December 31, 2009
To Inspire and Challenge
Today we honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his undeniable impact on our culture, politics, and policies. In the spirit of social justice and positive change, we’ve pulled together a reading list from our archives to inspire and challenge you.
Rick Poynor | Essay
Utopian Image: Politics and Posters
By celebrating political posters for their design do we collude with the established order they seek to challenge?
Utopian Image: Politics and Posters
By celebrating political posters for their design do we collude with the established order they seek to challenge?
Rick Poynor | Essay
Why the Activist Poster is Here to Stay
Digital communication has given posters produced to contest an outrage or support a cause a new lease of life.
Why the Activist Poster is Here to Stay
Digital communication has given posters produced to contest an outrage or support a cause a new lease of life.
Jessica Helfand | Essay
Can Graphic Design Make You Cry?
How can you create anything visually compelling if you don’t engage at some fundamentally human level — a place where memory and feeling are as valued as form and execution?
Can Graphic Design Make You Cry?
How can you create anything visually compelling if you don’t engage at some fundamentally human level — a place where memory and feeling are as valued as form and execution?
Michael Bierut | Essay
The Poster that Launched a Movement (Or Not)
In the age of social media, does political graphic design matter?
The Poster that Launched a Movement (Or Not)
In the age of social media, does political graphic design matter?
Jane Margolies | Project
How to Start a Movement
Interview with movement entrepreneur Jeremy Heimans, founder of Purpose.com.
How to Start a Movement
Interview with movement entrepreneur Jeremy Heimans, founder of Purpose.com.
John Foster | Accidental Mysteries
Rebel Yell
Rare protest posters and placards from the 1930s Socialist Arts Collective.
Rebel Yell
Rare protest posters and placards from the 1930s Socialist Arts Collective.
Patrick Cramsie | Essay
The World’s Best-Known Portrait
The world’s best-known portrait is the iconic portrait of Dr. Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.
The World’s Best-Known Portrait
The world’s best-known portrait is the iconic portrait of Dr. Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.
Julia Novitch | Interview
Public Space and Citizenship: An Interview with Elihu Rubin
Public spaces can be charged politically because they enable citizens to gather, to represent themselves and to transmit messages.
Public Space and Citizenship: An Interview with Elihu Rubin
Public spaces can be charged politically because they enable citizens to gather, to represent themselves and to transmit messages.
52-Blue | Audio
Dissident Noise
Ai Weiwei in Alcatraz
Dissident Noise
Ai Weiwei in Alcatraz
Michael Bierut + Jessica Helfand | Essay
Let’s Get to Work
We must bear in mind that democracy is about who we are, not who’s temporarily in office.
Let’s Get to Work
We must bear in mind that democracy is about who we are, not who’s temporarily in office.
Homepage image “MLK JR”, 2005 by Shepherd Fairey.
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By The Editors
Design Observer is edited by Ellen McGirt and Rachel Paese, along with Sheena Medina and Alexis Haut.
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