Chief Culture Officer: vote on a cover, please!

I vote fore #2. The olden type makes it seem more substantial. Blue = more reliable. Can't use the poll b/c it's displaying as code.

Rob and Shannon, thanks for your votes. Poll now up. Could I ask you to
register your vote. Or I can do it for you. Best, Grant

Alan, very interesting and useful, why do these feel wrong to you? Best,
Grant

Grant, I'm with Alan. #1 is too airy and therefore dismissable by the leather chair-drivers who most need to consider the real visceral power underlying your message, #2 seems too directly an effort to co-opt (and stroke) the corporate vernacular and #3 says nothing to me except "run away!"

I know everyone's an editor, and an art director too, but thought an explanation was better than a blind vote for least un-favorite. Let us know next time, I'd have loved to submit a stab at it even if your publisher does have their own ADs.

Mark, brilliant, thanks, Grant

Raymund, um, yes! Best, Grant

#2 by a country mile. #1 looks like a comp put together by an amateur graphic designer. #2 evokes a fieldbook; suggesting what may or may not be your thesis, that studying culture is fieldwork, that creating corporate culture requires those tools. It's also a bit provocative, in that it doesn't look like A Business Week where everything rough and messy is prettied up and packaged for you to digest between Gladwell chapters. It prepares me for that mindset. #3, see prettied up and packaged for you.

Hi, from an end user perspective, i felt number one was the most intriguing and aesthetically pleasing. The caption 'how to.." draws me in more than on the others.I'm not a designer though.

I personally like #1 but like others wonder if #2 isn't more salable to a corporate audience (but I don't like the typeface for "how to…" in this one).

However, reverse psychology might say that #1 would appeal to the culture-wannabe aspect of the executive – and it looks different than other business books on the shelf. I'd go with #1 (I put in a vote).

#1 for sure. It telegraphs 'ecosystem', 'organism' – exactly in line with a living, breathing culture. The others look like other books out there in the marketplace, and I feel that I would know what they'd have to say before even cracking the spine.

#2 is the only one that possesses the promise of research/conversation/anthropology. for that reason alone i think it's importantly different.

#2 is closest for me as well because it makes the book feel like what i hope it will be: a guidebook and working document to help me (and my clients) operate as CCOs.

but that said, if that's what it's meant to communicate, it's a bit of a half step.

but not a bad one.

Lee, thanks, yes, I was thinking "field guide," but not every one likes it.
Thanks again. Grant

Steve, yes, I think the anthropologists of the world are going to like 2.
If only there were several millions of us. Thanks, Grant

I voted for number 2. It's the most fully realized. It says, "workbook" to me and that it will be full of practical information.

Number 1 and 3 the type is bad, and won't read well on the shelf. Aren't strong enough and give away nothing related to the content. Very generic. The first, looks like a women's self-help book. And that centered type in the circle makes me want to scratch my eyes out.

The bottom one is so generic as to be completely non memorable and the leading on the subhead looks all wrong. No reason to space it out like that.

So again, 2. Memorable. High impact. Best design. And with a definite workbook/sketchbook feel that says: let's get to work.

Mike, thanks, I think it's a dead heat from a vote point of view. But it
looks like cover 2 is supporting comments. Maybe not. Yeah, that's it.
I'm impartial. Thanks again. Grant

Ivan, thanks for having a look. This is the strong third position. The one
that says, "a pox on all these designs." Thanks! See you at FoE? Grant

Not much variance here. Not many options. I don't like any. Blue vs yellow? How about green? How about Culture bigger than Chief? Easy to generate 20 options with simple software. How about crowdsourcing ideas? If I had to choose I would go with 1.

Hi Grant – I didn't really have a preference for any of them. 2 and 3 seem to be riffing off each other with the horizontal band effect. The band on 1 is totally disproportional to circles motif which is nicely done, I think, given the sub-title. So my favorite is technically #1, but without a re-design of that, I'd go with #2. You didn't put an option 4 in: undecided or none of the above. I didn't make a selection in the poll.

Betsy, yes, I should have added a None of the above. So how would you
change cover 1? Thanks, Grant

mark and henri perfectly give words to my impression. – all the best grant!

Pretty hard to do this without having read the book, but I think I know a few things about how you're thinking from reading the blog. And of course, you have to remember that people judge a book by its cover. My impressions:

#1: It's a fun and creative innovation book

#2: It's a savvy book about an executive position that has always been around, or really, always should've been around. (the turquoise vs. aged paper is creating some cultural dissonance, which could be good)

#3: It's a how-to book, possibly with space in the margins to answer questions and take notes.

Those are my readings. I guess to be difficult, I'd want to throw it back on you Grant, since you know who your audience is.

Was leaning toward #1, until I picked up on the field notes concept for #2 from the comments. Now I think it's the best idea, it's just not taken far enough to graphically differentiate it from the other business books out there — especially at thumbnail size on the Web, where it'll probably be seen the most.

As I designer, I have to say I've got mixed feelings about putting this up on the Web for a vote ….

JKH, sir, pleasure to have you drop by and say hello. Hope all is well and
that we will see you out this way some time soon. Best, Grant

#2. Strongest. Communicative.