Creative director Karen Simpson really created a winner that is artistically arresting and pushes all the right buttons when it comes to selling. 

It helps that the editorial team focused in on a timely subject that they can speak with great authority about...subject matter indeed matters here.

The image is warm, bright, energetic, and creates an illusion of width. It’s up-market, on trend, and sophisticated.

• Great use of the cover real estate for the main sell line
• Great use of colour to help the eye travel down the page
• Super starburst
• Benefits abound
• Clean and uncluttered

Here’s what editor Catherine Osborne had to say about this issue:

“Azure attracts both professionals and general readers who have a keen interest in architecture and design, so we look for cover images that appeal to both. It can be hard at times, but this particular house hits both notes. It’s contemporary but it also has a human scale that’s immediately familiar. You can imagine living there. I really like that Karen kept things very clean and inviting. The colours — limey green, yellowy orange and purple (aubergine!) — really pop. 'Go green' was the slogan everyone was using five years ago. But sustainability has advanced so much since then...buildings can now generate more energy than they use and passive cooling and heating systems are a regular part of architectural design. We went with 'Newest Green' to make those evolutionary changes as clear as possible...that we’re talking about the next generation of green.”

And here is what creative director Karen Simpson said:

“This cover design works well because it is strong, simple, direct and warm. A clear visual hierarchy moves your eye from the yellow circle graphic (looks like the ’sun’) to the main cover line (top left position) and down to the figure bathed in warm light walking to greet you. The overall mood is clean, fresh and relaxed. There seems to be a glow in the sky created by the colours on the type, the yellow circle ’sun’ and the warm lighting in the walkway.”

 Click to enlarge image: