In thinking about the April cover, the famous Philip Johnson expression, “galloping off in all directions” comes to mind. We explored ideas for three of the six features, and even considered turning a front-of-the-book story on Muji into a feature (during production, no less) because the image worked so well as a potential cover. Alas, the editorial timing of that story was not ideal, so we decided against it. Then we channeled a little George Lois and came up with conceptual directions for the bathroom story and pitted them against a new restaurant in Midtown and a hotel on the outskirts of London. In the end, the idea of redefining luxury seemed the most provocative, considering the current economic climate.

The final cover

A runner-up: Our George Lois-inspired cover

The potential Muji cover story