STEP OFF: Round 6 (Final Round)
by Bennett Holzworth, (16 comments)
We have reached the end my friends. We have shared our designs and you have shared your varied opinions. The designs have leaped forward and fallen behind, but they have all progressed in their own way. While these final covers will most likely need “cover line” tweaks and other refinements, they are all very unique and visually rich solutions to this challenge. While Emily, Michael and Gus won’t be commenting this round, we still welcome and encourage your feedback. We might not be able to change the designs, but please throw your opinion into the mix to help sway the fabuolus team over at STEP. This has been a fascinating experience/experiment and we have all learned a great deal. We thank STEP for trusting us with this challenge and we thank the readers and commenters for making this so eventful. Don’t forget that the entire process is archived here.
We will be posting the winner and the identity of the teams this coming Monday.
Will this round bring a knockout? You decide.
TEAM 1:
Our sixth round is both a step back (to regain greater proximity to our concept) and a step forward (to develop greater simplicity and consistency). First we’ve gone back to our simple pig pattern. Creating a greater sense of being selected from “the crowd”. This iteration has increased the contrast between foreground and back through smaller and slightly more subtle background pigs. Secondly we’ve taken our champion pig forward by making the light source more consistent, without loosing his simplicity and levity. The shadow is the most obvious change, but lighting has been shifted to give our pig a more accurate dimensionality.
Overall, we’ve tried to (1) heed Michael’s admonition to be more “intentionally simple,” (2) settle some of Emily’s uncertainty through subtle changes in the illustration, and (3) retain the overall concept and tone that has repeatedly and consistently gained positive feedback from the viewers.
TEAM 2:
Our concept from the beginning has been collaboration. In our last effort to salvage our collaboration theme, we turn our attention to the 100 designers featured in this magazine. Our other rounds focused on gathering images from our readers, and although the contributions have been less than overwhelming we still think there is value in the “collaboration” angle. So, for this cover we will convince each of the 100 designers to take a photograph. Instead of the generic “100” photo, we are asking for a picture of something much more personal, and dare I say, “provocative.” The cover of STEP 100, will be covered with 100 nipples – one from each designer. Since all the designers are interviewed in this issue, it seems appropriate to show a very intimate part of each of them on the cover. The headline will be “100 Designers Bare It All.” For those of you who have followed this project, you probably recognize this phrase from the comments of earlier rounds. “Baring it All” accurately describes the process of this project.
In order to protect the designers from the possible embarrassment of having your nipple on the cover of a magazine, none of the nipples will be labeled. While not nearly as sexy, as a backup this concept could be modified to use photos of belly buttons, ears, eyes, or some other body part. As tempting as the idea was, I decided against gathering an assortment of random nipples for this mock-up. Use your imagination, and vote for this cover!
TEAM 3:
What ride this has been. I never thought showing process work to the entire world would be quite such an experience. It is literally like being pulled in all directions at once, and trying to sift through to the madness to find your design in its best form.
We had been fighting our concept from day one. We didn’t know we were fighting it, but we were. The right combination of elements to create great design can’t be summed up in list 0f 40 or 50 jokes. What it takes to reach that pinnacle is much larger and much broader than that. And after much thought and soul-searching we decided that in order to say more, we must say less. Break it down to its most basic ingredients only; and eliminate the ‘list.’ And let’s face it, we received all of about zero comments on the items in our list of award-winner clichés — it won’t be missed.
We certainly don’t think anyone will mistake this for a bicycle tire now. The hash marks and streamlined dial cut to the chase and present the lock as a lock, and the curved arm hinted to at the top solidifies its presence (and locks “Inside Design” firmly into place). We were still able to have some fun with some of the subtleties of the design, too (what’s the opposite of ‘creativity?’).
And finally, moving our headline from a passive “unlocking” to an active “unlock” (asking the reader to unlock the secrets, instead of telling them that we are) creates just the right tone for a bold and inviting cover.
My teammate and I are extremely thankful to STEP Inside Design magazine for allowing us to take on this opportunity, showing the underwear of our creative process as well as their own. It has been an adventure from start to finish.
TEAM 4:
After round 2 we had some hurdles we couldn’t figure out how to jump, and tried running on a different track. After reading the comments during that time, we came to the realization that maybe we weren’t as far away from where we wanted to be as we thought. Originally we tried to merge the Design 100 and the Trends article into the same cover line but never figured out how, and then we thought, why? Separating out the cover lines added the clarity that we couldn’t achieve before. In a way it seems like we spent a lot of time on what appears to be small changes, but we don’t think these changes would have happened without the experimentation in rounds 3, 4 and 5.
The revised, trimmed and refined timeline text:
- A Fibonacci spiral appears on the cover of STEP Inside Design’s Yearly Award Annual
- Fibonacci spirals are spotted in Japan, India, and eventually in New York
- A few forward-thinking designers find appropriate uses
- Nike co-opts the spiral for corporate materials and rubber soles
- Cranbrook fully adopts the spiral, and takes credit for the trend
- David Carson finds the trend and its proprietors unworthy of the trendy tradition he started
- Spiral spotted on a celebrity scalp on MTV, which no longer airs the three-month-old video sporting the same spiral
- Fibonacci spirals are accepted into all the major annuals
- Vignelli denounces the trend
- Fibonacci spiral reaches the end of its natural life
- Emigre magazine doesn’t say anything, since it is still dead
- Mike Wallace picks up on the trend
- A major branding firm uses the dead spiral to kill the last remaining Rand logo
- Trend is officially played out and completely DEAD – deader than a doornail, dead
- Forward thinking designers find appropriate uses for the Fibonacci spiral, resurrected in the holy light of irony
Comments (16)
L-Fo said:
I will just give some quick comments on each since we are in the final round and it may not do any good to go into great deatil.
Team 1 - I still like this design a lot, though it does not seem to have progressed much from round 3. It is still striking to me and the words DESIGN CHOPS brings it home.
Team 2 - All I can say is WHOA. (I realize that is not helpful feedback, but that really is all I can say at the moment.)
Team 3 - Yes - DING DING DING. I think you have done it. You have simplified it enough for it to still make sense, made the graphic more recognizable as a lock, and tied it all together with your headline and circular “unlocking” graphics. Nice.
Team 4 - I actually liked the last round, but I know you had some not so positive feedback on it. I like this one as well, but I still think there is too much tiny text and nothing for my eye to really focus on while strolling past the newstand.
Overall this has been a fun process to follow. Good job to all!
Posted on January 20, 2006
Team 3, Member 1 said:
Team 2: One suggestion. “Less hair.”
Posted on January 20, 2006
stephie said:
First of all, you all have my sincere respect for putting your work out there for us all to see and critique.
My pick any why:
This cover does just what the headline says. It’s a winning combination. Both concept and execution are strong. The visual is stunning and easily recognizable. The hierarchy is right on: visual, title, headline, cut lines. The composition is brilliant. It is the first cover that my eye is drawn to and I keep going back to it. All of the problems with readability have been solved. I love that as much attention was placed in the overall look as was in the little details (the rotation symbols are awesome).
Why I didn’t pick the others:
Team 1: this is my second favorite. It is a funny, witty idea but not as big of an idea as the combination lock.
Team 2: If you were going for shock value, you’ve reached it. My reaction was, “What is it?” and then “Gross!” I think a lot of readers will have a similar reaction.
Team 4: It’s interesting that you decided to highlight the trend article. But I feel the 100 design winners article is the main story.
Posted on January 20, 2006
ctipton said:
Agreed- the Poster’s Choice award (thus far) goes to #3. #’s 1 and 3 haven’t (visually) changed much over the past few rounds, however #3 pushed/refined their concept more effectively.
2 - in my opinion this is the first SOLID concept you’ve had in relation to the magazine. It’s too bad you don’t have 5 more rounds to perfect it. I’m not sure nipples are the best visual, but there’s finally a good relationship between visual and cover line. (“Cover lines need to be in upper left corner of image.”)
Thanks for doing this, all of you. Fun viewing!
Posted on January 20, 2006
JonSel said:
No point in offering much critique since it’s now up to the STEP folks to pick their choice. I’ve enjoyed being a small part of the process. I don’t think I’d make a regular series out of it, but it was entertaining. Brave move for STEP. I hope they’re really happy with the outcome.
My favorite design is Team 3’s lock. The colors are striking. The illustration is beautiful with a lot of nice depth and texture. And simplifying it was definitely the right way to go. It’s so much more clear.
I also like Team 1. It’s fun, and who doesn’t like fun? Maybe the pig illustration could be carried through in the editorial section in some form.
Posted on January 20, 2006
ChrisM70 said:
My final thoughts:
TEAM 1. I really, really like this final design. I like the simplification. The colors and the art really jump out, and when its tied to the “Design Chops” headline, this is a STRONG cover. I also think that team one also did the best job building (and learning) on their idea from round to round.
TEAM 2. I have to say that I really don’t like this. This new design feels like the team couldn’t get their idea to work, and decided to go with shock value. Perhaps that’s what STEP is looking for - a cover that creates publicity, but it doesn’t seem like a very well designed cover. I don’t want to seem overly harsh, but it’s dissapointing to me because I thought the design in round 3 was on the right track. Nice try though.
TEAM 3. This team also did a good job of creating a concept that was good, and doggedly sticking with it until it was crafted into a design that communicates effectively. I like the tilt of the lock and the simplified dial. I especially like the curved arrows that suggest turning the dial left, right and left again - a great touch. The color scheme is eye-catching too. Great Job!
TEAM 4. I applaud you for going back to an idea that has good potential and re-working it. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I really like the colors and the spiral is eye-catching. However, I still believe that the timeline and all of the copy is a bit much, and I think perhaps the idea is a bit hard to comprehend by a person browsing the covers at the magazine stand. It’s still a good looking cover.
I thought that at the end of this, that one cover would stand out - but I have a hard time choosing. I would say that #1 and #3 are both really great and I would be happy buying either one at my local bookstore. I hope that there is a post mortem where the teams tell us what they learned - good and bad.
This was fun to witness (and somewhat participate in) and hope that BADG will do another STEP OFF project again soon!
Posted on January 20, 2006
televator said:
You’re all going to hate me… but, that’s how it goes I guess.
My first thought when I saw FINAL ROUND next to these images was, “Worst Step cover, ever.” But then I did a bit more research and realized they’ve had a lot of stinkers. Guess that’s why I’ve only bothered to read the magazine once before.
Posted on January 21, 2006
Lois Bradley said:
Team 1 - actually preferred the original “meat” concept - have seen an awful lot of this “flavor” of stylized design recently..sorry, close, but not nailed.
Team 2 - you won’t be able to get away with this unless you alternate male, female, male, female - even at that, wish you could have made the point without resorting to “body shock”. Lose your concept in the “ewww” factor, so keep it only if your audience is 14 year-olds.
Team 3 - nailed it, I think. Love the concept, execution.
Team 4 - concept is good, execution is good-definitely an improvement over the original, but not as inspired as 3.
It is not easy to put your concepts up for the wolves to take apart, so I applaud your efforts! Thanks!
Posted on January 21, 2006
Stephanie said:
Just to note stephie and Stephanie are different people. I have not had a chance to look at this round yet and when I saw the comment I was a bit confused now I understand it is someone else. So I know these comments are a bit late but I have quit my job and have gone through a major reconstruction of my design area at home and am now just getting back online.
Team 1: I’m glad you stuck with this design the last few rounds. It is by far the strongest.
Team 2: 100 Designers Bare it all…Are those boobies? If so, I think you’ve gotten way off track now.
Team 3: You’ve now captured me. I especially like the look inside the lock. I can now read the text and I don’t have to guess what it is.
Team 4: I think I might be the only one who doesn’t like the color scheme but I do like your Fibonacci spiral. I still think there is too much text but I like what the text says.
Thank you very much for letting us share in this design panel. I have learned a lot from these discussions. I think it was also very brave and worth while for you to do this. I hope to participate in similar discussions in the future.
Thank You again and again
Posted on January 21, 2006
Jake said:
Once again I just want to say that it is an awesome thing that you have done with these cover designs. I find it really inspiring to read each of the breifs on how they got to their ideas and also all the feed back they have received. I missed my chance on round 5 so I’ll make sure this comment is good.
1- I think you moved in an interesting direction with your idea. I think the movement from photos to illustrations was a good step. Also the movement from different objects to one simple one repeating itself was also a good step. That truly bring out how you feel (and many others feel) about competitions in design. On that note, I just don’t know if the negative overtone is really good for a design magazine. Maybe it’s just the fact that I want to hear more positive things and see us pull ourselves out of a time when design is not looked upon too kindly. We need to do more to change that and I just worry that the negative overtone will dampen already damp spirits.
2- Yikes! I am not fond of where you went with this at all. I think you guys had a really strong idea and I was sorry to see it get cut. The nipples are scarey and I have to agree with an earlier comment of “less hair, please!” Again, YIKES!
3- I definitely think you have got my vote! I was routing for 2 but they took a turn that I wasn’t expecting or was not too fond of. Not that, that’s the reason you have my vote. I just think it made me open my eyes more to what you were doing. I think you made some awesome progress and really nailed it with this last cover. I like the use of less words on the lock dial. It makes the words used that much stronger. I also like the darkness of it but the positive tone. Design is about working to unlock potential in a piece. At least to me. It shows a strong message about the power of design. I think the color choice is great and eye catching. Good luck and if you get the cover, I will be VERY happy to see it on there.
4- I think your idea is strong with the timeline. I just have to agree with another comment that the small text is hard to read and I feel it is a bit much to read on a cover. I know personally I don’t spend much time reading the cover of a magazine. It’s about what is inside and that’s where I head as soon as I can. The use of the spiral for the timeline is an interesting idea. So many timelines are straight but I don’t think design goes that way. The spiral isn’t boring or dull such as straight lines are. Design is about being anything but dull or boring. I really think you have a strong idea and I wish you could of had more time to develop it. Your color choice is eye catching and bold. Which is important on a shelf with so many other magazines. I just think you could have made it a quicker stronger message.
Again, I just want to say that it was really awesome to see the progression. You ALL did a great job and really have great spirits. Some of you took some hard criticism and really turned it into some great work. It takes a lot to do that. Designers can learn a lot from what has been done here and I think you all should be really proud of what you have done. Thank you for sharing this with all of us and to Be A Design Group…YOU ROCK!!
Posted on January 21, 2006
Team 1, Member 2 said:
Jake, not sure what you’re refering to when you say “negative tone”. I believe this concept is fully about being recognized from the crowd of talented designers. The headline “design chops” certainly refer’s to the winner’s talent and stregth. The image of the pig ties into this headline, and also resonates with a “county fair ‘Champion’” metaphor.
In our first brief, we discussed the issues faced by all design competitions. The Step competition attempts to address this by narrowing the selections down and giving each winner a chance to tell more of their story. This is fairly unique in the design publications, and probably forces the judges to be more thoughtful and thorough.
That being said, if you feel a negativity to our design, who am I to tell you different. However, I hope that sense of negativity comes more from the critique and commentary we shared in our first post than from our actual cover design.
Lastly, thanks for taking part in the discussion.
Posted on January 21, 2006
Jake said:
I think you are right about where I am getting the negativity from. I think I misunderstood a post while back about how design “competition” are “usually” bad and that was what I thought you were trying to convey. My firm beliefs in how spec work and competitions treat designers badly might have given me a slanted look at what you were trying to get me to see. Also my lack of understanding the comment didn’t help. I apoligize. Please do not take my view personal becuase I think my misinterpretation of your design has now been corrected.
I think your design is good (I never thought the design was bad) and now with a corrected view, I see it in a much better light. I appreciate you telling me more about the design. I hope I was the only one that made that mistake. I really like your title tie in and that totally made sense to me. So does the whole country fair feel. With the cover being for the “winners” it only seems fit.
I appreciate you responding and helping me see the cover for what it truly is. Good luck in the final decisions!
Posted on January 21, 2006
Team 4, Member 1 said:
Just a little clarification on the text in our timeline that isn’t clear on a 72 dpi jpeg. At this point it is 8 pt Hoefler Text. It would be very readable after the viewer picked up the cover. Obviously there is plenty room to bring it up to 9 pt or 10 pt, but we wanted the focus to remain on the spiral and cover lines. We also eliminated about 25% of the text from the original timeline. The numbers along the spiral were added to further support the timeline theme, without dumbing it down for the viewer.
We really appreciate everyone’s contribution to this entire process. I know I have learned a great deal. Thank you all.
Posted on January 21, 2006
zjgray said:
You know, I just realized why I don’t like the winning cover.
The rendering of the spiral itself is ugly. That rendering is only an aproximation of the actual proportions of the Fibonacci spiral. The true spiral would have a uniform look, not a disjointed, I-just-used-a-program-to-get-close-to-a spiral.
The whole point is that a Fibonacci spiral is graceful and suggests perfect proportion. A good concept. But the way the spiral is poorly rendered just negates the whole thing. Escher would crap his pants if he saw that.
Here’s a better example of the smooth, continuous spiral as it should look:
http://www.shout.net/~mathman/html/color%20spirals_files/image002.gif
Even though the concept was great, and the copywriting was solid, the ugly rendering of the spiral kept me from even reaching for the magazine when I was in Borders.
And, I think it was only chosen over that lock because it had a trendy color scheme.
Posted on May 8, 2006
zjgray said:
Here’s an even better rendering of the spiral, at the University of Chicago’s website. OK, I’m done harping on it.
home.uchicago.edu/~jswaters/ web/math/spiral.html
Posted on May 8, 2006
Bennett said:
zjgray, I’m not going to go out and say that our spiral is a perfect fibonacci spiral, but it is much closer than the spiral you are linking to. I think you are confusing “smooth, continuous spiral” with an actual fibonacci spiral. You want pretty, but I went for a closer approximation of a fibonacci spiral. Here is an example. Part of the concept is that we were discussing trends in the timeline copy on a shape that transcends trends and is found in nature and math (i.e. the fibonacci spiral).
p.s. Your second link didn’t work.
Posted on May 8, 2006