This is a great inside view from the fab designers of New York Times Magazine about their last weeks iconic cover:

Design director Arem Duplessis:
"We then decided to see what the little soldiers looked like at a larger scale. We liked what we saw. The cover now had the impact that we were looking for without the typical clichés associated with war, like camouflage and bullet belts."

Here the complete story by Arem Duplessis on their 6th Floor blog "
Here the final cover, artwork by Sara Cwynar

Editor: Hugo Lindgren
Design director: Arem Duplessis
Art director: Gail Bichler