NYT Magazine Redesigns Four Times in One Day. Sort of.

The New York Times Magazine's annual innovations issue arrives this Sunday, stuffed with big ideas ranging from planet-saving bugs to futuristic family reunions. The magazine's crack design team took the theme to heart with an innovation of its own: an ambitious split run of four covers, each featuring a (gasp!) reimagined version of the Gray Lady's famed blackletter logo. Design director Arem Duplessis graciously provided us with an advance look at the bold cover quartet, pictured here. Working with art director Gail Bichler and designer Sara Cwynar, Duplessis tapped a selection of design firms and individuals to overhaul The New York Times Magazine logo and matched them with Chris Nosenzo's illustrations of four of the 32 "innovations that will change your tomorrow" featured in the issue. The "smart teeth" cover has a rinse-and-spit spirit, with a blurred-ink logo by Christopher Clark, while "power shirt" is partnered with the jaunty geometry of Non-Format. For "Cuddlebot," Nosenzo's robo-cat plays nice with Magpie Studio's fractal-shrouded caps, and "perilous play" finds its match in a playfully pixellated logo by Alex Trochut. Read on for our Q&A with Duplessis about this innovative cover project.