{{Short description|Architecture and design website}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox website | name = Design Observer | logo = | logocaption = | screenshot = | collapsible = | collapsetext = | caption = | url = {{URL|http://designobserver.com}} | commercial = Yes | type = | registration = | language = English | num_users = | content_license = | content_licence = | owner = Observer Omnimedia | author = Rick Poynor, Michael Bierut, Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel | editor = William Drenttel | launch_date = {{Start date and age|2003|10|df=no}} | revenue = | current_status = | footnotes = }}
'''Design Observer''' is a website devoted to a range of design topics including graphic design, social innovation, urbanism, popular culture, and criticism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/house-garden/the-10-best-architecture-blogs-7912530.html|title=The 10 Best architecture blogs|last=Muston|first=Samuel|date=5 July 2012|work=The Independent|access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> The content of the site includes essays, articles, reviews, blog posts, and peer reviewed scholarship. It is the host of the architecture and urban design publication ''Places'' (formerly a print academic journal) and the podcast ''Design Matters'' with Debbie Millman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cooperhewitt.org/press/2012/08/06/design-matters-wins-2011-people%E2%80%99s-design-award-0|title=Design Matters Wins the 2011 People's Design Award|date=21 October 2011|publisher=Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum|access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref>
Four prominent design writers founded the site in October 2003:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135804791.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611030833/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135804791.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2014|title=PRIVATE VIEW: Time we blogged-on.(web logs on web design)|last=Shaughnessy|first=Adrian|date=1 September 2005|publisher=Design Week |access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> Rick Poynor was the founder and first editor of London-based ''Eye'' magazine, in addition to being author of many books; Michael Bierut<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/oct/20/typo-london-graphic-conference-livestream|title=TYPO London conference livestream|last=Evans|first=Lisa|date=20 October 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> is a partner in the New York office of Pentagram and is a design critic at Yale School of Art; Jessica Helfand is also a critic at Yale and is author of numerous books; the late William Drenttel (1953–2013) was a designer, critic and partner with Jessica Helfand of Winterhouse Studios in Connecticut.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-142905220.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611030831/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-142905220.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2014|title=Blogs: Graphic Design|date=6 March 2006|publisher=Creative Review |access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref>
Frequent contributors over the years have included; Steven Heller, John Foster, Adrian Shaughnessy, Dmitri Siegel, Alice Twemlow, Tom Vanderbilt, Lorraine Wild, Rob Walker, Alexandra Lange, Mark Lamster, John Thackara, Véronique Vienne, Julie Lasky and more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.aiga.org/aiga-partners-with-design-observer|title=AIGA and Design Observer to join forces, setting a milestone in online design publishing|date=2016-10-07|work=AIGA|access-date=2017-07-05}}</ref>
In 2016, Design Observer and AIGA joined forces to work in collaboration as a larger online platform for design.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.designobserver.com Design Observer] * [http://places.designobserver.com Places Journal] * [http://designobserver.com/podcast-design-matters.php Design Matters]
Category:Graphic design Category:Design magazines Category:Online magazines published in the United States Category:Architecture websites Category:Academic works about urban studies and planning Category:Magazines established in 2003