San Francisco Chronicle
Of all the poster covers the day after the election, I found this photo to be the most striking. There's a wonderful simplicity to it, and it captures Obama in a great moment. The photo looks like it's a painting, which is why I found the typography choices at the bottom to be bothersome. I'd have loved this cover even more if the choice had been made to just let the photo tell the story - no words.

The Dallas Morning News
The philosophy in Dallas was that design and decoration cannot trump smart content choices, especially on a day as historic as this one was. The DMN simply reported the news and didn't cheerlead. Graphics downpage quickly told the story of the election by the numbers and got readers inside to more coverage.

Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel
While the cover matches the tone of the portrait and is certainly a keepsake for readers, the choice to use a file photo instead of live art from Obama's rally is a choice most journalists aren't entirely comfortable with. (The Sentinel was not alone in this choice as other major metros, including Obama's hometown Chicago Sun-Times, also led with file art). And while the Sentinel tells readers it has a breadth of coverage inside, it's a shame that on this day in particular, the ad still had to run on A1. Hopefully they charged a premium above their normal A1 rates.

The Times-Picayune, New Orleans
New Orleans took a different approach, using Obama breaking the White House color barrier as an opportunity to show readers what his predecessors looked like. The first 43 presidents' mugs ran in black and white, while Obama's mug ran in color. From a strictly design standpoint, everything seems rather squished up top. But from a concept standpoint, it was a smart idea.