Behind The Cover – June

When we received the contact sheets from our photographer, Anna Knott, we were excited about the possibility of putting Jeanne Gang and her Aqua tower on the cover. But the art department couldn’t get any shot to work by itself, so we pursued another direction: juxtaposing Gang, George Lois style, into the skyline.

Gang’s office sent us a polished rendering of Aqua, but we couldn’t incorporate it into the photo without it looking awkward, so we decided to make a composite of all our favorite Chicago buildings. The architect stands within the iconic landscape that she is helping transform, her building taking its rightful place alongside other buildings from that famous American skyline.