The Observatory Newsletter

Sheena Medina

Fancy footwork

How artists, designers, and political organizers are rethinking human–AI collaboration.

Rachel Paese

Aesthetic, turbocharged by AI

AI fashion apps like Neuono promise custom couture in seconds, but at what cost? Exploring the tension between convenience, artistry, and true style.

Ellen McGirt|Conversations

"Design addresses itself to the need."

We asked, you answered. How your feedback is shaping Design Observer’s future.

Delaney Rebernik|Analysis

A story of bad experiential design

From the Sad Oompa Loompa to Trump’s America by Design site, we explore how bad experiential design reveals power, control, and cultural stakes.

Ellen McGirt|Essays

Lessons in wandering

Explore the lessons in wandering, how small gestures, humility, and human connection shape meaningful travel experiences.

Alexis Haut|Analysis

"Pay us what you owe us"

WNBA players demand pay equity, turning t-shirts into bold protest billboards. Discover how fashion fuels the fight for fairness in sports.

Delaney Rebernik

Your (A)ttent(I)on, please

GenAI art is enlivening the search for Mexico’s disappeared.

Rachel Paese

Willfully conflicted

Human friction is inevitable, but urban practitioners have a say in whether it builds or destroys cities.

Rebecca Billi|Analysis

Cop cities and covert communes: how architecture shapes urban conflict

Friction is inevitable, but urban practitioners have a say in whether it builds or destroys cities.

Ellen McGirt

Red, white, and much ado

A witty July 4th reflection on vintage postcards, American myth-making, and what a modern "Safe and Sane" movement might look like today.

Alexis Haut|Cinema

It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green: ‘Wicked’ spells for struggle and solidarity

On the ruby-slippered heels of DO editor-in-chief Ellen McGirt’s conversation with Wicked director Jon M. Chu, columnist Alexis Haut decipherates the film’s lessons for a design community going through shiz. 

Ellen McGirt

Design is at a turning point

At MoMA’s Pirouette event, Ellen McGirt explores design’s messy brilliance, urgent challenges, and the power of turning—and dancing—through it all.