Playing to Type
A revolution in typeface design has led to everything from more-legible newspapers and cell-phone displays to extra-tacky wedding invitations.
Online sidebar: What's in a Font? An Interview with Gary Hustwit
January/February 2008

Rightsize Me
Why sending a man to the moon is easier than finding jeans that fit
December 2007

A Tale of Two Town Houses
Real estate may be as important as religion in explaining the infamous gap between red and blue states.
November 2007

Beautiful Minds
On television shows like CSI and Numb3rs, scientists are still weird—but a geeky glamour has replaced the old stereotypes.
September 2007

Starlight and Shadow
George Hurrell's brilliantly orchestrated photographs helped define Hollywood glamour in the 1930s.
July/August 2007

Paint of View
The color of a house is a sign of owner individuality—and a test of neighborhood tolerance.
Online sidebar: Storybook Ending: How an enterprising first-time publisher gave the beloved children's book Mr. Pine's Purple House a second life
June 2007

Dress Sense
Why fashion deserves its place in art museums
May 2007

Lofty Ambitions
Once upon a time, lofts were cheap spaces for struggling artists. Today they are phony and pricey, and that's just fine.
April 2007

The Truth About Beauty
It is the same in the eye of every beholder.
March 2007

Up, Up, and Away
Today, air travel is just another form of mass transit. Is there any going back to the glamorous days of yore?
January/February 2007

In Praise of Chain Stores
They aren't destroying local flavor--they're providing variety and comfort
December 2006

The Iconographer
In Julius Shulman's photographs, modern architecture became seductive, comfortable, and immortal
November 2006

Superhero Worship
Once the province of Garbo and Astaire, movie glamour now comes from Superman, Spider-Man, and Storm.
October 2006

Signs of Our Times
In under a century, neon signs--part sculpture, part lighting, part billboard--have gone from marketing tool to tacky trash to folk art.
September 2006

The Next Starbucks?
How massage went from the strip club to the strip mall
July/August 2006