The Observatory

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 91: Voter Experience

Voter suppression by Republicans, The McKinsey Design Index, Lovevery, Photogrammar

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 90: The Container for the Story

The Cleveland Justice Center and Season 3 of Serial, adaptive reuse, the Secret History of the Future, Articles of Interest, The Romanoffs

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 88: Anonymous™

Bob Woodward’s Fear, the Quiet Resistance, representing anonymity, Face Values at the London Design Biennale, QAnon infographics, Todd Alcott’s faux vintage book covers

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 87: Mortadella and Mortality

Eataly World, HBO’s Succession, Betsy DeVos in McMansion Hell, Little Fires Everywhere, the Coltrane Circle

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 86: Home and Away

Wes Anderson in Italy; 3D printed Mars habitat competition; from Hilton to boutique hotels to Airbnb; designer baby names; the Vignelli townhouse

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 85: Midsummer Music

Musical theater, soundtracks, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata in D Minor, and more.

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 84: The Politician’s Gaze

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, a White House without culture, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood, early Ivan Chermayeff book covers

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 83: Post-Its and Blocks

Design Thinking Wars: Lee Vinsel vs. d.school; Alexandra Lange’s The Design of Childhood; The Incredibles 2; Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 82: Constitutional Sans

The president’s lawyer uses Comic Sans, speculative design, Let the Sun Shine In, crazy walls.

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 79: 1968 at 50

Nixon-Humphrey, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The White Album, Laugh-In, LSD… and the meaning of anniversaries

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 78: Delete Your Account

Deleting Facebook, AI and images, Tree Change Dolls, Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano, listing for 450 W. Grixdale

Michael Bierut|Audio

Episode 77: Cape to California

Cape Town’s water crisis, Los Angeles’ first chief design officer, Lubalin 100, Walter Dorwin Teague’s Design This Day