8 Favourites Tuntréet covers

Being responsible for going through the 800+ cover pages of Tuntréet and picking only eight favorites is not for the faint of heart. As a humble illustrator, I have had the honor of designing Tuntréet’s covers myself, so I could have been biased and only picked covers with illustrations. But I tried to select a bit of variety, with both illustrations and photographs. So here are my eight favourites of Tuntréet covers from the past 80 years, one from each decade.

NB: Keep in mind that I am an illustrator, not a writer.

Writing illustrator: Linnea Santi Moe

Translator: Marie Gulbjørnrud

1950s

1957 TT06

Dogs in hats! Look how formal these barkers are. One might ask oneself, are they going to the office? Have they dressed up for May 17th? Is a red carpet and a crowd of photographers waiting? Whatever these two sweethearts are up to, it is definitely a delight to see this pair of dogs on a Tuntréet cover. I chose this one because it is very timeless. A cover like this would probably be a hit even today. And it is fun to think that much of the humor still is the same.

1960s

1967 TT02

The ‘60s featured an extremely large number of great hand-drawn illustrations, so it was almost a shame to have to pick just one. It is strange to be delving into student newspapers from an era before my own parents were born, but it is also really cool to see what students 60+ years ago could come up with using pen and paper. This cover reminded me of Knutsen and Ludvigsen’s earliest work, so one can indulge in a bit of wishful thinking and believe they took inspiration from a small student paper in Ås.

1970s

1975 TT03

This is a cover that is easy to relate to. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping outside the window of the student dorm. There is nothing you want more than to go out and enjoy the sun, but exams are sneaking up on you, and you do not have a shred of focus left. Perhaps the ‘70s’ student was not so different from the student of today. Whether this is your first university exam, or maybe you have done it a couple of times already, keep at it during exam season, everyone!

1980s

1987 TT01

The first issue of Tuntréet in 1987. Talk about starting the year with a bang. I chose this cover because it got me wondering if one could get someone to pose like that for a cover today. Or do we have different boundaries now about what is okay and what is not? Students are known to be scandalous, and most of us are well acquainted with student life and its antics. But I wonder – does the scandalous student still exist in modern times?

1990s

1996 TT09

In a decade with almost exclusively black-and-white covers, I went for the one with colors. What is also very impressive about this cover is that it was created digitally. In the ‘90s, access to digital tools was far less than it is today, and as an illustrator who often uses digital drawing programs, I found it epic to see such a thoroughly executed digital cover, since that was not very common back then, especially not in a student paper.

2000s

2007 TT05

Honestly, I do not have any reason for choosing this cover other than that I found it extremely cute. It gave me a real serotonin boost. It is almost impossible not to become happy looking at it. I think it fits very well with the time we are entering now. Good weather, flowers, summer vacation, outdoor beers and lambing season – what more could one wish for? I am manifesting these vibes for after the exam period.

2010s

2019 TT05

Even though there were many more intricate covers in this decade, I chose one that was a bit simpler. A single word can say so much, and I know that many can relate well to this word – especially considering today’s global situation. The newspapers are filled with headlines about war, the housing crisis, and high food prices, but I think it is nice to have a student paper to lean on that does not take everything so seriously. I still think this cover was a fine example of how, in tough times, we come together and stand up to difficulties. #faen

2020s

2021 TT09

Tuntréet has had many talented illustrators over the years, but I think they really get to shine in this decade. Maybe it is because we have greater access to digital tools and other resources now, or maybe the editorial staff have gotten better at coming up with cool ideas? It could be my biased side showing, but it was very hard to choose just one here. Everyone talks about the “Ås bubble”, but I chose this cover because I think it was an epic depiction of the world we all know and live in so well.