Cover Stories: issue 102

Art director Enric Adell details the design process behind our next issue, coming very soon.

From early mock ups through to the finished article, Enric took the theme of True Grit and ran with it, giving the editorial team an array of options and avenues to explore. Here's his thinking.

"Facing the elements, pushing yourself, pushing your limits. I like the idea of Lachlan Morton riding non-stop during the night, doing crazy stuff like this. That was an important image to start with."

"Sometimes you have a nice photo, but it is interesting to give it an effect and give it a twist, simplifying the shot."

"But maybe it was too much focus on Lachlan only, and we wanted something more representative."

"Rothko played a lot with masses of colour blended together. It can be like the dusk, the gradient from day to night, or it can be mud, or dirt. It can be many things, but maybe it’s too abstract..."

"The artist here is Gaston Mendieta - we decided to commission him for the cover of the Volata edition."

"I already knew Owen Pomery and the dioramas he makes, and I had been wanting to do something with him for a while."

"So when you said that you wanted to talk about Lachlan’s favourite rides, I found the original illustration by Owen, but it was a day scene, not night."

"The finished article."

Subscribe to receive issue 102, the True Grit edition, starring Bradley Wiggins and Sean Yates talking Merckx moments, Lachlan Morton, Emily Chappell, the toughest women's stage race in history, Amanda Spratt, Svein Tuft, the Rob Rob Way with Scotland's own Isla Short and more.