In this continuing series, Utne Reader Art Director Stephanie Glaros explains the
process behind an Utne Reader
illustration.
One of the things I enjoy about art directing for Utne
Reader is that many of the articles we
print are about ideas, rather than concrete things. It’s a challenge that
allows me to stretch my brain a bit and come up with visual solutions that are
less literal and more conceptual. A good example of this is “No Talking in
Class,” an article about how some college campuses are censoringspeech critical of Islam for fear they might
become targets of terrorism. I wanted an artist whose work is smart and somewhat
abstract, and Anthony Russo definitely fits the bill. He provided me with a
number of potential directions (my favorite four are below), but ultimately we
went with the version above.
Since its inception in 1984, Utne Reader has relied on talented artists to create original
images for stories that express powerful emotions, brilliant new ideas, and
humorous storytelling. Browsing through back issues of Utne Reader is like a tour of “Who’s Who”
in the illustration world. Artists like Gary Baseman, Brad Holland, Anita Kunz,
Bill Plympton, and Seymour Chwast have graced our pages over the years, to name
just a few.
