The Observatory
In a now fascinating archive of rich material, Design Observer co-founders Michael Beirut and Jessica Helfand talk business, design, the world around them, and the enthusiasms that inform their lives.
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Ellen McGirt
Design is at a turning point
At MoMA’s Pirouette event, Ellen McGirt explores design’s messy brilliance, urgent challenges, and the power of turning—and dancing—through it all.
Alexis Haut|Cinema
About face: ‘A Different Man’ makeup artist Mike Marino on transforming pretty boys and surfacing dualities
On the cusp of Oscar Sunday, we’re talking award-winning makeup that gets under the skin.
Alexis Haut|Analysis
Innies see red, Innies wear blue: Severance’s use of color to seed self-discovery
With Apple’s most beloved show back on the airwaves after three long years, DO’s film columnist pens a valentine to all the ways season one used red to spell Innie liberation.
Ellen McGirt|Books
Parable of the Redesigner
Soft rains come in spite of us.
Ellen McGirt
Parable of the Redesigner
Reflecting on Ray Bradbury, Sara Teasdale, and Octavia Butler, Ellen McGirt explores redesign, resilience, and the quiet power of change.
Ellen McGirt|Essays
The Design Observer annual gift guide!
The winter holidays are already a tricky time for so many people, though this year feels uniquely fraught.
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Sameedha Mahajan
The airport as borderland: gateways for some, barriers for others
