Cover to Cover

As Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine passes the
20-year mark, we look back on some memorable covers.

Photo captions by GARY SCHWARTZ, IWU MAGAZINE GRAPHICS EDITOR

1 -- The first magazine documented campus expansion that began in the early ’90s. I saw the press sheet for this cover from my hospital bed after having surgery on a badly broken ankle. It was just the first of many to come.2 -- The IWU Civic Orchestra was performing at the Scottish Rite Temple with special conductor Sir Edward Heath, and we set up a studio on location. It was quite intimidating to ask a former world leader to “pretend” to conduct for our pictures, but he was very cooperative and funny as well. 3 -- Former Director of Communications Bob Aaron brought his many years in Washington, D.C., to this story. This was my first cover illustration for the magazine, making my hours creating cartoon doodles during study hall finally pay off. When managing editor Elaine Graybill left IWU, she passed down the framed artwork and it has adorned a wall of my office ever since. It still makes me smile.4 -- This cover was a studio setup and marked the first and last time I used food as a font. The story chronicled many popular student hangouts and favorite places to eat. This was prior to my use of Photoshop, and I remember being hunched over a table cutting squares to create the checkerboard. Afterwards, I discovered that my mom had once worked at Thompson’s, a popular student hangout mentioned in the story.5 -- Photoshop was now part of my design toolbox and I put it to work, using photos of current students to represent a new generation following in Wesleyan’s liberal arts tradition.6 -- It is hard to pack 150 years of IWU history into one issue, let alone one cover. But in our searches through all the University’s photo archives, I spotted a picture of IWU President Lloyd Berthoff wearing the freshman beanie and instantly knew it would have to be included for this special sesquicentennial issue of the magazine. 7 -- One of the enjoyable parts of my job as graphics editor is coming up with an idea and an alum who is willing to participate. The dot.com age had turned things upside down, and now the former “nerds” were in power. Alex Goldfayn ’98 was very cooperative in helping us illustrate this concept, channeling his best Clark Kent for the photographer. IWU designer Paul McNamara created the e.com logo. 8 -- President Minor Myers jr. was such a driving force on campus that it was very hard to accept the reality of his death in 2003. He had also been an avid supporter of the IWU Magazine, and this cover published after his passing seems a fitting tribute to his legacy as a true Renaissance Man. The illustrator, Allan Burch, re-created that feeling for the presidential painting that now hangs in the Minor Myers, jr. Welcome Center.9 -- This cover introduced Richard F. Wilson, who had just been selected as IWU’s new president. The stately Hansen Student Center provided an appropriate background, but photographer Mark Romine needed him higher in the frame. Before I could even finish my rambling request, our University’s chief executive hopped up on a narrow brick wall to give us this great shot. 10 -- Downtown Bloomington has a long association with the IWU student experience. Many new cafes, shops and a vital arts community had rejuvenated the area. IWU photographer Marc Featherly found a unique location to capture the downtown’s new “face.”11 -- Conductor Sung Jin Hong ’97 has a dynamic presence, with just the right intensity to make him a perfect cover subject. However, the photo’s original beige-wall background did not seem like a worthy match, inspiring us to drop in the graphic background that symbolized the excitement of Hong’s One World Symphony. 13 -- Over the years, many faculty members have contributed to IWU Magazine. In this case, it was a series of portraits of students, faculty and staff by adjunct professor Marie-Susanne Langille, who provided powerful and unique views of people we encountered every day. The simple black-and-white image still has a place in the digital age of photography14 -- The launch of the Transforming Lives campaign included celebrations on campus and in Chicago. This photo collage, combining shots from both locations, was designed to introduce our alumni to the campaign. The student pictured, Kenny Woodard ’10, is now a member of our Admissions staff.15 -- The story on IWU’s efforts to transition to an environmentally friendly campus covered a broad range of issues. My initial design was a stylized campus scene that included a recycle logo. Editor Tim Obermiller suggested an alternative concept of listing the “steps” being taken to make IWU more sustainable. All of the green initiatives listed comprised a text background graphic of our environmental “footprint.” 16 -- When we learned that our women’s basketball team had won the NCAA national title, we scrapped our original cover and went with this instead. The story won a top award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education — one of many such awards we’ve been fortunate to win.17 -- Many alumni have interests sparked by their IWU experience. Photographer Michael Vaughn spent time documenting alumni who recreated the 33rd Regiment Band. The combination of music and history was a liberal arts commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.