Design Observer
Design Observer, Ellen McGirt, Rachel PaeseWelcome to Design Observer, a home for curious minds shaping the world. Find your people and new ideas.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 145 | Founded | 6 years ago | Last Issue | 13 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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designobserver.substack.comLatest Issues
Wracked with doubt? Good
Credit: Juno Jo via Unsplash
I’m not sure about much of anything right now. The world is <waves arms around> a lot. How about you?
Here’s something that might help.
I recently caught up with Linda Hill, the Wallace Brett Donham Professor...
The launch of Kimi K3
The launch of Kimi K3, the latest version of the Kimi chatbot, sent shockwaves last week and deftly tested the theory that open-weight models were no match for the closed-model giants from Silicon Valley.
Kimi is the AI chatbot and family...
The Met’s audience engagement team is aiming for meaning
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
What makes you feel like you belong, particularly in a space that may feel intimidating or unfamiliar?
I turned to an expert for answers.
In 2025, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City...
America’s 250th anniversary
It was hotter than July on the Fourth in New Orleans this year, and still, it was a better vibe for America’s 250th celebration than was evidently found elsewhere.
I was in New Orleans to debut our latest podcast, Draw the Line, at a speci...
Your summer reading list
Credit: Nick Fewings via Unsplash
During a recent reporting trip touring Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” I listened to Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents, published in 1999. It’s the second installment in a prescient trilogy, set in an Am...
Key Facts
Audience Metrics
Subscribers, engagement, traffic and sponsorship for Design Observer.
| Subscribers | Engagement | 68 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts Sponsors | Estimated Cost per Ad | ||||
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How this newsletter ranks in the official Substack charts.
| #244 |
Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Look closer with us, it's all designed.
Editor-in-Chief, Design Observer. I write. I podcast. I draw water drops. I wander.
In its various forms, what I love most is giving curious people better access to perspective-changing stories. Now Deputy Editor for Design Observer, I bring readers closer to the people and ideas that are designing a better world.
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