History

Teddy Blanks|Video

Design Observer: Ten Years

A short film from Teddy Blanks and Andrew Sloat celebrating the last ten years of Design Observer.

The Editors|Essays

I’ve Been to the Mountaintop

Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech.

Lily Hansen|Interviews

How Advisor to The Crown Robert Lacey Gets Closer to the Truth

“I do my best to reflect my subject’s lives but there are also multiple truths. You try to define what they are...”

Rick Poynor|Essays

Socialism and Modernity: A Hidden History

A new book documents the unfamiliar history of socialism and modernity in graphic design from former Yugoslavia.

Alexandra Lange|Essays

MoMA’s Modern Women

The Museum of Modern Art's new installation, "Designing Modern Women," could have made a bolder statement about the transformative role of women in 20th century design and architecture.

Steven Heller|Essays

Anti-War Comics Were No Laughing Matter

The genre of “pro-war” or at least war-themed comics has long dominated the comic book field, but a new book from Craig Yoe reveals that there was an element of dissent in the comics world.

Rob Walker|Essays

Danger, Nostalgia, and Playgrounds

Brenda Biondo's photographs of mid-century playgrounds document the classic, the dangerous, and the nostalgic.

Rick Poynor|Exposure

Exposure: Striporama street scene by Vivian Maier

How good was the photographer nanny?

Steven Heller|Essays

Victims of the Image: Ignobility for the Noble Savage

Native Americans have endured a long legacy of distorted images.

Steven Heller|Essays

The Americanization of 20s New Typography; Or the Soft Sell of the Avant Garde

Die Neue Typographie (The New Typography), the early 20th century revolution in graphic design, is being re-evaluated this year in light of the Bauhaus centenary.

Steven Heller|Essays

Creative Director/Strategist Wanted for USofA

The United States of America more than once employed a creative director.

Observed|Essays

The Visual Language of Herbert Matter

Known as a quintessential designer's designer, Swiss born Herbert Matter is largely credited with expanding the use of photography as a design tool and bringing the semantics of fine art into the realm of applied arts.