Dear Reader,

It's the cover of issue 28. TWENTY EIGHT! I really can't believe that I've designed the cover so many times. Keeping the masthead and spine and certain elements since the beginning keeps a nice continuity through the years, but also creates its own design challenges.

If you look at the covers of all the back issues, you can see its evolution—from something perhaps a bit juvenile in the earlier issues while I was finding my way as an editor/designer to more recent covers that are graphic, punchy, typographically-inclined.

The forthcoming issue is a very eclectic one—the topics include artwork made with wire, the idea of connection and collaboration, letting the creative subconscious play through scribbles and doodles... plus numerals as a visual motif. I made so many roughs for this cover—close to 30 variations!—trying out different directions. Some with wire works, some with doodles, some with numerals. 

But for sheer graphic impact and colour, I loved playing with the 2s and 8s and 28s in Kindra Murphy's collection of vintage bus passes. It just feels right. It feels like UPPERCASE. It's fun, bright, retro and a little curious... the hallmarks of my favourite cover designs. I hope you like it, too!

ps To read about the pattern design I created for the next issue, there's a blog post up at Make it in Design today.

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