Designer Things

Neo-Dada didn’t ask for permission. When Robert Rauschenberg erased a Willem de Kooning drawing in 1953, he wasn’t just making a statement

I used to think thick and thin strokes in letters were just decoration. Turns out, the contrast between thick and thin parts of letterforms—what typographers

Visual rhythm isn’t something most people think about consciously—until it’s missing. I used to believe design was all about color palettes

I used to think regionalism in art was just about painting local barns and cornfields. Turns out, it’s way messier than that—and honestly, more interesting.

I used to think design was supposed to be universal—like gravity, or something. The modernists certainly believed it. Bauhaus, the Swiss Style, International

Gloomcore isn’t exactly new, but it feels like it’s everywhere now. I’ve spent the better part of three years watching this aesthetic

I used to think visual storytelling started with Instagram. Then I spent three weeks in southern France, staring at ochre handprints in the Chauvet Cave

I used to think neoclassicism was just rich people copying Greek statues. Turns out, the whole thing started as a kind of visual rebellion—wait, maybe

I used to think fonts were just fonts—you know, Times New Roman for essays, Arial for presentations, whatever. Then I started noticing something weird

I used to think spirals were just… spirals. Then I spent three weeks in Aotearoa New Zealand, and everywhere I looked—airport signage, corporate