User Agreement

Welcome to Design Observer, and its related channels, Observatory, Change Observer, Places and Observer Media, which are owned and operated by Observer Omnimedia LLC,(“Observer”, “We” or “Us”)) and are collectively referred to here as the “Design Observer Group Sites.” This user agreement (”User Agreement”), which includes our Privacy Policy, sets forth the conditions for your use of the Design Observer Group Sites. Please read this User Agreement carefully, because by using the Design Observer Group Sites, you consent to these terms and conditions, including our collection and use of information about you in accordance with the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this User Agreement, you are not authorized to use the Design Observer Group Sites.

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Copyright

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Digital Millennium Copyright Act

It is the policy of Observer to respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement, in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and other applicable laws. Our response to these notices may include removing or disabling access to material claimed to be the subject of infringing activity and/or terminating contributors. If we remove or disable access in response to such a notice, we will make a good-faith attempt to contact the submitter of the affected material or post, so that they may make a counter notification. We may also document notices of alleged infringement on which we act. Your complaint will also be a matter of record.

If you are a copyright owner or agent thereof and believe that any content appearing on the Design Observer Group Sites infringes upon your copyright, please submit notice, pursuant to the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512(c)) to our Copyright Agent with the following information: (i) an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright; (ii) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed; (iii) the URL of the location containing the material that you claim is infringing; (iv) your address, telephone number, and email address; (v) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; (vi) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.

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Counter-Notification

In some instances a contributor who has submitted or posted materials identified as infringing may supply a counter-notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and (3) of the DCMA. When we receive a counter-notification, we may reinstate the posts or material in question.

To file a counter-notification with us, a contributor must provide a written communication (by fax or regular mail or by email) that sets forth all of the items required by the DMCA. Please note that you will be liable for damages if you materially misrepresent that content or an activity is not infringing the copyrights of others. If you are not sure whether certain material infringes the copyrights of others, we suggest that you first contact an attorney. A sample counter-notification may be composed using the PDF forms at www.ChillingEffects.org

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Links, Frames and Metatags

We are concerned about the integrity of the Design Observer Group Sites when any of them are viewed in a setting created by a third party that includes advertising or other materials that We have not authorized to be displayed with the Design Observer Group Sites. Neither you nor any third party shall make use of the contents of the Design Observer Group Sites in any manner that constitutes an infringement of our rights, including copyright or that has not been authorized by Us. You may not frame the content of Design Observer Group Sites unless you first obtain our express written consent. You may not use metatags or any other “hidden text” that incorporates our Trademarks or our name without our express written consent. You may link to the home pages of the Design Observer Group Sites as long as the link does not defame us or cast us in a false or misleading light. You may not link to one of our inner pages unless the link clearly identifies the Design Observer Group Sites as the location of the linked pages. To request permission for a use discussed in this section, please send a written request to Observer by email at hello [at] designobserver.com or by mail at P.O. Box 159, Falls Village, CT 06031. (We display our email address in this format to avoid receiving spam. When you email us, please replace “[at]“ with “@”. Design Observer Group Site has the sole discretion to grant or deny this permission.

Comments

We invite your questions, or comments about Observer or any of the issues addressed on the Design Observer Group Sites. You may send letters to Observer at P.O. Box 159, Falls Village, CT 06031, Attn: Letters to the Editor, or via email at hello [at] designobserver.com. By sending a letter to the Editor, you grant Observer a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce and distribute the letter, in whole or in part, for any purpose, in any media, whether now known or later created. Hard copies will not be returned to you.

Observer takes no responsibility for the comments posted on the Design Observer Group Site. Observer encourages comments to be short and to the point, and to be courteous to others in any exchange of comments. Observer discourages comments that are off-topic, unnecessarily antagonistic or defamatory, or in violation of other’s intellectual property rights. Observer reserves the right to edit or delete comments that do not adhere to these standards.

Advice and Opinions

The Design Observer Group Sites contains facts, views, opinions, and statements of third parties, users, and other organizations (“Third-Party Material”). Observer, its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries (“Observer Parties”) do not make any representations concerning the accuracy or reliability of any Third-Party Material displayed on or distributed through the Design Observer Group Sites. You acknowledge that you rely upon any Third-Party Material at your own risk and you agree that the Observer Parties will not be held responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused in any way whatsoever related to any Third-Party Material displayed on or distributed through the Design Observer Group Sites.

Third-Party Links

The Design Observer Group Sites contain links to other sites and resources on the Internet controlled by third parties. These links are provided solely as a convenience to our users and do not constitute an endorsement by Observer. Any concerns regarding another website should be directed to the site’s administrator. Observer reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate links with any third parties or other websites that it deems inappropriate or inconsistent with the Design Observer Group Sites. Observer makes no representations about the content, functionality, or practices of these third-party sites and resources, and disclaim any and all warranties, express or implied, related to these third-party sites and resources.

Disclaimers

THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES ARE AVAILABLE “AS IS.” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES OR ANY INFORMATION, GOODS, OR SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE (EVEN IF THE PURPOSE WAS DISCLOSED).

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE. WE DO NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY STATEMENT OR INFORMATION DISPLAYED, DISTRIBUTED, OR MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES OR AVAILABLE THROUGH LINKS ON THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CORRECT ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES. IF YOU RELY ON OUR SITE OR OBTAIN ANY MATERIALS OR GOODS AVAILABLE THROUGH IT, YOU DO SO SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

ALTHOUGH WE INTEND TO TAKE REASONABLE STEPS TO PREVENT THE INTRODUCTION OF VIRUSES, WORMS, “TROJAN HORSES” OR OTHER DESTRUCTIVE MATERIALS TO THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES, WE DO NOT GUARANTEE OR WARRANT THAT OUR SITE OR MATERIALS THAT MAY BE DOWNLOADED FROM IT ARE FREE FROM SUCH DESTRUCTIVE FEATURES. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR HARM ATTRIBUTABLE TO SUCH FEATURES.

Limitation of Liability

WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, LOSS OR INJURY BASED ON ERRORS, OMISSIONS, INTERRUPTIONS OR OTHER INACCURACIES IN OUR SITE, INCLUDING ANY CLAIM, LOSS OR INJURY THAT RESULTS FROM YOUR BREACH OF ANY PROVISION IN THIS USER AGREEMENT. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST REVENUES OR PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, OR LOSS OF DATA) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SITES, ITS SERVICES, OR THIS AGREEMENT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY IS BASED IN TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE.

SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR THESE KINDS OF DAMAGES, SO THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Termination

We reserve the right to terminate any services offered through the Design Observer Group Sites or to terminate the Design Observer Group Sites and this User Agreement at any time without notice, for any reason, including, in the case of the User Agreement, because of your violation of any of these provisions. The Copyright Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability and Governing Law Sections of this User Agreement survive any termination.

Governing Law

This Agreement is governed by and any disputes relating to this User Agreement should be decided under the laws of the State of Connecticut applicable to contracts made and completely performed there.

Severability

If any provision of this Agreement is deemed unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision is considered severed and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.


Observed


“This is her fifth long-form visual project,”writes Wesley Morris in his review of Renaissance, Beyoncé’s newest movie, out now in theatres. “We’re now talking about an auteur.” Morris doesn’t stop there. “Simply at the presentation level, coherence and visual imagination are in the house.”

Did you know that the Institute for Scrap Recycling sponsors a design award? And that it has done so for more than three decades? Friends, you have until February 12 to submit your game-changing ideas. Get cracking.

Legendary architect William McDonough—who was one of the first proponents of “circular” design—thinks we’re talking about the issue all wrong. And on that same topic, this year's Business of Design summit brings together policymakers, business executives, and creative leaders to identify critical challenges, innovative ideas, and smart design processes driving circular design. (More here.)

Thanks to a number of new collective projects in Paris, Ukrainian design is becoming a fully-fledged part of the global creative industry.

This just in from the Department of Dystopian Prognostications! A new AI tool— called COLE, named in honor of Henry Cole (the creator of the first graphical Christmas card in 1843) lets you type in a graphic design project idea and have an AI generate not only the image, but the text to support it baked in. 

The Female Design Council names a new director: Angharad Coates previously served as director of communications at the New York Academy of Art and was most recently a managing partner at Camron, a design-focused public relations agency.

Designing better (and more inclusive) (and more innovative) meetings.

"It’s interesting, highly random, and even has the excitement of gambling and card drawing." A designer uses MidJourney to explore new dimensions in typography. 

As the talent pool for luxury artisans in Europe dwindles, fashion brand LVMH has created a unique apprenticeship program in the US in partnership with Tiffany & Co., the  Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, the trade school Studio Jewelers, and RISD. “We are teaching the next generation of craftspeople how important the details are,” says Dana Naberezny, chief innovation officer of jewelry at Tiffany and head of its workshop in Manhattan.

Loon-loving Minnesotans, this is your last chance.

Hundreds of documents related to chattel slavery — including wills that bequeathed enslaved people to relatives —have been discovered among probate records in Fulton County, Ga. "We were able to uncover some interesting stories about slave owners," says Chief Probate Judge Kenya Johnson. "A story that I hadn’t heard before: Slave owners paid for their slaves to go back to Africa."

Due to climate change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been forced to update its "plant hardiness zone map," an essential tool for gardeners (and anyone wondering why native plants are dying.)

Russia’s Supreme Court has banned "the international LGBT public movement," calling it an extremist organization.

There’s another Mona Lisa. Or is there?

Michael Latt, a film marketing consultant who had become a beacon for social justice, was murdered by an intruder in his Los Angeles home. Latt, 33, was the founder and CEO of Lead With Love, a social impact marketing agency that deftly married activism and art. His collaborators included directors Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and Barry Jenkins.

Save the date: Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been selected to host the 2030 World Expo, according to the Bureau International des Expositions.  "Expo 2030 Riyadh, The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow,” will run between October 2030 and March 2031.

Acclaimed American photographer Larry Fink, the self-described “Marxist from Long Island,” has died at 82. His black-and-white photographs ranged from portraits of working-class people to the entertainment elite. “He was a dear friend and a free spirit,” said his longtime gallerist, Robert Mann.

Uh, what’s wrong with networking? The COP28 president-designate Sultan Al Jaber is facing accusations that his team has been using this year’s climate convening as an opportunity to make fossil fuel deals for the UAE’s state-owned oil and gas company, allegations he vehemently denies.

New data from McKinsey & Co. show companies are no longer promoting Black professionals into leadership jobs at the rate they were two years ago. And that’s a problem. “If you were borderline committed, you’ve just kind of exhaled and retreated,” said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, a research and consulting firm.

It may surprise you to learn that £88 billion of UK pension savers' money is invested in fossil fuels. Still unconvinced? Climate deniers, meet Oblivia Coalmine

A Japanese economist, Tatsuyoshi Saijo is at the forefront of the Future Design movement, which aims to figure out how to get the world to care more about future generations. He is one of the fifty individuals shortlisted on Vox's Future Perfect list—identifying the  thinkers, activists, and scholars working on solutions to today’s (and tomorrow’s) biggest problems.

We are all redesigners, now—or at least we're all becoming engaged design critics. In the US, Kansas citizens reject their state's proposed new license plate design (claiming, among other things, that it looks too much like New York's plate) while in the UK, residents of Gloucester dispute the design of a Covid memorial. 

Every front page in the New York Times—since 1852.

Design thinking has missed the mark, says Anne-Laure Fayard and Sarah Fathallah in this must-read piece in the Stanford Social Review. “We reject design thinking as a singular tool kit prescribed to solve social problems,” in part because, it has failed to do so. “Instead, we call for a critical stance on design, where critical means both discerning and important.”

The United States, Britain and more than a dozen other countries on Sunday unveiled what a senior U.S. official described as the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are "secure by design." .

Dasha Tsapenko is one of a growing number of designers growing clothing from mycellium. (More here.) 

A brief respite of eye candy: this exquisite scrapbook—with typography made from matchboxes, dating from 1875—will bring you a rare moment of analogue joy. (Thanks to Debbie Millman for sharing it!)

Design Observer's approach to paying it forward includes supporting big dreams for those who deserve to see those dreams become a reality. (Spoiler alert: you won't find any “top fifty gifts for creatives” lists here this, or any holiday season.) Instead, we'll be sharing ideas over the next few weeks for ways that you can help someone else. Start here.

South African designer Thebe Magugu incorporates vintage (family) photos into a new line of clothing. (Read more about the Heirloom Shirt Project here.)

Remembering George Tscherny, the graphic design powerhouse whose work defined a post-war golden age of corporate growth, innovation, and consumerism.



Jobs | December 02