This cover from TIME Magazine is clever, minimal, and evocative. The simple use of the X’d lines play off of the trope most of this magazine’s audience would understand as crossing off a calendar day/year. Considering that almost everyone in the world has been affected by the Covid-19 crisis during the year 2020, this feels like a collective sigh of relief. We made it. That year is in-the-books. Interesting how lines juxtaposed over type can allow an audience to collectively connect emotions. This cover’s design not only understands its audience, the cover grieves, and relates with that audience in a way that words can not express. This is what I love about design. It can be an outlet for connection and a way to bridge the gap between people, ideas, and cultures. 2020 was tough for a lot of different people and a lot of different reasons. This cover does a great job of summing up the collective emotion and prompting us to move forward.