For the cover story of New York Magazine’s October 17–30, 2016, tech and design issue, writer and author of On Trails Robert Moor looks at the phenomenon of the self-driving car and what it means for the future of the self. “Stop for a moment to consider the magnitude of this transformation,” writes Moor. “Our republic of drivers is poised to become a nation of passengers.”
In designing the cover, New York Magazine design director Thomas Alberty says he and the editorial team knew they wanted to focus on the self-driving car. Doing research, designer Aaron Garza realized people have been talking about self-driving cars for decades. The car image featured on the cover is a vintage ad depicting a 1950s vision of the driverless car. “It encapsulates everything this story is about,” Alberty says.
Contrasting the futuristic yet old-fashioned “Nifty ’50s driving culture” cover, the inside art includes a collage of classic-movie car scenes from Bonnie and Clyde, Psycho, Thelma & Louise, Wayne’s World, Rebel Without a Cause, and others.