Design Impact

Laura Sofia Cardozo|Peru's Sacred Valley

The value of multigenerational memory in design practice

Attendee at the Reclaiming Value convening on ways Indigenous knowledge frameworks can be responsibly borrowed and applied in design work

Ellen McGirt

Your Black History Month reading list

In honor of Black History Month, here are some Black authors who are addressing the persistent issues of inclusion in the modern design era — many are cherished contributors to the Design Observer community. As always, proceeds from book …

Sithara Ranasinghe|Analysis

‘Adulterations Detected:’ on the human impulse to prettify our food with poison

Alexis Haut|Education

‘Thoughts & Prayers’ & bulletproof desks: Jessica Dimmock and Zackary Canepari on filming the active shooter preparedness industry

HBO’s new documentary, helmed by two lauded photographers-turned-parents, excavates the $3B market born from America’s school shooting problem.

Ellen McGirt|Books

No mandates, only opportunities: IBM's Phil Gilbert on rethinking change

Ellen McGirt interviews Phil Gilbert on IBM’s design-led transformation and why treating change as a product—not a skill—shapes the future of AI and creative work.

Louisa Eunice|Essays

The afterlife of souvenirs: what survives between culture and commerce?

“Arts and crafts is the only creative industry where developing countries have a leading position in the global market.” What we often call kitsch may, in fact, be cultural endurance.