stack of magazines with playful trophy cover design

A Playful Tribute to the Region’s Best

St. Louis Magazine

Client
St. Louis Magazine

Industry
Publishing

Services
Creative Direction
Illustration
Layout Design

Each year, St. Louis Magazine celebrates the region’s best—from dining and culture to shopping, sports, wellness, and beyond—through its Annual A-List issue. For this edition, I was tasked with designing the cover and five full-page openers that honor the winners chosen by readers and editors.

My goal was to create a look that felt celebratory, distinctly St. Louis, and fresh for this year’s honorees. I pitched the creative direction and carried it through illustration, typography, and graphic design.

The final design draws inspiration from the nostalgic charm of 90s participation trophies, blending bold patterns with playful, award-inspired illustrations to create a lively tribute to the city’s standout people, places, and experiences.

St. Louis Magazine's 2025 A-list edition is draped over a yellow wall

Cover illustration for St. Louis Magazine's 2025 A-list edition. The illustration features fun trophies with confetti falling around them

St. Louis Magazine's 2025 A-list edition full page opener designs for award categories

St. Louis Magazine's 2025 A-list edition surrounded by packaging

Creative Direction

Within the prestigious A-list Awards, the first awards that come to mind are the “sexy” ones like New Restaurant or Radio Personality. But as explored the full list, I was charmed by the understated recognitions like A-list Plumber, number one Mortgage Servicer, and even best Eye Lashes. The sheer breadth made me smile. I imagined over-the-top, Oscar-style acceptance speeches and chuckled at how wildly different their worlds might be. The A-List Dietician is having drastically different conversations in their day than the slingers of the A-List Burger.

I wanted to capture that humor and celebratory spirit, which led me to the beautifully gaudy participation trophies of the 90s. With their loud patterns, sparkling details, stacked tiers, and amorphous figurines, they strike the perfect balance of funny, charming, and inclusive. This inspiration not only shaped the cover but also allowed us to carry playful patterns into the interior spreads—tying the whole issue together in a way that felt both lighthearted and distinctly A-List.