Starting with the February 2016 issue of Technical Communication, the cover of the STC’s research journal will be a juried space for graphic artists to display their creative efforts. Every quarter the editor will issue a call for illustrations on a specific topic, and a jury of international composition will review the submissions. The winning illustration will be displayed on the cover and honorable mentions will be included inside the journal, each with a brief explanation of how the illustration addresses the topic.
Technical Communication is unusual in the field because the cover of the journal changes with each issue. The new cover competition allows us to seize the opportunity offered by a changing cover to bring greater attention to the substantive contribution of graphic artists as well as to the rhetorical power of visual communication.
The inaugural competition—on the topic “The Future of Technical Communication”—brought in 35 impressive submissions, from academic and industry environments, by professional and student artists. Below are the five leading images picked by the jury. Which do you think will make the cover?
The competition for the May 2016 issue—on the topic of “Social Media Practices in Technical Communication”—closes on 1 January. The call for the August 2016 issue is coming soon.
