A stroke out of the ordinary

Layer Tennis is the designer's version of a heated match between 2 opponents where each takes turns to serve, volley, smash, hit home etc. in order to win the coveted prize of designer of the moment. Its beginnings are in photoshop tennis whereby over a fixed period of time, a person starts by submitting a digital drawing which then changes hands and evolves as different people apply their creative take on what they think the image should really look like. After about 5-6 rounds, the image is finally completed, often looking quite unlike how it started, but a lot more interesting.

Layer Tennis takes this to the next level whereby 2 accomplished designers each takes 15min turns to challenge each other to come up with a clever, witty reply to the previous picture. The key to winning is to have some connection with the previous picture, yet interpreting it in a fresh and critical yet witty way. The change of the word from photoshop to layer suggests the possibility of using other software like Illustrator and even Flash as deadly tools in this online digital bloodbath. Believe me, it's really great stuff to watch. And the live commentary is often a blast to read too. I wonder if this could work with architecture design, in which case, each person takes turns to sketch out his/her vision of a building according to a theme. You'll find an example of a Layer Tennis match after the break.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10