This week’s cover of New York Magazine is a textbook example of letting the photos, the type choices and the color palette convey stories that we usually describe with words such as scandal, sensationalism and titillating content.
While this is a story about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, it has become a national story as well, perhaps because its protagonist was a Covide19 hero not so long ago as he appeared presidential in his daily briefings about how the pandemic was ravaging New York City. That Gov. Cuomo was a calm, matter of fact, empathetic and credible voice in the midst of a storm.
Today, Gov. Cuomo’s political fortunes have turned against him.
Gov. Cuomo, who is serving his third term, has been accused of sexual harassment or misconduct by eight women. The allegations have triggered an outside investigation, calls for resignation from high-ranking Democrats, and an impeachment inquiry from the State Assembly.
That is why the photo chosen for this New York Magazine cover is a close up of a man the audience is not supposed to love.
The tabloidy feel gets a boost with a color palette that emphasizes yellow and red, the two five-alarm fire colors that play well against the photo. We sense that this is NOT going to be a favorable story for Gov. Cuomo. We enter the Magazine already sensing what will be inside.
Also, let’s not ignore that black border around the cover.
That’s the power of visuals: the editing of the photo and the close cropping of the Governor’s face, plus the bold type and the colors yellow and red are all visual signals that begin to tell the story.
Inside pages
The opening spread seen above uses a full black background, a headline in capital letters emphasizing white and red, and a photo of the Governor that is blurry to add to the overall feeling the art director is trying to convey–chaos and the sordid nature of the story.
Red is used for quotes highlighted throughout the story.
A full column is used to present text messages between a Governor Cuomo aide and a state senator.
Why it matters
I have chosen to highlight this issue of New York Magazine because the New York Magazine design team has succeeded in presenting this cover story using visual elements that fully reflect the content and create an environment in which the design ushers in the story effectively. The visuals are appropriate for the content.
For more about the story;
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Every week I bring my mobile storytelling workshop to a different newsroom around the world. I begin with a 90-minute presentation about the essentials of crafting/editing/designing stories for mobile consumption. Then I break the participants into groups and for two hours they produce a mobile story which they then present to the entire group for evaluation. It works all the time.
Another type of Garcia Media program is when we sign up for mobile storytelling coaching after completion of the first workshop. Once a week, or as planned, I work virtually with a team of reporters, editors, designers on actual stories that will be published as linear mobile stories. Let me know if you are interested in more information: mario@garciamedia.com
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Start writing or type / to choose a block
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TheMarioBlog post # 3293