Democracy
James Cartwright
Can Demagogues be Designed out of Democracy?
 Dutch transition designer Rudy van Belkom and Irish digital design agency FrontEnd are leading the charge to combat democratic dissatisfaction. Is it a pipe dream, or can we design a different way?



Cheryl Heller
Social Design Helped Women Win Equality in Iceland. And So?
 Forty-three years ago, Icelandic women used social design principles to implement "The Long Friday" strike for gender equity. As Cheryl Heller explains, the past has never felt more present.
Bonnie Siegler
Signs of Resistance
 This book is a collection of visual expressions of resistance throughout American history. They include broadsides, postcards, posters, greeting cards, sculptures, paintings, ads, book covers, magazine covers, handmade-signs, projections, and the back sides of scrap paper.
James Cartwright
Architecture for the People: Bryan C. Lee is Taking Trust Back into Public Spaces
 “Architecture is the most democratic and the least democratically used tool.”
Lilly Smith
For She Should Run, Politics Today are all About the Brand
Lesley Stordahl, Creative Director at CBX, explains how the design agency worked with non-profit group She Should Run to develop their brand and set strategies to meet lofty goals (like getting 250,000 women to run for elected office by 2030). “For women, we need to continually design knowing that a woman needs to see herself reflected there—see that it’s not just a man’s game.”
James Cartwright, Lilly Smith
When Design Comes Second
 Women’s History Month 2017 is coming to a close, and perhaps this year more ever, is ending with an ellipsis rather than a definitive period.



Observed | April 18

Design and icons. [JH]


Observed | April 16

Eric Markfield’s Real MTA map reflects the current (woeful) state of the New York subway system in real time. Only lines with good service (no delays, no service changes or planned work) are shown. [MB]

Design and euthanasia. [JH]


Observed | April 13

What are you listening to? How? A fun look back at old-school headphones. [BV]

Opening next week check: Jade Doskow’s Lost Utopias, documenting the remains of World’s Fair sites, at the Front Room Gallery in NYC. [BV]


Observed | April 12

A day in the life of Mike Katz, the last of a dying breed: 70mm film projectionists. [BV]

The Accessible Icon began as a street art project and is now a rival to the 1968 Wheelchair Symbol. (via James I. Bowie) [BV]


Observed | April 09

“Will Burtin’s contributions to design can be characterised as important as Albert Einstein’s contributions to science.” [BV]


Observed | April 06

Behind Microsoft‘s AI design. [MPL]

Researchers are trying to understand how switching to electronic devices is affecting our memory and our literacy by studying a lowercase g + type designer Andy Clymer on the “g” he just couldn’t make work. [BV]


Observed | April 05

Claire Weisz receives Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter. [JH]


Observed | April 04

Itty bitty birds. [MPL]

The twin film phenomenon: two movies that are not only about the same thing, but are often released around the same time. [MPL]


Observed | April 03

Visualizing Earth, from the side. [MPL]

Graphics sparking change. [MPL]


Observed | April 02

Pantone wants to curb your road rage with ‘nature-inspired’ car mood lighting. [BV]

Did you ever have a myspace account? Did you remember to delete all those old photos? Our old photos follow us online, and it‘s changing culture. [BV]


Observed | March 30

Get ready for next Christmas early with what’s sure to be the toy flying off the shelves! [JH]

Mobster Times! [JH]

Christopher Scoates will leave the Cranbrook Museum to become the director of the Museum of Arts and Design. [JH]


Observed | March 29

Yankees’ plans to depict ballplayers in the medium of beer foam thwarted. (via James I. Bowie) [BV]


Observed | March 28

How service design is changing the way cities work. [JH]

Jens Müller and Julius Wiedemann’s A History of Graphic Design is out now from Taschen. More here. [JH]

Good design continues to be good business. [JH]


Observed | March 27

Disappointed by history on your last vacation? Check out these ancient ruins reconstructed with architectural GIFs. [BV]

Prettier in pictures: The stunning skylines of China’s megacities [BV]


Observed | March 26

We Heart Milton. [JH]

Can you learn design ... online? [JH]

Making smart cities smarter. [JH]


Observed | March 23

Designer Paw Poulsen turns celebrities such as Bill Gates and Elton John into typefaces. [BV]



Jobs | April 19