Terp Magazine Hotel Influenza Cover and Feature Illustrations
From the Nominator
TERP magazine connects the University of Maryland community, celebrating its people and their impact through compelling and ambitious storytelling, arresting photography, thoughtful illustrations, and sophisticated, clean design. This TERP magazine's cover feature was "Welcome to the Hotel Influenza," about a UMD researcher's groundbreaking work investigating how respiratory infections spread and ask for volunteers to check in at a Baltimore hotel—and get sick for science. Talented freelance illustrator, Noma Bar, created clean, colorful, and graphic illustrations that each contain "dual" graphic components. For instance, the cover illustration is a hotel bellhop that is also lungs with virus symbols. The feature's opening illustration is a hotel desk bell that is reminiscent of a COVID-19 virus and a hand that incorporates a person sneezing in its negative space. The interior feature illustration includes a man in bed with a red nose, which is also a tissue box. The final illustration is a tall hotel that is also a hypodermic needle. This series of illustrations captures all aspects of the feature as well as provides engaging negative-positive space graphics which draw the reader into the story. The magazine is mailed three times a year to 108,000 alumni, friends, and other stakeholders, and its content extends much further via a companion website, the university's daily news site, and UMD’s social media channels. A 2024 alumni association survey found (again) that TERP is the number one way alumni stay connected to UMD.
From the Judges
Love how they were able to take typical flu symbolism and mix it with hotel symbols. Very creative, clever, and well executed. Conceptually, the idea of mixing flu and hotel symbolism was the spot-on approach to this article. The simple, bold, and thought-provoking illustrations support the subject matter perfectly, which, combined with the article’s clean and inviting layout, made us want to delve into the article immediately. You can’t ask for more from illustration!