Transcript:
In the top left of the infographic is a large “40”. The word “years” is spilling down the rest of the page, through the center between F News covers and text.
Heading 1, in the top right: 1980
Back in the ’80s when F Newsmagazine began, our publication was far more newspaper than magazine. From the beginning we were focused on important topics—from school news (like the start of the Flaxman Library), to global issues like protests for divestment. At the same time, F News centered art and art criticism, as well as including some comics. By the end of the ‘80s, F started having more magazine-like covers that were abstract in nature but tied to content featured in the issue. This blue cover is an abstract piece that connects to the article inside about recycling.
The 1984 cover and the blue 1989 cover don’t have credits. The 1985 cover about divestment was designed by Susan Havens.
Heading 2, just under the 1980 cluster: 1990
The ’90s is when F Newsmagazine really started leaning into the magazine part of our name. Front pages transitioned into full illustrations that delved into political and social justice, and sometimes controversial issues. The ‘90s was also when more pop culture content started showing up in F News.
This 1992 cover harkens back to the earlier newspaper format, and is about feminism and representation in film. The 1998 cover story is about the realities of the AIDs epidemic. The design and illustrations of the time still manage to be distinctly ’90s; just take a look at that 1996 cover about UFOs!
The 1992 and 1998 covers don’t have credits. The one from 1996 was by Sydny Ziegenfuss and Matt Hanson.
Heading 3, opposite the page to 1990: 2000.
Welcome to the 21st century! By 2001, F was in a post-9/11 time where everything was pretty political, in the United States and beyond; our covers reflect that. Cover illustration in this decade was often directly tied to politics, from the Iraq War to the 2008 U.S. election. The 2007 F Newsmagazine team even did an entire issue themed around the relationship between politics and art. In 2024, as we approach this year’s U.S. election in November, the 2000s might have something to show us about the intersection of art and politics.
The 2002 oil cover has no credit. The 2007 art and politics issue’s cover was designed by Eric J. Garcia (who still contributes cartoons on occasion), and the 2008 election cover is by Elliott Beazley.
Heading 4, under 2000: 2010.
By the 2010s, the world and F Newsmagazine had become digitized. The 2010s were when F News was a truly web-first publication, expanding and invigorating our website. The print issues reflected the new digital age, sometimes even pulling on digital aesthetics. There was also more of an emphasis on the illustrative quality of the covers. The 2010s covers often feel like beautiful posters you would want on your wall. In 2017, F Newsmagazine briefly became G Newsmagazine, in an April Fools’ special edition all about sports.
The 2015 gradient cover, which is also the issue where F celebrated its 30th anniversary, was designed by Allison O’Finn. The 2017 G News cover has no credit. The 2019 AIC cover was by Katie Wittenberg.
Heading 5, under 1990: 2020.
Welcome to the present era! During the COVID-19 lockdown, the F Newsmagazine staff created interactive web-based issues to keep the SAIC community connected with school news. Since then, our covers have taken a design-based approach centering on socio-political issues. Often we theme our issues around a particular topic. For example, one was an issue themed around the job market; another was about sex. Last year we challenged ourselves to do an editorial for nearly every issue to further our professional skills.
The 2020 COVID-19 interactive cover was by Cao, Shannon Lewis, and Raven Mo. The 2022 thumbs-up drowning cover was by Audrey Nguyen. And the 2024 sex and intimacy cover was by Ellie Gerken.
At the bottom of the page is a selection of F logos, from 1985 until present. They vary in shape, color, and font. All prominently feature an F.
