The Observatory Newsletter

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 69: Fixes and Facelifts

Fixing American democracy, Snøhetta’s plan for Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building, Internetting With Amanda Hess, Synoptical History of the Civil War

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 68: Learning from Muriel Cooper

Muriel Cooper, Now You See It, Harvey Weinstein and #metoo, kilonova explosion, Lin-Manuel Miranda interviews Stephen Sondheim

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 67: Guns N’ Tote Bags

Visualizing gun violence after Las Vegas, Louis Vuitton v. My Other Bag, tote bags, Helen Rosner on Olive Garden, Call My Agent!, Netflix in French

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 66: Ethics!

The Copenhagen Letter, Mike Monteiro’s Design the Right Thing, Branded by Memory, Google Quick, Draw!, Otl Aicher’s Isny, the Trash Isles.

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 65: Cones of Uncertainty

Visualizing hurricanes, elections, and other future events; the Jefferson Davis Highway; Margaret Calvert and British road signs; Alexander Todorov’s Face Value

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 64: The Eye and the Storm

Hurricane Harvey, weather data visualization, electric cars, Taylor Swift, Scarfolk Council, the internet as an Uncanny Valley

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 63: August Recess

The Doomsday Clock, the color blue, selfie sticks, graphic designers on screen

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 62: Keepin’ It Nasty

Cursing, Anthony Scaramucci, the alt-right’s shit aesthetic, Tony Fadell and Silicon Valley regrets, John G. Morris, Donald Trump draws the Manhattan skyline

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 61: Font of Corruption?

Pakistan, Donald Trump Jr., default fonts; Calibri, Courier, Hobo, Cooper Black; Silicon Valley corporate headquarters; subway signage mystery; The Turnaround; Steven Colbert’s Figure-It-Out-a-Tron

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 59: Signatures and Circles

Egregious email signatures, circular Twitter avatars, Wonder Woman, Demetri Martin’s Dean

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 58: The Family Circus

Green lights for the Paris Climate Accord, NY Times Magazine comics issue, Lynda Barry in Family Circus, knitting as spycraft, Jim Russek’s poster for Our Town

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 57: Communion and Commerce

A record-breaking Basquiat; design, life coaching, and therapy; Thomas de Monchaux reviews Wendy Lesser’s biography of Louis Kahn; a neural network names paint colors