Time Magazine’s New Animated Cover: 3 Creative Lessons for Designers

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Welcome to AI Design Proposal—your daily spark for smarter, friendlier design! Today’s pick: TIME teams up with LEGO on a cheerful animated cover celebrating the magazine’s first-ever Girls of the Year—powered by LEGO’s She Built That campaign. It’s upbeat, brand-right, and a lesson in motion-first editorial design. Let’s unpack the wins.

• Time Magazine’s New Animated Cover: 3 Creative Lessons for Designers

• The gathering place for the world's top design professionals.

• Quick Tips

• 5 AI design tools

Read time: 4 minutes

Today’s AI Design Breakthrough

Time Magazine’s New Animated Cover: 3 Creative Lessons for Designers

TL;DR

For its first-ever Girls of the Year cover, Time Magazine partnered with LEGO’s "She Built That" campaign to create an animated digital cover. The ten inspiring honorees are reimagined as LEGO minifigures, complete with a catchy anthem celebrating female builders.

Short Paragraphs

Time has unveiled its inaugural Girls of the Year list, honoring ten young change-makers aged 12–17 from around the globe. This creative collaboration with LEGO transforms each honoree into a custom LEGO minifigure on an animated cover—a joyful and imaginative celebration of achievement and possibility.

The animated cover features a playful soundtrack: an upbeat rendition of the empowering “She Built That” anthem, inspired by Run‑DMC’s It’s Like That. It reflects LEGO’s mission to bolster girls’ visibility as creators and innovators.

The ten featured girls include a diverse array of leaders—racing drivers, engineers, scientists, authors, and activists—each depicted in minifigure form to spotlight their achievements and reinforce the message that girls can build, lead, and inspire today.

Highlights

• Animated positivity: The cover brings the Girls of the Year to life as LEGO minifigures, blending playful design with meaningful recognition.

• Girl-led empowerment: The collaboration extends LEGO’s “She Built That” campaign, focusing on dismantling stereotypes and making female creators visible.

• Meaningful diversity: Profiles include young leaders in science, advocacy, engineering, racing, and more—showcasing a wide scope of female-led innovation.

Why It Matters

• Design with purpose: Instead of static recognition, the animated LEGO minifigures offer a creatively engaging and visually memorable way to celebrate role models.

• Positive representation: Visibility matters—showcasing girls in leadership and creative roles inspires broader belief in what’s possible.

• Narrative-rich storytelling: The fun and movement in the design deliver emotional resonance while reinforcing broader messages of empowerment and agency.

Actionable Insight

Want to elevate your storytelling with design?

• Blend playful aesthetics with meaningful intent—use animation, stylized characters, or creative motifs aligned with your message.

• Spotlight diverse representation—featuring real or symbolic figures who reflect the impact you aim to inspire.

• Use brand partnerships (like with LEGO) to amplify your visual message, combining design flair with social purpose.

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Wrap-Up

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