Lately, I’ve been really impressed with the design of Businessweek, especially the covers. Creative Director Richard Turley has been doing a fantastic job and it’s really refreshing to see this type of aestheitc being applied to something so unexpected. I’ve never been a Businessweek reader, but these covers are tempting me to pick up the issues to see what else is in store. That can only be a good thing for them.

All the covers have been great, but the latest one for their Crisis in Japan issue is superb. The cover is simple. It features an illustration, by Noma Bar, of the rising sun with a crack in the shape of a screaming face. At the top left is the logo, along with “Crisis in Japan”. Simple, beautiful and straight to the point. I’m so glad that they didn’t go with some photo of the devastation, this seemed a lot more appropriate. The final touch is the flap that covers the screaming face, which acts as a nice reveal to the viewer.

Richard, writes on his blog about the process they took to create the cover.