2020 Azbee Awards of Excellence

Category

Design > Front Cover-Special Issue or Supplement > Upper Midwest

Awarded to

Brenan Sharp, Design Director

Entry details

Law in Popular Culture Series: "Lawyers, Songs & Money"

Issue or publication date: July-August 2019
Publication name: ABA Journal
Publishing company: American Bar Association
Website home page: ABAJournal.com

Please describe the publication's mission and readership:

The ABA Journal is the flagship magazine for the American Bar Association and signature publication for the legal profession. The Journal is an award-winning, dynamic multimedia platform delivering legal journalism with an independent voice. The Journal informs, engages and stimulates important conversations that define the American legal system and help it respond to important issues of the day. The Journal and its companion website, newsletters and podcasts ensure it has among the largest readership of any legal publication in the world. While the Journal serves as a key benefit to members of the American Bar Association, it maintains editorial independence and integrity, allowing it to provide critical coverage of the trends, people and business of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Please describe the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:

For our annual Law in Popular Culture series, the ABA Journal cover story "Lawyers, Songs and Money," written by our own Victor Li, traces legal precent over 60 years within the music industry. Design Director, Brenan Sharp, went down a few rabbit holes creatively before circling back to his initial idea of the entire cover and Journal logo as one giant cassette. It merely couldn't be a cassette tape, however. Nope. Not even a cassingle—if you're quirky or old enough to know just what that is. This is because, first of all, there is nothing created with more concern or care than a mixtape. The visual cues of a mixtape are also a very important design choice in the selection for cover. The implication is a perfectly custom curation of content will ensue, either by listening to the actual tape, or, in this sense, metaphorically as you turn the page. There's an amount of trust that the content will not only be good, but special. Which is why we made sure there is a visual payoff when you turn the page. Contents, page 1 showcases the Village People, large and in charge and in full 70s splendor. Additionally, this was the last issue to be produced with the old ABA Journal logo. What better way to give it a fond farewell than by going out with a bang and turning the old logo on its ear? The risk paid great dividends, as this was voted the reader favorite cover online.

Links to entry URLs

Please note: These URLs are only required for entries in the Online division categories, entries in the Design division categories that are specific to websites, entries in the Website of the Year category, and entries in the Cross-Platform Package of the Year category.

Entry URL(s), if applicable:

Links to Uploaded Entry Files

Please note: The links below are the same links as clicking on the Preview images at the top of this column. You may click the links below to view each submitted entry file.

View entry file #1 
View entry file #2 
View entry file #3 
View entry file #4
View entry file #5 
View entry file #6 
View entry file #7 
View entry file #8 
View entry file #9 
View entry file #10