The Observatory

Latest Episodes:

M Is for a Million Things Jun 24, 2015

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Milan, Mario Batali, Michelle Obama, Moshe Safdie, Modernism, MOO (our sponsor), Michael Erard, metaphor design, Macintosh icons, Massimo Vignelli....

Knockout Jun 10, 2015

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Are boxing and photography hipster pleasures? Are they past their prime, or do they have a bright future?

150 Years, 7 Minutes, 6 Seconds May 27, 2015

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Visualizing business data, a logo to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, and more.

East Meets West May 20, 2015

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Or collaboration vs. “one person making one thing at one time”

Inside the Lines Apr 23, 2015

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Michael and Jessica discuss the The Grid, which uses artificial intelligence to design websites, the history of grids, and the unlikely success of coloring books for adults.

The Observatory: The Inevitable Apr 09, 2015

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On this episode, Michael and Jessica talk about death (not taxes): how designers have to think about preventing death and representing death, and whether death is “just another design challenge.” Also, the color blue.

The Observatory: Land, Rand, Mad Men Mar 31, 2015

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Michael and Jessica talk about a panel they participated in at the Paul Rand exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, plus the return of Mad Men and the fate of photography giants Kodak and Polaroid.

The Observatory: Such Watch Mar 18, 2015

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On this episode of The Observatory, Michael and Jessica talk about Jonathan Ive, the rollout of the Apple Watch, and Michael Graves

The Observatory: FYI We Are Graphic Designers Mar 12, 2015

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This week, Michael and Jessica talk about graphic designers on screen, highlights from What Design Sounds Like, and Michael’s trip to Design Indaba.

The Observatory: Words, Pictures, Sounds Feb 18, 2015

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A few things on our minds