Cover Art

Abstract

When brainstorming the cover art design, I asked myself: what if I create a utopia that invites curiosity and embraces possibility? I chose to go with a whimsical, maximalist style to honour the vision of the Editorial Collective and capture the possibility that is evoked by this year’s theme, WHAT IF. The landscape pays homage to the beauty and necessity of the earth and its elements. It is expansive to elicit a sense of freedom and to make space for imagination to run wild. The orange sunset captures the profound yet fleeting moments of dusk and dawn and the possibility that comes with each new day. In the earth below the landscape, I attempted to map the unknown and the (im)possible, sparking curiosity as to what exists in the places we cannot see or reach. The network of burrows, roots, and mycelium represents connectivity and relationality, bridging together the community of critters beneath the surface. I wanted this utopia to have a trace of each of the people that made it possible—the Editorial Collective members—so they each got to choose a creature for me to include on the cover. I then wanted these creatures to be doing something joyful, such as reading, playing music, and dancing, to remind us that joy is both radical and possible.

For the inner design, I chose to scatter some of the imagery and creatures from the front cover throughout for cohesion and a touch of whimsy. I also used the colours, orange and pink, throughout the inside pages for both their vibrancy and symbolism. Orange evokes feelings of optimism, energy, warmth, creativity, and enthusiasm, whereas pink evokes feelings of love, calmness, and compassion. These feelings become entangled when imagining utopias, which is why I used the two colours together.

Finally, I decided to extend the world from the front cover to carry over to the back cover. This is because I wanted this utopia to enfold around and embrace all of the works inside that creatively and powerfully explore what if...