Images by John Hook, design by Ara Feducia
Just call little Jaya Moon Valverde the baby of many faces. We had decided early on we wanted a child on the cover, since they reflect in many ways new and changing identities. Enter our star, Jaya. We had so many great cover options of her to choose from for the issue, thanks to her spunk (and the fact she had just awoken from a nap when our photographer arrived). Eventually we settled on the current one because we felt it represented the spirit of FLUX: playful yet strong-willed—this baby was gonna do what she was gonna do and no one would tell her otherwise. Here are others we debated, and why they didn’t make the cut:
Cover B: While we thought this cover provided an interesting perspective—Jaya actually took it on photographer John Hook’s camera, hence shaping her own #selfie identity—it didn’t quite match up to the resolute personality of our current choice.
Cover C: Doesn’t this cover just make you go, “awwwww.” Those eyes would make the hearts of even the crotchetiest reader melt. But the content of this magazine didn’t quite match the adorable impression, so we had to move onto the next.
Cover D: This image provided another interesting perspective, one that inspired a sense of intrigue and introspection. However, the fact that her mouth was being covered made us feel as if she wasn’t being given a voice.
Cover F: This was a very close second, because of the inquisitive expression on Jaya’s face and its perfect composition. But we didn’t want to FLUX to look like a parenting magazine, which this cover could accidentally convey.
What are your thoughts? Did we make the right choice? Comments welcomed below.