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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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In your inbox, one a week

Ellen McGirt|Fresh Ink

What happens when the social safety net disappears?

Exploring how fear, design, and the loss of safety nets shape our ability to survive—and to care.

Ellen McGirt|Recommended Books

Booked and Blessed

Erik Carter’s new book, Design Harder, takes aim at the state of graphic design, critiquing capitalism, sameness, and creative complacency with humor and heart.

Rachel Paese|Cinema

Dread for dinner

Class anxiety is best served at the formal dining table

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.