As a writer, sometimes the quickest way for me to get into a project is to be inspired by visuals. I keep shelves full of maps, museum guides, postcards, books, ads, and magazines. Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New York Times T series, New York Magazine, J Crew's little collection of look books, my daughter's teen novels, and back issues of Communication Arts can always be counted on to ignite some kind of spark. So what a joy it is to dip into Design Observer, founded and edited by Michael Bierut, William Drenttel, and Jessica Helfand. DO is writings about design with plenty of inspirational visuals that tell me why I'm so inspired by what I'm seeing.