Project brief: To promote the 40th anniversary of National Public Radio.

Approach: Celebrating 40 years on the air, NPR’s programming attracts more than 27 million listeners every week. This beautifully designed volume chronicles NPR’s storied history, featuring dozens of behind-the-scenes photos, custom information graphics, essays and original reporting by a who’s who of NPR staff and correspondents, transcripts of memorable interviews and an audio CD of the most memorable programming throughout the decades. It is 256 pages of history in the making.

Effectiveness: NPR is still on the air (barely).

A wonderfully restrained color palette with bold typography. Fun information graphics throughout. Great use of a grid structure to document events during the decades represented. Overall, a smart, engaging design.