March/April 2009 V25N2
If there’s one thing to be learned from studying the winning work in this year’s Design 100 competition, it’s that there is no such thing as status quo in the world of design: By the time you think you have a handle on what’s happening, the vanguard has already moved on.

January/February 2009 V25N1
Is there an identity crisis in the design profession, specifically the segment that used to call itself graphic design? How relevant is the question, really?

November/December 2008 V24N6
Design is a small planet, often self-referential, with well-worn paths for exposition, criticism and analysis. When we contemplated devoting an issue to self-promotion, we were acutely aware of certain tropes. The usual way of portraying self-promotion by designers would be to focus on the projects they use to market themselves and their firms—the postcards, the tchotchkes, the e-newsletters, etc. But we decided right away this issue would not be about that stuff.

September/October 2008 V24N5
I do not envy the task of the judges for our annual Best of Web competition. Besides the usual parameters for judging a design competition—layout, typography, color, use of imagery—they also must consider factors exclusive to the digital realm: interface ease-of-use, continuity, scalability, content management, on and on.

July/August 2008 V24N4
The saying is: Money makes the world go around. Fair enough—the lights have to stay on. The essential emollient, money manages to insinuate itself into all of our lives. And those who refuse to entertain the reminders that design is a business—whether it’s conducted in a studio, in-house or freelance setting—are always welcome to join the Starving Artists Guild.

May/June 2008 V24N3
In the beginning was Logos, the Word, representing both the imminence of meaning and its source. Every written word, though, is made up of letters and is dependent on them. Words have the power to evoke emotion and effect change, and at the heart of that power is a mystery in the form of letters.

March/April 2008 V24N2
The debate over whether the spirit of the age sets the tone for design or if design determines the zeitgeist is not about to be settled anytime soon. The relationship is intimate, and no matter how one sorts it out, this year’s STEP Design 100 competition was surely a product of our time.

November/December 2007 V23N6
Among the many pleasures of putting together a magazine, there are two I especially prize.

July/August 2007 V23N4
It has often been said that design resides at the intersection of art and commerce.

January/February 2007 V23N1
Of all the subjects to take on in my first issue as editor of STEP inside design, our 2007 Field Guide to Emerging Designers is especially humbling.

Nov/Dec 2006 V22N6
When done well, humor in graphic design is the ultimate icing on the cake.

Sept/Oct 2006 V22N5
Not only are the winners in STEP’s Best of Web competition seasoned pros, but the judges themselves know a thing or two about great web design.

July/August 2006 V22N4
While concepting the cover for this issue, art director Michael Ulrich and myself hit on a pervasive, though unplanned, theme: Turning bad or potentially bad ideas and actions into positive outcomes.

May/June 2006 V22N3
As a perpetual creature of habit, I just didn’t get it when John Bielenberg first proposed the "thinking wrong" idea to me.

March/April 2006 V22N2
The STEP 100 is back and better than ever. Our judges spent a day and a half on their feet poring through every single entry to come up with the best 100 pieces.

January/February 2006 V22N1
Welcome to STEP’s third annual Field Guide to Emerging Design Talent. Alice Twemlow has once again curated this special section recognizing new talent.

Nov/Dec 2005 V21N6
I decided it’s time to celebrate the women of design by devoting an entire issue of STEP to them. When I ran this idea past the STEP editorial advisors, I received overwhelming support— especially from the men.

Sept/Oct 2005 V21N5
Welcome to our first Web Design Annual! We’ve got a great selection of 50 provocative, beautifully designed, functional websites. Read all about the content strategies behind the featured sites.

July/August 2005 V21N4
Several months ago, STEP was the focus of an article written by William Drenttel on Design Observer. His article, “Bird in Hand: When does a copy become plagiarism?” sparked a long—sometimes heated—discussion on the site about copying and plagiarism.

May/June 2005 V21N3
Type is king this issue. Nowhere is this more prominent than on the cover designed by AdamsMorioka.

March/April 2005 V21N2
Each year we hold the STEP 100 judging in scenic Lake Geneva, Wis. It’s conveniently located less than an hour’s drive from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and it’s secluded so the judges can’t leave.

January/February 2005 V21N1
This issue is packed full of never-before seen work produced by deserving, under-recognised talents.