Best of CASE District V Award
 

Institution: Miami University

Title of entry: Miamian Fall/Winter 2025 cover

About this entry: What better way to spotlight an enterprising alum who creates and hosts music festivals than with a big, bold microphone slightly melting in the sun, just like faithful attendees of his boisterous and sweaty outdoor events? (My copy editor calls it a microcone, a nod to festival food.) Wanting to recreate the vibe of event posters, my designer came up with a font and style for the front cover that mimics the advertisements. The tease “Sweet Music” is a play on the alum's last name, Sweetwood. And the saturated red, in coordination with the white masthead, is a tribute to our school's colors, red and white. We haven't used red this way on our covers in years because it overpowers most text and art, but not our microcone. This cover demands attention and fits the energy of the story it features. Anecdotally, the magazine rack in our library has several magazines on display, free for the taking. This issue emptied out quickly.