The New Yorker Magazine Covers
Design Sprint / Spring 2022 / Art Direction: Caleb Heisy
Magazine Cover Design
The New Yorker magazine covers were an opportunity for me to explore the various cultural heritages of Oaxaca, Mexico, Hong Kong and Singapore. To showcase aspects of this cultural heritage in 3 illustrations, I researched the traditional ingredients that each of these countries incorporate into their many dishes. I also explored the traditional annual holidays that are celebrated in each of these three countries. For the cover designs, I wanted to combine the food ingredients, holidays and the famous cultural costumes, patterns, colors, art, etc., into one composition. The center of the magazine includes a combination of a traditional food/ingredient and also an aspect of that holiday, while the border of the compositions includes patterns that are often used within these countries.
The Oaxaca, Mexico cover represents Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and the patterns and colors that are often seen on the skeletons, beautifully decorated altars, face makeup, costumes, sombreros and overall decor that are used on this special day. The skull serves as one of the main symbols that is seen repeatedly during Día de los Muertos. It represents the circle of life and celebration of loved ones who have passed on during this holiday. Lastly, the corn headpiece is inspired by the decorative floral headpieces that are worn. The corn represents one of the many traditional ingredients incorporated in Mexico’s food culture.
Oaxaca, Mexico
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong cover portrays the Chinese Lantern Festival, an annual celebration which aims to promote “reconciliation, peace and forgiveness” in Chinese culture. The eccentric red lanterns are lit to float into the sky, all while people down below watch and relish in the moment. This celebration can be seen as the main focal point of my project. Inside the lantern is boba, a traditional milk tea that actually originates from Taiwan, but is enjoyed an appreciated around the world. The Chinese Lantern Festival and boba tea were my way of illustrating and representing only one small, but important piece of the amazing Hong Kong. Lastly, the traditional Chinese patterns that are incorporated throughout the background of the piece are used to embellish the decor used during this celebration.
