The Financial Times

FT Weekend Magazine | Cover & Editorial Illustrations

Studio Duco was commissioned by the Financial Times to create a magazine cover and four full-page illustrations for FT Weekend Magazine, exploring the arrival of a groundbreaking new generation of weight-loss drugs and their potential to transform the treatment of obesity.

The brief offered an opportunity to approach a contemporary medical subject through the visual language of historical illustration. Drawing inspiration from the dramatic biblical engravings of Gustave Doré, we developed a series of images portraying the new treatment as an almost miraculous discovery, reflecting both the excitement and uncertainty surrounding its arrival.

For the cover, we took inspiration from Doré's Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Law, reimagining its powerful composition to introduce a modern medical breakthrough. Across the accompanying illustrations, we continued this approach, using our distinctive etching-style illustration to bring a sense of drama, symbolism and storytelling to a complex editorial subject.

With just two weeks to complete the cover and four full-page illustrations, it was a demanding turnaround, but one we were more than happy to take on. We always enjoy a good creative challenge, and this was certainly one of them.

Illustration | Studio Duco
Art Direction | Shannon Gibson
Publication | FT Weekend Magazine