In the December/January issue of HousingWire Magazine, the feature provided a comprehensive look at the 2015 US economy. Specifically, this feature discussed ways in which housing is clogging the economic recovery in a strange and complex turn of events.

A graphic Illustration of a nutcracker was used to represent in a simple manner the complexity of the 2015 economic forecast. The nutcracker is strong enough to crack the hardest shells, and in this case, the hardest of all money, coins. The coins represent the value and impact of each of the variables — such as housing — that are clogging the economy recovery as a whole.

The "Crunch Time" cover transformed a potentially dry and abstract subject — The economic outlook for 2015 — into something dynamic to draw readers in. The cover uses an iconic holiday symbol that morphs into something more profound that made readers look twice.