Comments on: Chief Culture Officer: vote on a cover, please!

By: Grant McCracken

Grant McCracken — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:14:54 +0000

Peter, thanks for the suggestions, the thing is done, the book is out. Best, Grant

By: Peter Blazkow, CA

Peter Blazkow, CA — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:47:34 +0000

I suggest we take the best of the two!
1. Blue line on top.
2. Circular dots at bottom
on a white circle within a red line.
3. The middle should be:
3.1 Chief Cultural Officer (evenly large fonts)
3.2 How to create a living breathing corporation.
3.3 CCO – Big picture leaders, with future ideas.
Note: Cultural should be the orange color.
4. Grant McCracken (making 2nd C smaller is wrong.

By: robert beck

robert beck — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:22:41 +0000

#2 looks very corporate and technocratic in a nice way. the old style font adds a certain something, at least to me since i used to use a typewriter. i clearly remember making the transition from writing by hand (which was superior to using a typewriter in many circumstances even though i was a decent typist) to using a word processor. in spite of the ‘paperless office’, there are still a lot of people around who prefer paper. this is not something to be trifled with lightly. maybe that’s relevant to your book ..

#1 is far superior except for the gray background for the title, which almost completely ruins it. i voted for #1 anyways.

By: Mr. Matt Spangler

Mr. Matt Spangler — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:18:27 +0000

I don’t think I could offer a voting preference between these three. Where is the idea? The three covers are just slight typography and layout alterations of pushing the same words around the page. Every design challenge should be seen as a chance to communicate the ideas of your book through graphic design. There are big ideas in there I’m sure but the cover doesn’t reflect that. I think you would be served well by hiring a talented print designer who is used to communicating in that media graphically. Someone like Jennifer Daniel – http://httpcolonforwardslashforwardslashwwwdotjenniferdanieldotcom.com/ – who I’ve had the pleasure to work with in the past.

Best of luck and I look forward to reading the book.

By: Samina

Samina — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:25:51 +0000

I voted for #1 as it does having a breathing, living feel about it but I really do like #2 as it’s more original..so maybe you could consider using the lovely circles on cover #1 somewhere on cover #2.

By: John Pensom

John Pensom — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:27:44 +0000

Grant, may be a little late but here’s my thought process…I tried to like #1 even though it didnt captivate me. I can see the symbolism of circles and that works, but it is too “soft”. But it speaks to more kumbaya than competitive advantage – the c-level perceptions of culture we are all actively trying to break. Reminded me a little bit of a petri dish with breakaway spores of growth.
2 was semiotically strong, bold & corporate and my preference of the 3. 3 was shocking. A “stronger” version of 1 would get my ultimate vote. cheers.

By: WIlfredo Pena

WIlfredo Pena — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:47:41 +0000

Cover two is easy to read and the blue is soft on the eyes vs. the yellow. The contrast on cover one and three have a 1+1=3 (Edward Tufte) effect. The contrast of the colors stand out too much and the type gets lost. While color contrast is fun, the idea is to read the type.

By: Martin Calle

Martin Calle — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:40:40 +0000

Hi Grant!
I voted for #1 but agree with Alan Middleton that none capture the essence of the concept. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years helping agencies pick the music or the images that best fit ads. So what image best conveys CCO? Maybe it’s just a font face. Maybe you just brand CCO and like Nike Just Do It by putting what CCO stands for under the title. I like #1 but if you have a penchant for an image…?

By: Dennis Moseley

Dennis Moseley — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:17:23 +0000

I agree that none of the covers reflect the creativity of the subject. The paradox of the rigid typeface and bold contrast does little to stimulate curiosity for the book buying public. Perhaps a cover more akin to James Frey’s “Million Little Pieces” could better reflect the subtle nuance of corporate culture’s complexity, and the need for a cohesive vision.

By: John Gundy

John Gundy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:05:16 +0000

To me, it is word “Culture” that the covers do not express.

Is the book about excellence of taste.
Will the book help my corporation’s employees with table manners and art appreciation.

Will my corporation be helped to integrate and respect, other groups.
Groups who may have differing, human knowledge, belief, behavior, symbolic thought and social learning

Is this book about a corporation’s understanding of itself.
Putting together a set of shared attitudes.