LAST YEAR I SAID IN THIS SPACE THAT THE 2006 STEP DESIGN 100 WINNERS WERE THE LOVELIEST BODY OF WORK I’D EVER SEEN, AND I HOPED—BUT DIDN’T DARE PREDICT—THAT THIS TREND WOULD CONTINUE. I SHOULD HAVE PREDICTED. THIS YEAR’S WINNING CROP IS SO FRESH AND CLEAN IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE TO REVIEW. THERE’S LESS WASTED MOTION AND LESS AFFECTATION THAN EVER, PLUS LOTS OF GOOD DESIGN AND SEVERAL NEW MOVEMENTS.

Now, we do have to make the usual disclaimer: By far the majority of these works were commissioned by art-world or out-of-the-mainstream clients, and they’ve been further filtered through a panel of sophisticated judges. Plus, there are but 100 winners in the STEP competition, so the sample isn’t exactly representative of design in the culture at large. This collection is even more rarified than usual. Last year we had about 18 editorial and book design entries. This year there are 29. Last year, there were 15 posters. This year there are 23. Last year there were 14 packaging entries; this year there are only six. I think you can see the pattern—this is a very art-oriented bunch of winners.

But as we say every year, trends are established by trendsetters, so let’s proceed. Keep in mind that many of the examples here follow several trends—which is partly why I think they’re trends. You may have to flip back and forth a bit to get the idea.

VARIATIONS WITHIN THEMES (A)
Identities with a range of business card designs are a trend that’s continuing. We’re not tired of it, and we imagine that employees and their clients enjoy it, too. [1]

VARIATIONS WITHIN THEMES (B)
While many of the winning entries in this year’s Design 100 have strong visual themes, their designers have used all kinds of variations to create interest and pacing. A page with a checkerboard of images is followed by a single image across the spread and then a page with a row of images across the top and solid color below and so on. In other cases, the format changes entirely from section to section, in keeping with the nature of the content. [2]

SHINY, SHINY TEXTURES
The Sino identity (page 81) and Lemon magazine bring another, newer trope: high-gloss spot varnishes and shimmering surfaces. In some cases, spot varnishes are being laid down in rich patterns so thickly that they add texture to the page. Lots of other entries use glossy spot varnishes too subtly to guarantee good reproduction in these pages, so you’ll just have to take my word that it’s definitely a big trend. [3]

LET’S GET HORIZONTAL
Many of these entries have a strong horizontal emphasis. We see photos strung across a spread in one row, and copy blocks strung above or below them in another row with generous white space between. [4]
We also see lots of horizontal tension, as when one page has a full-bleed image, and on the opposite page one small image or line of type sits as far away as it can get. This is basic Good Design, and it will never stop working. [5]

LET’S GET VERTICAL
For some reason, a bunch of designers are running type up the page instead of across it. This isn’t necessarily hurting legibility, though, because the type is big, or the copy is not vital to the story, or only a few words are affected. [6]

DISCIPLINED TYPOGRAPHY
Overall, this is the year of disciplined type—just flip through the following pages of winning projects, and you’ll see. Most of the text is set into justified blocks, and either lined up across the spread or asymmetrically balanced. There are very few inventive fonts or settings, so when they occur they really stand out, as in the Daycorp brochure that also illustrates the horizontal trend. We still see what could be called “industrial” typesetting, where text is set into ruled boxes like the title blocks on blueprints, but at this point the rules are there to organize and isolate the content and not to support an industrial look. [7]

BLACK IS THE NEW BLACK
Last year, brown was the new black. This year, black is back. So is the traditional designer’s palette: black and white; black, white and red; black with silver; or black and red, silver and gray. Take a look at Lemon magazine, the YRC annual and the Teague book. There are lots more. [8]
A newer trend is to pair black with brilliant colors, which practically glow by contrast. [9]