Observed | April 08
The Huntington Library has a
history of inequity. Can it pivot toward inclusivity? (via Blake Eskin) [BV]
Observed | April 07
Memory as inventory: a beautiful tribute in the
New York Times. [JH]
Observed | April 06
Overlooked no more:
The IBM Poster Program: Visual Memoranda features work by Ken White, John Anderson, Tom Bluhm and photographer Rodger Ewy among others like, um, Paul Rand. [JH]
Observed | April 05
Blending is the new branding. (Blend = Brand ± Transparency ± Framing ± Bespoke ± Blur) [BE]
Observed | April 01
Harvard’s GSD Introduces its own
design imprint. [JH]
Voices: Black Graphic Design History is a free two-part webinar series through the four MICA William O. Steinmetz ’50 Designers-in-Residence. To register click
here and
here. [BV]
Observed | March 31
Designing with the
devil. [JH]
Observed | March 29
“Professional designers, evangelists — they all took the opportunity: ridiculing, discrediting, alienating, exposing clean styles and templates, usurping the right to make design decisions.
And they succeeded...” (h/t
Ethical Futures Lab) [BE]
Observed | March 26
Brand mascots, cruelty, and humiliation:
the Duolingo owl and theory of change. [BE]
When less is more. [JH]
Observed | March 25
Annals of
design absurdity: Zara models feature poses that make the clothes impossible to figure out. [JH]
Observed | March 24
As representations of the collective power of local people banding together, the exhibit
Meeting Hall Maine aims to instill an appreciation and desire in others to preserve vernacular structures as democratic forums for generations to come. [BV]
Observed | March 23
In an effort to provide more fonts accessible to everyone, the Indian Type Foundry introduces
Fontshare. [JH]
Observed | March 22
Disney now qualifies its classical film library with
“advisory” disclaimers that seek to recognize (and name) racial bias and othering. [JH]
Observed | March 19
Brilliant! (via Shaun Borstrock) [JH]
Color correction and its relationship to racial bias. (Via Dori Tunstall.) [JH]
Observed | March 18
A brutally honest perspective on
the current—and precarious—state of design culture with Design Observer’s co-founder Jessica Helfand. [BV]
Observed | March 17
Everything you ever wanted to know about
faces on currency. [JH]
Observed | March 15
Bravo and congratulations to Lawrence Azerrad for his latest
Grammy win for the album packaging of for Wilco’s “
Ode to Joy” [BV]
Observed | March 10
Yohokama-based Masayoshi Matsumoto is a
balloon genius. [JH]
Observed | March 05
The Center for Urban Pedagogy now has a program in
Public Access Design. Meet their newest design fellows
here. [JH]
Observed | March 04
On the brink of nuclear war, America’s bold response to the Soviet Union depended on
Juanita Moody, an unknown spy agency operative, whose story can at last be told. [BV]
Observed | March 03
For his piece
Quantum Fluctuations: Experiments in Flux, London-based artist Markos R Kay set out to visually express a quantum interaction – a phenomenon that’s notoriously unobservable. [BV]
Observed | March 02
The beautiful, origami-like art of
letterlocking. [JH]
Observed | March 01
See what other people are reading—
quite literally. [JH]
Old photos of famous artists and scientists animated into ‘
living portraits’ using AI. [BV]
From the brilliant Ariel Avissar, a supercut of the everlasting
typewriter. (Via Kottke.) [JH]
Art, activism, and
the Xerox machine. [JH]
Observed | February 25
The story of designer/Marxist Enzo Mari, the role of value creation, and
a tale of two bookcases. [JH]
Observed | February 24
Vintage clothes, bright colors, and empowerment for Black women: one graphic designer’s
sartorial adventure. [JH]
