Observed
Save the date:
Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been selected to host the 2030 World Expo, according to the
Bureau International des Expositions. "
Expo 2030 Riyadh, The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow,” will run between October 2030 and March 2031.
Acclaimed American photographer Larry Fink, the self-described “Marxist from Long Island,” has died at 82. His black-and-white photographs ranged from portraits of working-class people to the entertainment elite. “He was a dear friend and a free spirit,” said his longtime gallerist, Robert Mann.
Uh, what’s wrong with networking? The COP28 president-designate Sultan Al Jaber is facing accusations that his team has been using this year’s climate convening as an opportunity to make fossil fuel deals for the UAE’s state-owned oil and gas company, allegations he vehemently denies.
New data from McKinsey & Co. show companies are
no longer promoting Black professionals into leadership jobs at the rate they were two years ago.
And that’s a problem. “If you were borderline committed, you’ve just kind of exhaled and retreated,” said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, a research and consulting firm.
It may surprise you to learn that £88 billion of UK pension savers' money is invested in fossil fuels. Still unconvinced? Climate deniers, meet
Oblivia Coalmine!
A Japanese economist,
Tatsuyoshi Saijo is at the forefront of the Future Design movement, which aims to figure out how to get the world to care more about future generations. He is one of the fifty individuals shortlisted on Vox's Future Perfect list—identifying the thinkers, activists, and scholars working on solutions to today’s (and tomorrow’s) biggest problems.
We are all redesigners, now—or at least we're all becoming engaged design critics. In the US, Kansas citizens reject their state's
proposed new license plate design (claiming, among other things, that it looks too much like New York's plate) while in the UK, residents of Gloucester
dispute the design of a Covid memorial.
Every front page in the
New York Times—since 1852.
Design thinking has missed the mark, says Anne-Laure Fayard and Sarah Fathallah in this
must-read piece in the Stanford Social Review. “We reject design thinking as a singular tool kit prescribed to solve social problems,” in part because, it has failed to do so. “Instead, we call for a critical stance on design, where
critical means both
discerning and
important.”
The United States, Britain and more than a dozen other countries on Sunday unveiled what a senior U.S. official described as the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are "
secure by design." .
Dasha Tsapenko is one of a growing number of
designers growing clothing from mycellium. (More
here.)
A brief respite of eye candy: this exquisite
scrapbook—with typography made from matchboxes, dating from 1875—will bring you a rare moment of analogue joy. (Thanks to Debbie Millman for sharing it!)
Design Observer's approach to paying it forward includes supporting big dreams for those who deserve to see those dreams become a reality. (Spoiler alert: you won't find any “top fifty gifts for creatives” lists here this, or any holiday season.) Instead, we'll be sharing ideas over the next few weeks for ways that you can help someone else.
Start here.
South African designer Thebe Magugu incorporates vintage (family)
photos into a new line of clothing. (Read more about the Heirloom Shirt Project
here.)
Remembering George Tscherny, the graphic design powerhouse whose work defined a post-war golden age of corporate growth, innovation, and consumerism.
The US government has published its
Fifth National Climate Assessment, an interagency effort to provide a scientific foundation for policymaking and interventions. While there has been some progress, the current report
has dire predictions on the adverse health effects of climate change and the unequal burdens some communities face. (See also the
United Nations Emissions Gap Report.)
"People who wouldn't drink in a social setting because they were embarrassed at having to drink out of a plastic cup —now they can use a mug like everyone else in the room and they don't feel like they're having to use a medical aid." A British potter designs
inclusive mugs.
Kyle Vogt, the CEO of Cruise, General Motors' autonomous vehicle unit,
has stepped down amid serious concerns about the operational safety of the self-driving cars.
Ready to take on the ultimate challenge? Help shape the technology poised to change the world
by taking your turn as CEO of OpenAI.
When only 9% of plastics in the Western world are recycled, how do you create change?
One designer has an idea about how to tackle waste—our most egregious design flaw—beginning with housewares.
“For just as copy can be literature, design can be art when it reaches certain levels of originality and distinction.” Legendary designer and art director
George Tscherny has died. He was 99.
Prioritizing the needs of the homeless—a model pioneered by Sam Tsemberis and his work with HousingFirst—also benefits from thoughtful (and inclusive)
design practices.
Visualizing equity: Masla Empathy Lab, a Montreal-based DEI consultancy, has completed a rebrand
led by agency Six Cinquième. The imagery uses rich colors, rugged lines, and “imperfect” blocks inspired by children’s toys to create a welcoming vibe. “In childhood, our world views are untarnished and less biased. We aimed to capture that essence,” says Six Cinquième’s co-founder Ash Phillips.
A nine-year-old boy from Didcot, Oxfordshire,
has designed the car of the future, according to the judges of a contest held by Mini and Crayola. Oliver’s design for the exterior of the electric car includes an array of animals and plants so the car would “blend into natural environments.” Oliver is awesome.
Legendary photographer W. Eugene Smith and his
vision of a “failed Pittsburgh.” Say BIG CHEESE: the
world’s largest selfie camera.The now annual
Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change Report has dropped,
with newly dire predictions for the consequences of unchecked climate change. “Projections of a 2C hotter world reveal a dangerous future, and are a grim reminder that the pace and scale of mitigation efforts seen so far have been woefully inadequate to safeguard people’s health and safety.”
Starbucks workers
are striking today — interrupting the company’s annual holiday promotion, "Red Cup Day.” It’s the largest work stoppage in the company’s 50-year history. Workers cite leadership’s refusal to bargain with the union over staffing issues. “It’s degrading and embarrassing to work in stores that are so short staffed on promotional days that we give customers poor service,” says one barista.
Fashion as global relations:
Taking center stage at Joburg Fashion Week, Niger fashion designer, Alia Bare, premiered a collection she hopes will promote the rich, eclectic beauty of her country. “When people talk about Niger they always talk about conflict, they talk about poverty and death, they talk about negative things,” she says. “I know most people associate fashion with superficiality. But I think that fashion, through culture, can help to send a good message outside, an image of the country that is positive.”
How a simple experiment,
now supported by neuroscience, reveals why the human brain perceives smaller numbers better.
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