This design is for the cover of a special issue of The New York Times Magazine entitled “The Happiness Issue”. This cover was inspired by Susan Dominus’ article with the subtitle which reads, “Decades of wellness studies have identified a formula for happiness, but you won’t figure it out alone.” The article makes the point that human connection is what causes happiness.

I chose to represent this idea by illustrating two people living on different floors of a NYC high rise, gazing at each other across the distance. With this cover, I wanted to depict New Yorkers who had the potential to create a connection and therefor achieve happiness. The skyline behind shows the outline of the Empire State Building to tell the reader that the illustration is in New York.

I created this drawing by photographing my models in sitting positions, which I then printed, cut out and placed onto my drawn backdrop. The simple line work of the building and sky line make the detailed and colorful cut outs visually stand out. I added the title of the issue in the bottom right corner to create visual balance with the figure focal points being in the middle and top left.