In my Advanced Graphic Design class, we were tasked with creating a series of New Yorker magazine covers of three different countries. The covers had to showcase the food culture and I chose Oaxaca, Mexico [left], Hong Kong [center], and Florence, Italy [right].

Sketching & Brainstorming

Conceptually, I wanted to focus on combining food with the landscape/cityscape of the origin city. For Hong Kong, it was turning the dim sum containers into buildings. Lyon's vineyard hillsides were baguettes. Oaxaca's hillsides converted into empanadas and its food stands as tamales. I also sought to pull viewers into the scene by having certain elements brought into the images foregrounds.The smaller detail of the lanterns and banners were meant to be a nod to the cities's cultures.

Stylistically, I used a painterly texture in my illustrations while also trying to keep the different objects from bleeding into one another. I was mostly working with solid shapes and adding texture to them, however I also used thin lines to draw the viewer's eye, such as through highlights or the strings of the decoration.

Hong Kong illustration

Lyon Illustration

Oaxaca Illustration