boundary 2: Volume 46
For volume 46 of boundary 2, we continued tackling design challenges with creative solutions—and had fun in the process!
The first issue’s cover hones in on Philip Mirowski’s article, “Hell Is Truth Seen Too Late.” Inspired by the art of Simon Stalenhag, we set out to create a cover that would (at first glance) seem to be an ordinary landscape. But when you look closer, something ominous and futuristic looms in the distant skyline—something you might not notice at first, despite how obvious it may seem in the end. A palette of moody blues helped set the tone.
For issue two, we used art from Yao Bo, who Chris Connery interviewed as a focal point for the cover. We blended an image of two people gazing into a kiln with another image of flames blazing inside the kiln. It only seemed fitting to choose a very fiery orange color to unify the look.
Like the second issue, we could work with photography provided by Duke University Press for the third. This time, some creative shots by Masao Miyoshi became the focus. Since so much of Miyoshi’s work is about “reframing,” we used reflections of the art to create a sense of mirrored depth.
We closed out with issue four, the most generalized issue, and we had to get creative: There was no central theme or topic. So, we chose to be a bit cheeky and let the lead essay, “Ayn Rand’s Vibrator” by Russ Castronovo, guide the cover art. Yes, you heard us: This issue has a vibrator front and (dressed left of) center. Using the 1963 cover art of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead as our inspiration, we created a flat, overprinted skyline so we could slip the vibrator in as though it might be one of the buildings. It allowed us to subtly make a bold, direct reference.
Have we mentioned we had fun on these?
Team
David Spratte, Creative Director
Emily Combs, Lead Designer
