The Caravan is a monthly Indian English-language, narrative journalism magazine covering politics and culture. Each issue's cover represents an informative and captivating long-form story.
Below are a selection of covers focusing on law, ecology, business and geopolitics.
In Sua Causa
ILLUSTRATION, GRAPHIC DESIGN, ANIMATION
LINK TO COVER
The July 2019 cover story focused on a sequence of judges' controversial conduct while occupying the highest seat in the Indian judiciary.
The erosion of justice at the hands of its own gatekeepers was visualised as a gavel in a judge's hand threatening the rusting premises of the Supreme Court. The cover was animated and promoted on the relatively new Instagram handle.
Ecological Myths
ART DIRECTION, GRAPHIC DESIGN
LINK TO COVER
The June 2019 issue carried an essay exploring the failures of India’s climate change policy.
In place of disaster imagery, the works of climate photographer Arko Datto, who focuses on the subtle, "non-event" moments of climate change, were used to represent the essay's core argument that the crisis is present but only gradually becoming visible to the urbane.
Data Plans
The February 2019 cover depicted the monopolisation in the telecom sector by the business tycoon Mukesh Ambani's company Reliance Jio.
Ambani's burgeoning takeover was visualised by seating him on an isometric structure fashioned in the shape of a wifi symbol.
The Great Indian Coalition
The January 2019 cover story profiled the politician Ram Manohar Lohia, who in the 1960s broke the monolith of one-party politics, and demonstrated the efficacy of bipartisan alliances.
To bridge the historical profile with contemporary politics, a portrait of Lohia was paired with a mosaic of today's major Indian politicians, stylised in an oil-painting aesthetic. Underneath, a scene set at the Indian parliament anchored the visual.
Tulsi Gabbard
ART DIRECTION, GRAPHIC DESIGN
The August 2019 cover story profiled DNC candidate Tulsi Gabbard as the first Hindu candidate for the US Presidency, and analysed her political and financial affiliations with the right-wing Indian groups who backed her campaign. A photo of Gabbard by Justin Sullivan was complemented with a typographic treatment of the headline and subheading, with visual references to the American flag.
Modi's War +
Devendra Fadnavis
GRAPHIC DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION
The October 2019 cover carried two stories that were developing simultaneously: that of Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' sudden resignation amidst a political crisis, and the unravelling of Kashmir following its annexation by the Modi government.
The cover was split to accommodate both stories, with the former represented with a profile photograph, and the latter with a topographical illustration of Kashmiri districts, occupying ⅓ of the cover.
