Computer Arts - UK (2020-05)

BEHIND THE COVER

MARK WYNNE PEEKS BEHIND THE GUIDES...

Cover treatment courtesy of

our print partner Celloglas

celloglas.co.uk

At first we wanted the cover to reflect the eclectic mix of

talent selected: 16 artists who each had a unique signature

style. The cover’s design was drafted on the first day of

the issue, with each of the artists having their own small

panel on a collage that wrapped around the front and

back cover.

But when Sarah Maxwell’s wonderful self-portrait –

Baby Blue, Just For You – arrived, everything changed.

Her subdued, wistful yet utterly engaging artwork

demanded to be used as an individual cover. Although

Sarah’s inspiration for this work was personal (“My

feelings of love and longing for someone who wasn’t in

my life anymore”), for us it captured the melancholic

nobility of the archetypal illustrator. As Emily Gosling

explains in her article, “At its heart, illustration is about

telling a story in a succinct image.” Sarah’s work perfectly

demonstrates the power of great illustration to

communicate emotion and narrative in constantly

surprising new ways.

“Prior to this series of
illustrations (2017),
I had never dabbled in
anything personal – let
alone with these
colours,” Sarah told us.
“Throughout college,
I mainly worked in
black and white, and
they were never my
own stories. But going
through a major
heartache, I decided to
use those feelings of
angst to feed my
creativity...” See more
of her work on page 46.

MARK WYNNE

Mark has worked in editorial

design for over 20 years,

launching and redesigning

many titles, including

the seminal video game

magazine Edge.

He’s also lectured for

The Guardian masterclass

series on his award-winning

digital design.

[email protected]