Design Observer Newsletter: Doubt, Innovation, and The Odyssey
This edition of The Observatory newsletter from Design Observer features an opinion piece by AKQA CEO Helder Santo arguing that uncertainty and doubt are essential for collaboration and innovation, warning against AI tools that remove friction. Editor-in-Chief Ellen McGirt reflects on a conversation with Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill about her book 'Genius at Scale,' which defines innovation as collaborative problem-solving among diverse experts. The newsletter also announces the launch of Design Observer's audio documentary 'Draw the Line' at the 2026 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, covering the Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Callais and its impact on voting rights. A seven-verse poem summarizes the cultural phenomenon around Christopher Nolan's film 'The Odyssey,' noting increased sales of Homer translations and record box office in Greece. The newsletter goes on hiatus until August 17.
Key facts
- Helder Santo, CEO of AKQA, argues that doubt triggers collaboration and should not be engineered out by AI.
- Linda Hill, Harvard Business School professor, defines innovation as collaboration among diverse experts.
- Hill's book 'Genius at Scale' is co-authored with Emily Tedards and Jason Wild.
- Design Observer launched 'Draw the Line' on July 4, 2026 at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans.
- The documentary covers the Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Callais and the Voting Rights Act.
- Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' has boosted sales of Homer translations and set box office records in Greece.
- Emily Wilson, a classicist at University of Pennsylvania, saw a million copies sold of her Odyssey translation.
- The Observatory newsletter is going on hiatus until August 17.
Entities
Artists
- Helder Santo
- Linda Hill
- Emily Tedards
- Jason Wild
- Ellen McGirt
- Rachel Paese
- Christopher Nolan
- Emily Wilson
- Adrian Shaughnessy
Institutions
- AKQA
- Harvard Business School
- Design Observer
- Supreme Court
- Essence Festival of Culture
- University of Pennsylvania
- Boston Globe
- Variety
- Bloomberg
- Publishers Weekly
- Greek Reporter
- Philadelphia Inquirer
Locations
- New Orleans
- United States
- Greece
- Montecito
- California
- San Mateo
- Centennial
- Colorado