can shape a better future. Listen to the full episode out now. 🔗
🔗 “The most distinctive element of [ITC Garamond] is its enormous lower-case x-height. In theory this improves its legibilty, but only in the same way that dog poop’s creamy consistency in theory should make it more edible.”
(From: I Hate ITC Garamond designobserver.com/i-hate-itc-g...)
(via Eric)
(From: I Hate ITC Garamond designobserver.com/i-hate-itc-g...)
(via Eric)
I Hate ITC Garamond - DesignObserver
ITC Garamond, a popular typeface designed in 1975, is quite simply ugly, and I hate it.
designobserver.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
🔗 “The most distinctive element of [ITC Garamond] is its enormous lower-case x-height. In theory this improves its legibilty, but only in the same way that dog poop’s creamy consistency in theory should make it more edible.”
(From: I Hate ITC Garamond designobserver.com/i-hate-itc-g...)
(via Eric)
(From: I Hate ITC Garamond designobserver.com/i-hate-itc-g...)
(via Eric)
"Am I librarian chic? Mob wife? Ballet core? Dark academia?"
#slopclothes #AI #generated
designobserver.com/aesthetic-tu...
#slopclothes #AI #generated
designobserver.com/aesthetic-tu...
Aesthetic, turbocharged by AI - DesignObserver
AI fashion apps like Neuono promise custom couture in seconds, but at what cost? Exploring the tension between convenience, artistry, and true style.
designobserver.com
September 26, 2025 at 3:53 AM
"Am I librarian chic? Mob wife? Ballet core? Dark academia?"
#slopclothes #AI #generated
designobserver.com/aesthetic-tu...
#slopclothes #AI #generated
designobserver.com/aesthetic-tu...
#AI is a tool that previous totalitarian rulers could have only dreamt about.
"AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s homogenizing thinking... Generative tools may be flattening creativity, innovation, and even self-understanding."
#AcademicSky
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
"AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s homogenizing thinking... Generative tools may be flattening creativity, innovation, and even self-understanding."
#AcademicSky
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
“Suddenly everyone’s life got a lot more similar”: AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s homogenizing thinking - DesignObserver
Research suggests generative AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s reshaping attention, identity, and how people understand their own stories.
designobserver.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:02 PM
#AI is a tool that previous totalitarian rulers could have only dreamt about.
"AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s homogenizing thinking... Generative tools may be flattening creativity, innovation, and even self-understanding."
#AcademicSky
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
"AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s homogenizing thinking... Generative tools may be flattening creativity, innovation, and even self-understanding."
#AcademicSky
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
December 7, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Josef Albers famously designed several of them. But it was Murphy's aesthetic, through his own work and the commissioning of other artists to execute album covers, who defined the Command look. 2/
Command Records’ Design Distinction - DesignObserver
Command Records covers are striking for the graphic and branding power of the abstract format.
designobserver.com
September 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Josef Albers famously designed several of them. But it was Murphy's aesthetic, through his own work and the commissioning of other artists to execute album covers, who defined the Command look. 2/
Earning just 9% of league revenue, @wnba.com players are demanding fair pay. Their protest t-shirts are changing how sports activism looks today. New essay by @ahaut.bsky.social
Say it with your chest: WNBA players fight for pay and justice on their t-shirts - DesignObserver
WNBA players are using protest t-shirts to demand fair pay, equity, and justice, turning warmups into powerful statements on and off the court.
designobserver.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Earning just 9% of league revenue, @wnba.com players are demanding fair pay. Their protest t-shirts are changing how sports activism looks today. New essay by @ahaut.bsky.social
Good design isn’t about adding more. It’s about knowing what not to build. @davesnyder.bsky.social argues for restraint: solve the one core problem, put in the craft, and let time and user behavior do the work. Read the full story:
The compound interest of design: what not to build - DesignObserver
Veteran designer Dave Snyder says the secret to lasting products isn’t hype or clever features. It’s restraint, craft, and solving one core problem so well that the benefits compound over time.
designobserver.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Good design isn’t about adding more. It’s about knowing what not to build. @davesnyder.bsky.social argues for restraint: solve the one core problem, put in the craft, and let time and user behavior do the work. Read the full story:
For Design Observer, I spoke to experts in visual perception and cognition, who have found compelling early evidence that AI-generated images are less effective at holding viewers' attention, largely because they are less complex.
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
“Suddenly everyone’s life got a lot more similar”: AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s homogenizing thinking - DesignObserver
Research suggests generative AI isn’t just imitating creativity, it’s reshaping attention, identity, and how people understand their own stories.
designobserver.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:40 PM
For Design Observer, I spoke to experts in visual perception and cognition, who have found compelling early evidence that AI-generated images are less effective at holding viewers' attention, largely because they are less complex.
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
designobserver.com/suddenly-eve...
Yes! Full pitch guide and submission form here: designobserver.com/how-to-pitch...
How to pitch Design Observer - DesignObserver
Learn how to pitch Design Observer, a platform for forward-thinking conversations on design, equity, and innovation. Explore our guide for designers, journalists, and publishers.
designobserver.com
April 11, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Yes! Full pitch guide and submission form here: designobserver.com/how-to-pitch...