In 1962, Harold Hayes, the newly installed Editor of Esquire Magazine, had a meeting with George Lois to discuss making Esquire covers more interesting. That lunch led to the most historic 10 years of magazine cover design in history.

George Lois created over 90 of the most iconic and infamous magazine covers ever. In 2009, the Museum of Modern Art installed 32 of them in their permanent art collections, the first time modern magazine covers had ever been recognized in a major museum.

Harold Hayes always referred to George’s creations as PICTORIAL ZOLAS, a comment and reference to Emile Zola, who in 1898 wrote the infamous J'Accuse…! open letter published in the French newspaper L’Aurore, accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and the unlawful jailing of Alfred Dreyfus, a French Army General Staff officer.

Now, more than ever, in these turbulent, corrupt, divisive times, America needs an accusing voice again.

Pictorial Zolas are designs and concepts to help awaken, to disturb, to communicate, to command, to instigate, and even to provoke America into a new consciousness and reality of speaking truth to power.

Pictorial Zolas are also a tribute to Harold Hayes, the late, great editor who had the guts to let George Lois make history.