Texas Monthly, May 2008

No celebrity in Texas is as iconic as Willie Nelson. This issue marked the seventh time Texas Monthly featured Nelson on the cover—more times than anyone else. Over the years, the covers watched him go from being a breakout country sensation in 1976, to a tax-evader in 1991, to a senior citizen in 1998, to a symbol of Texan humor in 2002 (he and Kinky Friedman posed for a riff on the painting “American Gothic”). When it came time to design the cover of this issue, which commemorates his 75th birthday with a massive oral history, Nelson’s longevity posed a challenge: What could be done that had not been done before? Ultimately, when photographer Platon came back from Nelson’s ranch with this incredible shot, the decision was made. Cover type seemed irrelevant: For the newsstand, a small “Willie at 75: The Oral History” was placed to the right of his face; subscribers received a cover with no type at all. This turned out to be unquestionably the most popular Nelson cover for the magazine. Within a week it was besieged with requests for posters or prints of the image, a sure sign that it had managed to capture the musician’s incomparable celebrity.

Latina, March 2008

When Jessica Alba appeared on the cover of Latina, the Latino community was shocked. Before the issue hit the stands, most Latinas were convinced she was ashamed of her Mexican heritage. The Internet was rampant with alleged quotes from the Hollywood actress that included, “My grandfather tried to forget his Mexican roots” and “As a third-generation American, I feel as if I finally cut loose.” Gossip blogger Perez Hilton even nicknamed her Jessica “Don’t Call Me Latina” Alba. Latina offered Alba an open platform to address the rumors and discuss her experience growing up as a Mexican-American.

In the early months of her pregnancy, Alba worked to create phenomenal images with photographer Sheryl Nields. By using some of Alba’s quotes as coverlines, the magazine treated readers to a preview of her story. The sultry front cover, coupled with a reflective back cover, was an eye-catching, unexpected and provocative combination.

T: The New York Times Style Magazine , Spring 2008

An image of George Clooney dressed in a pristine white cotton and linen suit and splattered in mud is not one that immediately comes to mind when one thinks of a sophisticated fashion magazine image. But it is precisely this element of surprise that makes this cover succeed so well. It is always difficult to turn a well-known face into a totally new one that reflects a magazine’s identity. But this cover does exactly that, thanks to the collaboration between the creative team—the photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, stylist Bill Mullen, and the subject, George Clooney, whose mud-soaked film Leatherheads was about to be released. It is the perfect union between magazine and celebrity.