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The Observatory

Come for the inspiration, stay for the joy. Curated by Design Observer editors and contributors for our community of more than 20,000 makers, thinkers, leaders, and wayfinders, this weekly roundup features essays, news, opinion, global insights, and pithy observations on design and life. It’s guaranteed to stir the creative spirit.

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Ellen McGirt|Opinions

AI can generate content, but it can’t generate feeling

There’s no shortcut for acquiring good taste, says Bindery’s Kim Devall

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.

Lee Moreau|Critique

The Wizards of AI are sad and lonely men

Lee Moreau on AI, the loneliness of power, the danger of wizards, and the designer’s role in keeping hope alive.

The Design of Business with Ellen McGirt

Redesign your approach to leadership and innovation with The Design of Business (formerly Equity Observer), a twice-weekly newsletter from award-winning journalist Ellen McGirt.

Read more about it.

Ellen McGirt|Essays

Gratitude? HARD PASS

We ask too much of gratitude.

Ellen McGirt|Democracy

New kids on the bloc?

Equity, race relations, preserving Black history, and saving democracy are top of mind.

Ellen McGirt|Essays

The advertising industry has work to do

Troubling testimony from Black talent in advertising shows an industry struggling with inclusion.

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To get a sense, check out the Design Observer Twenty: The Redesigners, a now annual list of remarkable people, projects, and big ideas solving an urgent social need.