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Word it - Rethought

The Word Its have enjoyed a certain success since its inception. And we are all very proud of that. But (oh yeah, you knew there was a but coming) it is time to kick it up a notch - Speak Up style.

This is what we have in mind for the new edition of Word It:

1. Monthly schedule
Instead of waiting to hit 60 squares which is what I thought was working, we will now do it based on time. A new, fresh word every first of the month (yes, at the bottom of this you will see what the new word is). Submissions will not be accepted after the 30 or 31 of each month.

2. Broader themes
The “words” will now allow for more exploration, interpretation and hopefully, who knows, more competition?

3. Higher resolution
As Speak Up projects become more ambitious we need to start thinking about “big idea” possibilities. In this case a book containing all the best Word Its has crossed our minds. And that’s what we will be shooting for. So from now on, all your submissions will have to be created in hi-resolution. More on the technical requirements here.

4. Tougher judging
All the Word Its submitted will be posted online constantly, hopefully every Monday you will see a new batch. (It’s only fair that if we ask more from you, we do more ourselves.) For the book only the best will make it. How exactly they will be selected, is still not decided. But you get the idea.

With that said, please read the new specifications for submittal and go create based on October’s word:

Nightmare

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ENTRY DETAILS
ARCHIVE ID 1617 FILED UNDER Speak Up Announcements
PUBLISHED ON Oct.01.2003 BY Armin
WITH COMMENTS
Comments
Janne Wolterbeek’s comment is:

I really liked the idea of Word-It.

And then I made one(window) and sent it to you. And never got a reply. So I sent it again. No reply. And again...

Is there any hope for me if I try this month?

On Oct.01.2003 at 09:54 AM
eric’s comment is:

Queen Bee:

congrats on adopting the new format. i think it will keep the Word-Its loose and the competition rockin.

bring us your bad dreams, both waking and sleeping!

On Oct.01.2003 at 09:59 AM
Armin’s comment is:

Hey Janne,

I never got them. Otherwise they would be up. Sorry about that.

>Is there any hope for me if I try this month?

There is no selection process, all submissions go up, so yeah, there is hope. If it gets to me.

On Oct.01.2003 at 10:04 AM
Kiran Max Weber’s comment is:

Armin, I think it's a great progression, especially adopting high resolution as a submission criteria for future publication. What an interesting word for October!

Speak Up just gets better.

On Oct.01.2003 at 10:09 AM
Paul’s comment is:

On the "tougher judging" bit:

There is an fun/interesting idea put forth in the latest Emigre about an "American Idol" style design competition, where a few designers (easily self-selected here as being regular Speak-up posters/authors) analyze/debate the merits for a fixed period (each week) at the end of which everyone (i.e, The Public) gets a chance to vote on those to keep or eliminate.

Could be done weekly or monthly? Not sure, just a suggestion...it would certainly foster some real competition, but could (potentially) also encourage a "house style" , which would not be so cool. Thoughts?

On Oct.01.2003 at 11:24 AM
Armin’s comment is:

> There is an fun/interesting idea put forth in the latest Emigre about an "American Idol" style design competition.

Yeah, that's quite a concept the dude brought up. Far-fetched, but interesting.

Like I said, the selection process is still not decided. In the spirit of democracy (and now we all know it works) we might (might, not will) put it up for discussion and critique.

We'll see.

Thanks for the idea Paul.

On Oct.01.2003 at 03:53 PM
Janne Wolterbeek’s comment is:

That is quite odd, as I have always used this addy:

wordit@underconsideration.com

Is this really the correct one?

I am glad I was not ignored in any case.

I will certainly submit this month.

On Oct.01.2003 at 10:05 PM
Armin’s comment is:

> Is this really the correct one? I am glad I was not ignored in any case.

Yes it's the corre... you know what? I just checked my e-mail accounts... and when I switched servers I forgot to create the wordit@underconsideration.com mailbox... um, oops?

I just created it and should be active in the next 15 minutes.

That's probably the reason why I never got it. So, anybody who sent Word Its in the last month for Window please resend. Sorry about that.

On Oct.02.2003 at 08:38 AM
kia’s comment is:

So what's the deal with the coffee table book? Do chosen contributors get anything in return for publishing their work or is this more like "give us stuff for free so we can make money off it?" What happened to the whole no spec work idea?

I'm confused.

On Oct.04.2003 at 12:36 AM
Armin’s comment is:

> Do chosen contributors get anything in return for publishing their work or is this more like "give us stuff for free so we can make money off it?"

I may be wrong, but this is not spec work. I am not going to make any money off it, it will not go to my rent payments or my next Mac or my next trip. As Marian (I think) said in the T-shirt discussion, this is in the spirit of collaboration, of making something together for a cause most of us believe in. Whoever doesn't feel comfortable submitting then don't, it's not my loss. It's an opportunity to be part of something genuine and honest, built out from this community. I have submitted work to similar books and never once expected anything in return, it just felt good helping somebody's idea become a reality.

I don't mean to get all preachy. But I won't stand for the idea that I'm trying to rip anybody off.

On Oct.04.2003 at 10:15 AM
jonsel’s comment is:

I would expect that come publishing time, any contributors would get to sign a contract granting publication rights but not a transfer of ownership. A simple form of payment, probably a few books gratis, would be the right thing to do.

On Oct.04.2003 at 12:03 PM
kia’s comment is:

What jonsel said.

On Oct.04.2003 at 01:42 PM
Armin’s comment is:

Of course!

On Oct.04.2003 at 01:43 PM
Sarah B.’s comment is:

Yay! Something fun to think about when I am sick! Any how - just wanted to say that the changes sound great - and that abook for my coffee table sounds even better!!

On Oct.06.2003 at 08:46 AM
rebecca’s comment is:

I love the changes to Word It, and the new ones are very cool. One tiny thing: the little helper window that pops up when you hold your mouse over the linked image, that little yellow box—what are those damn things called?! Anyway, it says "Visit this wonderful person's website, or send him an email." This struck me as odd popping up over Bryony Gomez-Palacio's design. Maybe revise to "him or her," or the ungrammatical but practical "them"?

On Oct.10.2003 at 12:41 PM
Armin’s comment is:

Oh my! What an oversight. Thanks Rebecca.

On Oct.10.2003 at 01:02 PM
kyle’s comment is:

That wordit by pedro with the eyeballs floating in the cotton candy is going to give me nightmares.

On Oct.10.2003 at 02:04 PM
Armin’s comment is:

Just FYI. I have received all the Word Its sent this past week. I'll be out for the rest of the weekend, back on tuesday. I will post all these and the latest then. So, make me work hard and send some cool Word Its over the weekend.

On Oct.16.2003 at 04:56 PM