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The Trump administration ordered warning signs hung outside Smithsonian museums flagging "inaccurate information." For one designer, it hit close to home. Full commentary here: bit.ly/3UmfhA4
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We went from avoiding people who disagree to no longer needing people at all. That's the quiet impact of AI.
Helder Santo, CEO for AKQA’s Americas region, on doubt, collaboration, and what happens when the second brain never gets pulled in. designobserver.com/ai-will-o…
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Customer experience quality in the U.S. fell to a new low in 2025. Fourth consecutive year of decline.
The companies bucking that trend started at the top. Kate Watts on what it actually looks like to treat the customer experience as something worth designing. bit.ly/3RkJvlY
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Juneteenth was supposed to mark the end of slavery. But the right to vote was a separate fight — and it took another hundred years. Today, that right is at risk, and the fight is back.
@Alanah_ACLU, executive director of the @ACLUSouthUnited, explains why on our upcoming podcast, Draw the Line.
Subscribe now, first episode dropping soon: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/i…
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One Supreme Court case. Ten episodes. The inside story of Louisiana's fight over maps, power, and representation — and why it matters everywhere else too.
Draw the Line, asks a simple question: who is fighting for your vote?
First episode drops soon, stay tuned. Extended trailer out now: open.spotify.com/show/033ztW…
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The boy who flew too close to the sun. You know the story. @ParisOneForty is painting the one you don't. The Icarus Diaries has been unfolding since February. Start from the beginning: designobserver.com/category/…
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Between us? Designing for fewer people might actually change more. Deborah Khodanovich makes the case that gossip isn't a guilty pleasure — it's a community design practice. Full interview: bit.ly/4e9zCzS
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What does it feel like to stand in front of art and not know if a human made it?
At Art Basel Hong Kong, that wasn't a hypothetical.
Swipe through and decide for yourself: human or machine? Then head to the full piece to find out — and why the answer might matter less than you think. bit.ly/4ngWcK6
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Pandiscio Green is hiring an Art Director and Designer to lead concept-driven brand work for global clients.
Explore this role and more on the Design Observer Job Board:
DesignObserver.com/jobs
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New year, new opportunities. Brooklyn Public Library is hiring a Junior Designer to join its Marketing & Communications team. Explore this role and more on the Design Observer Job Board: DesignObserver.com/jobs
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WNBA players have made their message clear using protest tees to spotlight pay inequity and demand a fair share of the game they’ve built. Read more on how players have turned warmups into protest, and made labor rights the heart of the game. designobserver.com/say-it-wi…
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Design As returns September 9th! Hosted by Lee Moreau, Season 3 features global voices from design, tech, and business exploring how AI intersects with design. New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
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For Cécile Beliot, CEO of Bel Group, food is far more than those iconic Mini Babybel cheese wheels wrapped in red wax. In our Aspen Institute special, she shares how she’s leading massive transitions in energy, food sourcing, and food education—while reminding us that food is culture, community, and a human right.
🎧 Listen now at DesignObserver.com or wherever you get your podcasts. designobserver.com/on-locati…
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Your words, not ours. ❤️ This is why we do what we do and why we want to hear from YOU. Take the survey → wkf.ms/46yx7UA
Help us shape the future of Design Observer (and maybe win a T-shirt).
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What is a Radical Collaborator? At Design Observer, it’s someone breaking silos and building solutions that reflect many voices. That’s the spirit of this year’s DO20. 👇 Learn more and nominate by Sept 5: wkf.ms/45zZQaz
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We’re looking for Radical Collaborators who break silos, cross disciplines, and solve urgent challenges together. Nominate for the Design Observer 20 -> open now through Sept 5, 2025: wkf.ms/45zZQaz
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Tom Haslett left Wall Street on his 40th birthday to ask a bigger question: What’s money for? In his new Design Observer column, he explores how wealth, power, and purpose collide - and how investing in people can deliver the greatest returns. Read the story: designobserver.com/whats-mon…
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Nominations are open for The Design Observer 20: Radical Collaborators! We're looking for people, projects, and ideas using design to solve urgent challenges through cross-disciplinary collaboration. Deadline Sept 5, 2025. Nominate here: wkf.ms/45zZQaz
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Food branding without borders: chai, culture, and the politics of packaging. Read more: designobserver.com/food-bran…
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Real talk on real leadership. Michael Bush reminds us that trust isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a business imperative. And it starts with leaders who are willing to listen, act, and create consistent experiences for every employee, not just a select few. Read more: designobserver.com/candace-p…
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In a rapidly changing Lisbon, where tourists consume more than they observe, tour guides design not just routes, but memory — a subtle authorship of truth. Read more: designobserver.com/walkie-ta…
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In this new preface to How to Speak Machine, John Maeda revisits a decade of technological transformation, from invisible computing to the rise of generative AI, and what it means to teach machines to speak human. designobserver.com/should-we…
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“What do we lose when nostalgia is weaponized to obscure today’s rise of state-sanctioned violence?” designobserver.com/dispirite…
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New DBBD episode is live: Michael C. Bush and Candace Parker on purpose, pride, and the future of leadership—from the boardroom to the locker room. Two powerful perspectives on what it takes to lead with trust, resilience, and vision. Listen now designobserver.com/candace-p…
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“Machines seem to speak our language but they don’t yet speak human.” In the new preface to How to Speak Machine, technologist & designer @johnmaeda explores how we got here and why teaching AI to reflect our values is the real work ahead. 🔗 designobserver.com/should-we…
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New episode of The Design of Business | The Business of Design is now LIVE. Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, on how linking purpose to pride builds trust, and why great leadership starts with listening and hope. designobserver.com/candace-p…
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NEW on DBBD: a double double with Michael C. Bush on workplace culture and WNBA legend Candace Parker on leadership, perception, and the power of sports. Are we finally seeing women’s sports more clearly? Listen now designobserver.com/candace-p… #GPTW
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Are we training the systems that will replace us? In this #DBBD clip, Designer Ethan Marcotte explains how automation doesn't replace jobs overnight, it reshapes them. First you supervise the AI. Then your role is devalued. 🔗 designobserver.com/compassio…
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.@debbiemillman never imagined she'd say this out loud. In this clip, she reflects on how her partner, @rgay, helped her embrace a new creative chapter, and what it taught her about the rest of her life. Listen to the full episode 🔗 designobserver.com/love-lett…
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Debbie Millman reflects on what Pride means to her as a queer woman. Not pride in herself, but in shared experience, and in the justice of being who you are. From the latest episode of The Design of Business | The Business of Design podcast 🎙️ designobserver.com/love-lett…
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Debbie Millman doesn’t hold back: “We’re not just facing a constitutional crisis, we’re in a capitalist one, too.” In this clip, she calls out the branding world’s failure to stand up to racism and power. Listen to the full exchange on the latest #DBBD designobserver.com/love-lett…
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DO EIC Ellen McGirt joined Volvo’s Giuseppe Perri & The Economist’s Adam Morris at Figma Config London 2025 for a master class on design, innovation & AI. “Everyone needs to upskill,” says Morris. Designers are already using these tools. Watch: piped.video/boX1bBNBgto?si=tvFv…
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This isn’t just about design. It’s about legacy, loss, and the quiet strength passed down from mother to daughter. 🔗 Read the full story here designobserver.com/dear-moth…
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“The key to collaboration? Get the right people in the right place and aim high.” Hear more from Jon M. Chu on building creative culture. 🎧 Listen + subscribe: designobserver.com/making-sp…
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Director Jon M. Chu shares how becoming a parent shifted his perspective on storytelling, identity, and legacy. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. designobserver.com/making-sp…
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Cities aren’t built to adapt to climate change or to help people thrive. Architect Michael Eliason explains why our so-called “comprehensive plans” fail us & how we can design for the unknown. Listen to the DB|BD Season 12 premiere, out now on all platforms 🎧 designobserver.com/dbbd-seas…
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Christine Platt talks about Afrominimalism and how living with less can lead to so much more. Her journey from burnout to balance inspired the upcoming book “Less is Liberation.” Learn how creating space in your life can improve your mental and physical health. designobserver.com/less-is-l…
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🚨 Bonus Design As episode alert! What does it mean to conduct design research in large corporations? How can we find the "why" at the core of customer needs and socially meaningful innovation? Tap the link to listen 🎧 designobserver.com/bonus-epi…
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This week on Design As, we explore the evolving meaning of being a designer. Who gets to call themselves one? Why does it matter? And how does design shape both creators and the world around them?
🎧 Listen now on Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/4f8…
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This week on Design As, we explore the evolving meaning of being a designer. Who gets to call themselves one? Why does it matter? And how does design shape both creators and the world around them?
🎧 Listen now on Apple podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
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Read essays and explore more insights like this in The Observatory, our twice-monthly newsletter for makers, thinkers, and wayfinders. 💌 Sign up at designobserver.com/newslette…
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How do we embrace change when it feels too late? In this thought-provoking essay, @ellmcgirt reflects on on the fragility of our systems, the resilience of nature, and the power we hold to redesign the future for good.👇 designobserver.com/the-parab…
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Our guest this week, Paolo Ciuccarelli, Founding Director of The Center for Design at Northeastern University, discusses how data can connect diverse audiences and where designers play a critical role. designobserver.com/design-as…
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How do designers turn raw data into conversations that matter?
This week on Design As, we’re diving into the world of Visualization, and why it’s is a key tool for shaping narratives and driving change. 🗣️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
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Another episode of Design As is here! This week, we discuss Design As Visualization. Who’s doing the seeing? Who’s doing the making? And who’s putting it out into the world for others to see? Listen now 🎙️ designobserver.com/design-as…
#design #designas #newpodcast #dataviz #data
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Surprise! A bonus episode of Design As just dropped, and it’s a good one. @pentagram’s Giorgia Lupi takes us on a deeply personal data visualization project to share her recovery from Long Covid. ❤️🩹
See her graphics and slides come to life in this one-of-a-kind presentation. Watch now on our YouTube! piped.video/rQMOHjeI9Uk
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Care is central to design. Explore how leading experts reimagine the role of care, from creating meaningful products to fostering authenticity, in the latest episode of Design As.
🎧 Listen to “Design As Care” now, and subscribe to Design As on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. designobserver.com/design-as…
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How does care shape design? The latest episode of Design As explores care in products, practice, classrooms, and data. Host @moreaulee speaks with experts on how care transforms design for individuals and society. Listen now: designobserver.com/design-as…
#DesignAsPodcast
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How can design shape governance and drive change? In the latest episode of Design As, @moreaulee talks with Shin-pei Tsay, Geoff Mulgan, and Chelsea Mauldin about using design to address complex systems and engage communities. Listen now: designobserver.com/design-as… #DesignAsPodcast
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Episode 1 of Season 2 is here: Design As Governance. How does design influence governance and help create systems for transformation? Host @moreaulee sits down with @newurbanmechs, @geoffmulgan, Chelsea Mauldin (@publicpolicylab) to explore how design drives innovation in local, national, and international policy.
🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform. designobserver.com/design-as…
📌 Don’t forget to subscribe!
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Season 2 of Design As celebrates the thinkers and makers redefining what design means today—and tomorrow. Swipe through to explore insights from @moreaulee’s essay and subscribe for weekly episodes starting Jan 7th.
📖Read more 👇designobserver.com/announcin…
#DesignAsPodcast #FutureOfDesign #innovation #design #DesignInspiration
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