Rob Walker writings on Design Observer

Rob Walker: Emily Spivack's exhibition of unexpectedly interesting stories from eBay.

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:30:11 GMT

Emily Spivack's exhibition of unexpectedly interesting stories from eBay.

Rob Walker: Jill Stoll combines artistic ritual, creative reuse, and the postal service as connector.

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:36:23 GMT

Jill Stoll combines artistic ritual, creative reuse, and the postal service as connector.

Rob Walker: Why did some Columbia architecture students treat their annual like garbage?

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:10:59 GMT

A book vs. its cover: Why Colubmia GSAPP students treated this year's architecture annual like garbage.

Rob Walker: A bowl can hold all kinds of things -- including dollar value.

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:47:49 GMT

Considering dollar value as one of many things a bowl might contain.

Rob Walker: Google Image Search Results, Abstracted and Animated

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:19:36 GMT

Rob Walker has created a video of his image abstraction Tumblr.

Rob Walker: Thanks to a rental car, I had a panic button in my pocket. It made me tense.

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:29:42 GMT

A rental car's key fob design emphasizes "Panic" over all other options. Is that really a good idea?

Rob Walker: Has digital design become overly obsessed with extroverted behavior?

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:46:33 GMT

Evernote's introvert focus raises a question: Has digital design become overly obsessed with extroverted behavior?

Rob Walker: A proposed addition to the way we punctuate now

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:06:39 GMT

Ellen Susan proposes a new punctuation mark, the ElRey, for the digital-text era.

Rob Walker: Can data tell us whether a logo is good or not? That's open to interpretation.

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:03:58 GMT

Emblemetric backs its assessment of the American Airlines logo with "the data." Of course, that's open to interpretation.

Rob Walker: The maps of the future will tell you what to see! (Wait, what's good about that?)

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:27:42 GMT

The maps of the future will tell you what to look at. Sometimes, you should look elsewhere.

Rob Walker: Photographs of the natural world, made distinctly unnatural.

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:12:04 GMT

Thirteen "landscape fictions," photographs of the natural world — made distinctly unnatural.

Rob Walker: Magazine covers may not speak with authority anymore -- but what does?

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:29:23 GMT

The cover of Time Magazine may not speak with authority in the nonstop news cycle. But what does?

Rob Walker: Why We Buy, Why We Brand

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:48:21 GMT

Rob Walker recommends Debbie Millman's talk "Why We Buy, Why We Brand".

Rob Walker: Online projects designed to make a murky practice more comprehensible

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:42:18 GMT

Online projects that seek to make the drone war comprehensible.

Rob Walker: New tablet mag Symbolia adds to the vibrant nonfiction comics scene

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:18:15 GMT

The New tablet magazine Symbolia debuts, a worthy additoin to today's vibrant nonfiction comics scene.

Rob Walker: A few things I learned by organizing a show about the marketplace as medium

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 20:57:50 GMT

Some lessons from organizing a show about the marketplace as medium

Rob Walker: On using funny videos to start serious classroom discussions

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:10:52 GMT

On using funny videos to start serious classroom discussions

Rob Walker: A look at the spectacular logo-remix aesthetic of a rap culture style pioneer

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:25:06 GMT

A look at the spectacular logo-remix aesthetic of rap-culture style pioneer Dapper Dan.

Rob Walker: Machines take more pictures, and we take more pictures like machines.

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 19:57:05 GMT

System as photographer, and photographer as system.

Rob Walker: Appreciation of beauty makes us human – and, sometimes, deadly.

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:32:56 GMT

A report on the ivory trade reminds us of the uniquely human willingness to kill for beautiful objects.

Rob Walker: Disquiet Junto's exploration of store sounds is changing my ears.

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 16:23:44 GMT

Disquiet Junto has been listening to retail, and it's changing my ears.

Rob Walker: An instant Tumblr demonstrates the art of the creative takedown

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:13:41 GMT

An instant Tumblr responds to Apple's maps app, and demonstrates the art of the creative takedown.

Rob Walker: The digital doesn't annihilate the analog, and the business card creativity proves it.

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:05:48 GMT

The digital doesn't annihilate the analog, and business card creativity proves it.

Rob Walker: Visiting a TechShop outpost in North Carolina

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:16:34 GMT

A visit to an outpost of TechShop, the aspriing "Kinko's for geeks," in North Carolina.

Rob Walker: A shiny new buzzword for those who analyze pseudo-events.

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:09:38 GMT

Optics: The indispensible buzzword for those who analyze pseudo-events.