Founded in 2003 by a duo of design heavyweights, the blog Design Observer has distinguished itself with a balance of intelligence and levity. The editors--Michael Bierut, William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand--are accomplished as both craftsmen and critics: Bierut is a partner at the design firm Pentagram in NY, while Drenttel and Helfand work at Winterhouse, a design studio in northwest Connecticut. The blog's charm is its mix of in-depth essays and pop culture ruminations. A recent piece on a prominent German logo designer, for example, reads well against a video clip of two drug dealers, heatedly discussing the value of brand names. Winner of a 2007 Webbie award, it was also highlighted in the Wall Street Journal's round-up of best blogs, picked by Elizabeth Spiers, the founding editor of Gawker, who probably knows a thing or two about what makes for good blog reading. --BEN POPPER

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