Best in Design
What is Kavyar’s Best in Design?
Best in Design is a category dedicated to publishers who exhibit both excellent and unique design that distinguishes themselves from other publishers.
How is this created?
This is a human-curated category judged by a standardized set of criteria.
Design is the only factor considered
The following have NO impact on your consideration:
- Social following
- Years in business
- Years on Kavyar
- Personal connections with account representatives
- Account-level or any other financial considerations
It’s important to keep in mind:
- Good design is not enough: There are a number of well-designed publications on Kavyar’s platform that any contributor would be happy to have their work in. However, this particular category is for more than a well-designed publication. It's for publications with an exceptionally great design that have something that differentiates them from others.
- You may disagree with our selection: Art and design are somewhat subjective. Disagreements will be common. We all have different perspectives. Kavyar is leveraging years of experience reviewing thousands of publishers along with our team's extensive design expertise.
Review Criteria
Our review team looks at the following criteria when considering a publisher for Best in Design. A publisher does not need to meet every criterion but should understand these are the main factors we consider.
Creativity, Originality, and Innovation
This criteria is about the quality and quantity of positive, unique aspects of the design that makes it different from other designs in the same category.
Questions:
- Does it remind the reviewer of other designs?
- Does it incorporate a unique approach?
- Does it use a new medium or material?
- Is it technologically innovative, and forward-looking?
- Is this design original?
Composition/Content
The issue (publication) will be reviewed for structure, flow, and pacing. The creation of an issue is an art form in itself and separates magazines that are well-thought-out from magazines that are loosely slapped together without much thought.
Questions:
- How do the issues flow?
- Is it just a basic photobook without style or composition?
Curation
The curation as a whole will be reviewed to judge the editor's viewpoint. Curation is at the core of an editor's role. Without proper and coherent curation it’s incredibly difficult to have a beautifully designed publication. Poor curation will be in conflict with the design and overall brand.
Questions:
- How consistent is the curation?
- What’s the curatorial aesthetic?
- How does the curation complement the design and brand?
Niche/Focus
Having a focused point of view and market niche helps produce a coherent aesthetic, brand, and ultimately exceptional design. Having a focused niche rather than a more generalized one helps distinguish your publication from others.
Questions:
- What's the niche?
- Do we feel comfortable promoting this niche to our community?
- Is the publisher maintain a consistent focus on the niche or are we confused? Example: Is this niche overly explicit?
Exclusivity (# of monthly volumes)
In most cases, publishers who produce a number of monthly volumes may struggle to maintain quality design. While this doesn’t disqualify a publisher, it is considered during the review and may require additional time to review multiple issues. This selection is about the magazine as a whole and not on any single issue.
Questions:
- How many volumes are released each month? How exclusive is it?
- Can we confident be confident that the publisher maintains design integrity through each issue?
Inclusivity, Diversity, and Cultural Sensitivities
Kavyar is committed to building a platform where people from all backgrounds, cultures, body types, and identities feel protected, respected, and safe as well as fairly represented in the industry. We don’t promote publishers who engage in insensitive practices such as cultural appropriation or grossly and purposely underrepresenting groups due to culture, skin color, body type, or similar reasons.
Can I apply?
No. Publishers are regularly reviewed and considered for this section.
