As we continue celebrating 10 Years of Springs magazine, we’re turning our eye to the covers. While the old adage “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover” is true in many aspects of life, when it comes to the modern media landscape, a great cover is key. If it doesn’t look good, you don’t want to pick it up and read it. The cover is the introduction and invitation. That’s why we’re proud to look back at our print issues and still see these gems shining.
Kudos are due to our stellar photographers and contributors who created such exceptional imagery — and to then-designer Tanya Shaw who blended their photography with excellent graphic design to create a collection of masterpieces. It’s no wonder we won American Adverting Federation design awards. Just sayin’.
Enjoy these 10 Best Covers from Springs magazine with some updates below and give us a vote for your favorite below! Here they are in order of their creation.
Olympic Special: Hometown Athletes Are Ready for Rio
Team USA and Olympic City USA were in full prep mode for the 2016 Summer Olympics when we created our Summer 2016 issue. Its cover featured Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks, who was still early in her accomplished Paralympic career. Photographer Aaron Anderson donned full SCUBA gear to pull off our most epic photo shoot ever, capturing stunning underwater images of Marks at Colorado College’s Schlessman Natatorium.
Marks is all grace in water, and Anderson’s ability to capture athletic strength, motion and detail are second to none. The results were clearly one of our best covers ever. And ever the top-level pro, Anderson captured excellent behind the scenes footage to document the project.
Where are they now?
Marks went on to win a gold medal at Rio 2016 in the 100-meter breaststroke and a bronze in the 4 x 100-meter relay — then continue to claim medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, 2024 Paris and multiple National Championships and World Championships.
Anderson has photographed many more Olympians and Paralympians, and it’s no surprise why he was awarded the 2022 Professional People Photographer of the Year by the International Photography Awards. You’ll probably recognize local faces in the galleries at Aaron Anderson Visuals, but his work has taken him far, figuratively and literally. Here’s an update in his words:
“Over the past five and half years my family and I have been traveling full-time in our RV, which has been an incredible adventure. Creatively, I’ve continued directing and photographing for brands like PlayStation, Bosch, KTM, Go Fast Don’t Die and a bunch of others, while also speaking and teaching workshops for Fujifilm along the way! Now that we’re back in Colorado Springs, I’m excited to reconnect locally and explore new collaborations, but also excited to settle down and dive into community with the fam!”
Eat Global, Dine Local
Food has always had a special place in the stories we tell, and this Winter 2017 cover opened a culinary passport to features World Eats at Home and On the Taco Trail: Top Tacos in the Springs. Jeff Kearny, an award-winning and versatile regular contributor, shot the image, and art director Tanya Shaw treated it with a then-popular chalkboard style as a backdrop for the photo of a Chile en Nogado, the signature dish from Provecho. That standout Mexican restaurant at Centennial and Fillmore was an early proponent of crafting authentic, elevated Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, it closed permanently during the covid pandemic.
Get Out & Explore
Our Spring 2017 cover featured Ollie, the then-4-year-old adventure pup who was an early Instagram influencer. And the accompanying story was a photo feature of Ollie and his companion and photographer Stephen Martin.
We have been fortunate to continue working with Martin through the years, featuring his photography on springsmag.com and in our Colorado Springs Relocation Guide. Here’s an update from Martin.
“Ollie has never been just a dog — he was the spark for my photography and creativity. Our adventures outdoors pushed me to pick up a camera, and before I knew it, that inspiration carried me into a new career. What began as chasing trails with him grew into founding a full-service production agency called Explore With Media and becoming a full-time commercial outdoor photographer — working on projects for brands like Outside Magazine, HOKA, Tailwind and many more.
“Now Ollie has a new companion, Echo, and together they’re still by my side — exploring the mountains, wandering the vast West and reminding me every day why I first fell in love with this path.”
Home Design Secrets
Our Spring 2018 cover featured a gorgeous mountain modern home in Woodland Park built by Picasso Homes. It’s corresponding cover story highlighted unique local home designs and featured a collection of inspiration and advice from a leading builder, architect, interior designer and landscaper. We still want to move into some of those featured homes.
Best in Colorado Springs Healthcare: Where to Find Help When You Need It
Our Fall 2018 cover story kicked off our inaugural Healthcare Heroes. Jeffrey Cloutier is a master of portrait photography, and he had a tight window to get in, recreate and light a surgery scene at Penrose Hospital and get out. He operated with precision, capturing this surgical close-up that drew us in to that focused space where lives can be saved or lost. As our article said:
Talk to these men and women and you’ll hear: “I’m just doing my job” or “We have an excellent team.” But what comes through loud and clear is their passion for the intricate detail and enormous challenge of their craft and, ultimately, their compassion for patients and desire to change people’s lives.
This portrait and collection of profiles captured the dedication, focus, skill and motivation of some of Colorado Springs’ finest medical professionals.
Let’s Get Dirty!
Put Some Fun in Your Run with Obstacles and Mud, read the subtext on our Spring 2019 cover. The scream-laughing kid covered in mud and suds was a contestant in the Big Dog Brag mud run. Obstacle course races were having a moment. Our cover story explored them from the inside and highlighted a full schedule of races in the Springs and along the Front Range. While the Spartan Race has continued its annual challenge at Fort Carson, the mellower Big Dog Brag unfortunately has not run since 2023.
Wearable Art! & Your Guide to 20 Interesting, Intriguing, Unique Local Museums
Our Summer 2019 cover may just be our most unique ever. The striking vintage image featured a woman in a car-like outfit from the World of Wearable Art (WOW), “the sophisticated love child of art and fashion” that was featured in a touring exhibition at the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. WOW served as the anchor for a multifaceted cover feature highlighting museums of Colorado Springs and Denver. You can still read it here.
Colorado Springs was one of a handful of international locations that hosted WOW’s touring exhibition. The World of Wearable Art continues to blend art, fashion and theater into a spectacular annual show that is the largest in New Zealand, where it is based.
Favorite Fall Drives: Where to Explore Colorado’s Golden Season
Our Fall 2019 cover was one of the slowest to come together as we explored multiple concepts. Where the Spirits Lead on the Colorado Spirits Trail was a strong contender for cover story. But sometimes the simple way is the best way, and this glowing image by local photographer James Van Hoy won out. The quintessential Colorado fall scene drew us into that country road leading through a glorious grove of aspen trees. Makes us want to pull out Favorite Colorado Fall Drives and hit the road.
Give the Gift of Experience
There’s always lots to celebrate during the holidays in Colorado Springs, and our Holiday 2019 issue asked, “Know that person who’s just hard to buy for? Want to create memories that will last much longer than another sweater?” We answered with 52 memory-making ideas, all drawn from Colorado experiences.
The cover photo featured dogsledding with Good Time Adventures in Breckenridge on a bluebird Colorado winter day. It almost looks like those energetic huskies are grinning along with the people, savoring another gorgeous day in the Rockies. The benefits of digital publishing have allowed us to update this article through the years, and it still remains a popular read. Hint, hint: The holiday season will be here again before we know it.
Cheap Eats: 31 Delicious Deals
If you know our origin story, you know that the COVID-19 pandemic forced Springs magazine to shift our focus from print to digital — but not before we went out with one final banger of a cover in Winter 2020. That towering and tasty Deluxe Burger with an added fried egg and bacon came from the Green Line Grill. It was expertly captured by Brienne Boortz, who was a go-to contributor for mouthwatering food photography.
The accompanying cover story featured 31 dishes all around the Springs that proved delicious doesn’t have to be expensive. You’ll still find many of these local treasures on the menu, but we can’t vouch for the post-covid prices.
Vote for Your Favorite Springs Cover
OK, you’ve seen our picks. What’s yours? What's your favorite cover from the past 10 Years?
