
Michael Bierut, Jessica Helfand|Audio
December 28, 2018
Episode 95: Back to Basics
This week, Jessica and Michael continue the stormy discussion that designer Mirko Ilic started on Linkedin when he declared, “Interesting logos are being replaced by boring ones.”
Michael says this trend
is actually something that almost seems not just understandable but to a certain degree frighteningly inevitable…Designers and people building brands are well aware of the fact that there is still the requirement to have some indestructible kernel of identity that can travel across any platform or any channel.
Also mentioned this week:
- Brand New on Burberry, Balmain, Berluti, Balenciaga (2017)
- Gary Hustwit, Helvetica
- excerpts from Wim Crouwel + Jan van Toorn, The Debate (2015)
- Dezeen, Peter Saville to “do a YSL” for Kanye West
- Episode 43: The End Is Near
- Jessica’s catalog essay from David Pease: Notes from the Road
- Nicholas Rougeux, Byrne’s Euclid
- Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Subscribe to The Observatory on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, or follow Design Observer on Spotify or Soundcloud.
Observed
View all
Observed
By Michael Bierut & Jessica Helfand
Related Posts

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Candace Parker & Michael C. Bush on Purpose, Leadership and Meeting the Moment

Civic Life
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Love Letter to a Garden and 20 years of Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Business
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Redesigning the Spice Trade: Talking Turmeric and Tariffs with Diaspora Co.’s Sana Javeri Kadri
Recent Posts
Minefields and maternity leave: why I fight a system that shuts out women and caregivers Candace Parker & Michael C. Bush on Purpose, Leadership and Meeting the MomentCourtney L. McCluney, PhD|Essays
Rest as reparations: reimagining how we invest in Black women entrepreneurs Food branding without borders: chai, culture, and the politics of packagingRelated Posts

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Candace Parker & Michael C. Bush on Purpose, Leadership and Meeting the Moment

Civic Life
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Compassionate Design, Career Advice and Leaving 18F with Designer Ethan Marcotte

Design of Business | Business of Design
Ellen McGirt|Audio
Love Letter to a Garden and 20 years of Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Business
Ellen McGirt|Audio