"Some stories have clear pathways to their accompanying art. This was not the case for the On Wisconsin piece “How I Survived the Pandemic,” which profiles 10 diverse University of Wisconsin–Madison students who devised their own ways of surviving and thriving when COVID-19 shut down in-person instruction and face-to-face interactions on campus.
On Wisconsin’s production cycle, which fell during spring 2021, presented the challenge of showing the profile subjects in an interesting and relevant way when it was impossible to go into their homes or dorms to photograph them. They could safely come into the studio for portraits, but that wouldn’t adequately illustrate the experiences they shared in the article. The magazine’s creative solution was to combine studio portraits with illustrations to provide visually compelling images to match the students’ narratives about life during the pandemic.
The result was mini tableaux in which the illustrations interacted with the photographs. “How I Survived the Pandemic” proved to be one of On Wisconsin’s most-viewed stories of 2021 online, as well as generating extraordinary engagement on social media."
From the Judges
Neat and fun concept with a creative way to show static photos. Illustrations really carry the reader throughout the piece and keep them engaged.
