5 things to read and see
This week, take a look at 40 years worth of magazine covers, read about how people have visualized information from Google News Labs and see a great photo spread on the Little 500 at Indiana University.
Decades-worth of design magazine covers
This is a great collection of magazine covers that shows how graphic design has changed over the course of the past 40 years. Some of the covers are clever, some are bold and some are straight up weird. A few of my favorites are 1985, 2001, 2007 and 2015.
These Mexican and American designers have a radical idea for Trump’s wall
This is a really interesting and innovative take on Trump’s proposed wall along the border. The people behind the new wall, which would be a shared area between the U.S. and Mexico, have called it a “productive form of protest.” While the “wall” relies on technology that hasn’t been fully developed yet, it shows how design can be used as a way to further social change in a positive way.
35 Books every designer should read
If you’re always looking for something new to read, and love diving deeper into the field of design, this list has something for everyone. All of the books are recommendations from top design schools and cover everything from a creative lifestyle, to graphic design to sustainable design.
Plants of posters — Let’s make the city greener
This project, which turns posters into plants, is a great example of uniting clever design and sustainability. Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in the idea that design is just graphics or websites or posters, so I enjoy seeing really creative projects that use design in ways that I had never even thought about.
What happens when Google turns artists loose on its search data
For graphic designers, especially those who love infographics, Google News Lab letting designers visualize and interpret the vast amount of data they have is a dream come true. The data visualization project began in December, and has produced some beautiful graphics about far-reaching topics like the spread of slang though search and where Oscar movie trailers are popular.
Page Designs
- Back in gear | Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University
A super clean, colorful photo spread that thoughtfully uses pictures of varying sizes and shapes. The pictures also capture a wide variety of moments from the race, and really captures the spirit of the event.
2. That’s a wrap | The Miami Hurricane, University of Miami
This is a really fun and cute cover for their commencement edition. I love the use of the polaroids and the handwritten font combined with the graduation paraphernalia in the background. I just wish the photos corresponded to articles on the inside pages.
3. Every bear has its day | The Daily Californian, University of California Berkeley
This adorable illustration is a perfect tribute to Cal Day and how the students love their school. It’s celebratory, reflective and captures the feeling of finding a home. My only recommendation would be to line up the words “bear” and “every,” since I find it distracting that they don’t.
4. The price of prestige | The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania
This is a great example of how graphics can create a compelling and interesting front page. The graphics are clean and easy-to-read, and keeping the colors consistent keeps the page from looking too scrambled and confusing.
5. The ‘average’ draft picks from Mizzou | The Maneater, Missouri University
Another solid example of using a clean and compelling graphic to lead a page. Coordinating the color with the section color is smart and illustrates the topic well. It’s a clean page that is very inviting to the reader.
If you think you have a well-designed page or a good read to share for the next roundup, email me at shays2@elon.edu
Students, did you know you can join the Society for News Design for as little as $5 a month?
