We set out to create a modern visual look for a series of classic New York stories. The theme of the issue was the classic New York arrival story—people driven by politics, ambition, dreams to come to this city. The city itself was a source of inspiration for the design and we tried to create design elements that referenced its rich vernacular. Our original concept was much more traditional (using illustration), which at first we thought fit the classic nature of the subject, but our editor encouraged us to push the design to another level in order to make the approach more contemporary and unfamiliar.