April 2009 Archives

SPOTS! The 2009 Competition Begins...

"Spot" illustrations may be small in size, but they play an enormous role in the world of publication design. Measuring no more than 5 x 6 inches, a spot much catch readers' eyes, draw them into a story, and convey complex ideas--often while competing with other visual elements on the page.

The Society of Publication Designers is the only organization to honor these hard-working little gems with its annual SPOTS Competition. Chaired this year by Matthew Lenning, Design Director at Bon Appétit, and Don Morris, Principal at Don Morris Design, SPOTS will be judged by a panel of leading publication art directors and commercial illustrators, with the winning entries will be featured in a special, self-contained book and sent to SPD members and winning illustrators for FREE, as well as featured in the PUB 44 Design Annual, and archived in a special gallery on this very site, linking to the winning illustrator's websites.

Read on for all the details, the call for entries, and links to past winners...

*Big thanks to Yuko Shimizu for the illustration on the Call for Entries, above!
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PUB 44 Online Winners!

Without further ado, the Medal Finalists for SPD's PUB 44 Online Competition, chosen by the jury and presented here:


The Big Picture // Category: Online Photography

CHOW: The Ten // Category: Series or Column

The Daily Beast // Category: Online Site Independent of a Print Publication

The NY Times: 2008 Presidential Election Results // Category: Online Information Graphics

The NY Times: A Map of Olympic Medals // Category: Online Information Graphics
 

The Gold and Silver Medals are awarded from across all of the Online Categories based on highest overall scores. One of these sites will be winning a Gold Medal, and one a Silver Medal, at the SPD Gala on Friday, May 8th. Keep reading after the jump for the full list of Online Merit Winners, ready for you to browse as well...

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