Observed | August 16
In addition to his work as a painter, Monet maintained
stunning gardens that, after World War II, were destroyed and left neglected. Gilbert Vahé brought the landscape back to its former glory. [BV]
What wine do you pair with Roast Beast from
How the Grinch Stole Christmas? More thoughts on
what fictional foods might taste like. [BV]
Observed | August 15
Hot outside? Cool off with strangely melancholy
poolside photographs from Slovakian artist Mária Švarbová. [BV]
You‘re never too old to
make the world smile: At 90 years old, Kimiko Nishimoto continues to delight the world with her creative self-portrait photography. [BV]
Observed | August 14
Over at the Smithsonian,
a discussion of relevance. [BV]
Observed | August 13
A brief history of plastic:
design’s favorite material. [BV]
NYC’s Uber cap won’t
solve the city’s traffic problem: what the city really needs is a limit on private cars. [BV]
Observed | August 09
The Trump campaign asks its supporters to choose a Space Force logo from
six proposed designs. (via
James I. Bowie) [BV]
Observed | August 08
The hopes that
data and design can revitalize urban areas. [BV]
Observed | August 06
Sticks and stones and all that:
25 legendary literary feuds, ranked. (And somehow many involved Dick Cavett.) [BV]
Observed | August 02
Do you remember them all? A history of
Mac startup and crash chimes. [BV]
Famous landmarks,
before they were finished. [BV]
Observed | August 01
Who really decides how language works?
Grammar purity is one big ponzi scheme. [BV]
A new study has found that private ride options such as Uber and Lyft, and ride-hail services services like UberPool are resulting in more driving overall, making traffic worse + cities less livable. [BV]
Observed | July 31
Bless this Instagrammer: Wander. Roam.
Replicate. [BV]
Where were you in
1988? [BV]
Observed | July 23
Need a little more
Saul Bass on your walls? [BV]
Observed | July 20
Been enjoying GLOW? Check out
the gorgeous ladies of Japanese wrestling. [BV]
Looking back at
the design of the African Writers Series. [JH]
Observed | July 19
Let children play outside.
Let them make mud pies and get dirty. [BV]
Observed | July 18
15 of
the best illustrations of the 2018 World Cup. [BV]
Looking for a place to visit this summer?
Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum looks amazing. [BV]
Observed | July 17
Interesting:
Open offices result in less collaboration among employees. [BV]
Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the world wide web, has seen his creation debased by everything from fake news to mass surveillance.
But he’s got a plan to fix it. [BV]
Observed | July 13
Traveling this summer? 22 ambassadors
recommend the one book to read before visiting their country. [BV]
Can cottage cheese
follow Chobani’s lead and rebrand>a? to achieve the unthinkable—some curb appeal? [LS]
Observed | July 12
What’s Eating the World? The fifth issue of Weapons of Reason, a publication with a limited run of eight issues, explores the effects of the food industry on our planet with saturated colors and infographics that any designer would appreciate. [LS]
Congratulations to Karen Hofmann,
the new Provost of ArtCenter College of Design. She‘s the first woman to hold the position in the 88-year history of the College. [BV]
Observed | July 11
What is
the meaning behind the Thin Blue Line flag? (via
James I. Bowie) [BV]
Observed | July 09
One full hour of
1980‘s video game ads! [BV]
Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer and writer based in London. He is a senior tutor in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art and a founding partner in Unit Editions a publishing company producing books on design and visual culture. Scratching the Surface, a collection of his journalism, has recently been published. 
