![\"The](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/257817_WIKIPEDIA.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nImage: The Verge, Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n
Image by Cath Virginia \/ The Verge, Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n
Wikipedia is infected by the woke mind virus one of the few remaining reliable institutions in these trying times, kept steady and stabilized by its processes for deciding disputes and its faithful pool of tens of thousands of Wikipedia editors across the globe. I was inspired by old encyclopedias, neoclassical architecture, and the DK kids books, the latter of which have random images in a stream-of-consciousness explosion that reminds me a lot of the strange little blue hyperlink pathways that might end you up on the Wikipedia page for Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi<\/a>. \u2014 Cath Virginia, art director<\/p>\n Image: Tran Nguyen<\/p>\n Image by Tran Nguyen, Kristen Radtke \/ The Verge<\/p>\n For this package commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the fall of Saigon, Kristen Radtke designed a split-screen hub to collect all the stories, reflecting the conflicting narratives and myths of the Vietnam War. Engineer Graham MacAree brought everything to life, while it was brilliantly illustrated by Tran Nguyen. \u2014 Kristen Radtke, creative director<\/p>\n Image: Cath Virginia, Taehee Yoonseul for The Verge<\/p>\n Image by Cath Virginia, Taehee Yoonseul for The Verge<\/p>\n Things seem to get scarier all the time, especially for trans people, but I wanted to use the design of this package to express the otherworldly and unforeseen futures that are possible, without being overly hopeful or pessimistic. We don\u2019t know what the future holds, but I know that trans people are going to be the ones helping to shape it for the better. Grateful for the works of Taehee Yoonseul, who created the looping background animation, and Sasha Cherepanov, who licensed her beautiful font Transgender Grotesk to us for use in this design. \u2014 Cath Virginia, art director<\/p>\n Illustration: Molly Crabapple for The Verge<\/p>\n Image by Molly Crabapple for The Verge<\/p>\n Assigning art for Luigi Mangione\u2019s pretrial hearing to Molly Crabapple was a stroke of genius by editor Sarah Jeong. This installment of the trial was particularly chaotic, and we were unsure if Crabapple (or our reporter Mia Sato) would even make it into the courtroom, but Crabapple made use of the downtime by drawing hordes of Mangione fans and spectators from the floor of the courthouse hallway. \u2014 Kristen Radtke, creative director<\/p>\n Image: Kristen Radtke \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Image by Kristen Radtke \/ The Verge<\/p>\n For this package about influencers and their reach and creep across the internet, I created a poppy, loud scheme across each feature and a hub that lightly mimics the scroll of TikTok. The animated collages from each story, all by different artists, give each story a distinctive flair while still coalescing into a consistent vibe. \u2014 Kristen Radtke, creative director<\/p>\n Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales \/ The Verge<\/p>\n In order to create a kaleidoscope effect captured entirely in camera for this year\u2019s set of gift guides, I built a simple mirrored structure that was placed on top of a very large TV. Art director Cath Virginia and I placed the selected items inside the mirrored triangle, and I photographed while she created wonderful backgrounds. It was the most fun I\u2019ve had in the studio all year. \u2014 Amelia Holowaty Krales, senior photo editor<\/p>\n Image: Matt Huynh<\/p>\n This gut-punch of a gorgeous comic by Matt Huynh about a US military psyop that tried to scare Viet Cong soldiers with tape recordings of Vietnamese \u201cghosts\u201d is both a look at a globally underknown piece of history and a gorgeous personal narrative. Huynh\u2019s brushwork is emotive and lush, and his command of narrative builds into one of the best comics The Verge has ever published. \u2014 Kristen Radtke, creative director<\/p>\n Image: Ariel Davis for The Verge<\/p>\n Illustration by Ariel Davis for The Verge<\/p>\n We\u2019re forever obsessed with this Ariel Davis illustration of Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and JD Vance as a DOGE Cerberus, which perfectly encapsulates the apocalyptic and also absurd vibe of Trump\u2019s first 100 days. \u2014 Cath Virginia, art director<\/p>\n Image: Jovana Mugosa for The Verge<\/p>\n Illustration by Jovana Mugosa for The Verge<\/p>\n Jovana Mugosa did an incredible job on these crime noir illustrations for this story about a former Iranian military officer who was targeted by kidnappers paid by the Iranian government. The dark olive green and lavender, along with the grainy background texture, really pull you into the dark world of this predator-versus-prey account. \u2014 Cath Virginia, art director<\/p>\n Image: Ian Woods \/ Eva Alicia L\u00e9piz for The Verge<\/p>\n Collage by Ian Woods \/ Photos by Eva Alicia L\u00e9piz for The Verge<\/p>\n I\u2019m in love with the handmade feel of these collaged portraits Ian Woods made for this beautiful piece of writing about fatherhood through the lens of Final Fantasy. The organic shapes featuring art from the game series frame the faces of Joseph Earl Thomas and his children so perfectly and reflect the blended world between real life and gaming. \u2014 Cath Virginia, art director<\/p>\n Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales<\/p>\n Workers employed in fabrication factories in the early days of Silicon Valley experienced toxic conditions that affected their health and, in many cases, their children\u2019s lives deeply. I am grateful to have photographed two of the women who are holding these companies accountable and telling the story as a warning for the future of chip production in Justine Calma\u2019s amazing story. \u2014 Amelia Holowaty Krales, senior photo editor<\/p>\n Image: Cath Virginia \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Image by Cath Virginia \/ The Verge, Getty Images<\/p>\n The idea of the infinite fringe was hard enough to describe in words without feeling like I was just spewing nonsense. But the artwork worked because it literally illustrated what I was trying to describe: a kaleidoscope of racist conspiracy memes that you can\u2019t stop watching and somehow just\u2026 fell into. \u2014 Tina Nguyen, senior reporter<\/p>\n Image: Cath Virginia \/ The Verge, Getty Images<\/p>\n Image by Cath Virginia \/ The Verge, Getty Images<\/p>\n The headline. The image. Perfect. \u2014 Kristen Radtke, creative director<\/p>\n Image: Benny Douet for The Verge<\/p>\n Image: Benny Douet for The Verge<\/p>\n One of my favorite images from all year by Benny, who perfectly encapsulated the \u201cnightmare blunt rotation\u201d vibe of JD Vance and Mark Zuckerberg at the Bitcoin Conference this year. \u2014 Cath Virginia, art director<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Verge StaffClose Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Verge Staff<\/a><\/p>\n ReportCloseReport<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Report<\/a><\/p>\n RoundupCloseRoundup<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nVerge Staff<\/p>\n