Is this the most ingenious crossword design ever?

Crossword
(Image credit: Peter Cade via Getty)

Ah, crosswords. There isn't a lot of room for playing with the established design of everyone's favourite classic word-based puzzle (that isn't Wordle), right? Well, the internet is currently going wild for the New York Times' latest crossword, which has managed to offer a sort of choose-your-own-adventure. 

For one 'across' word, the puzzle asks which is the "better of the two sci-fi franchises". Either Wars or Trek will fit after 'Star', but what's ingenious is that the four 'down' words still work, regardless of which you've chosen. (Want to design your own crossword? Check out our guide on how to download InDesign.)

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Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.