Through New Year's, we'll be counting down the best work of the year in TV/Film/Branded Content, Print/Outdoor/Design and Interactive/Integrated (IX) as our picks of the day.

At #9 in the print/design category is Chevy's timely tribute to Prince following the singer's death in April. This simple, well-executed image, which ran first on Twitter and then as a national press ad, represented a graceful blend of history, brand and a powerful moment in culture.

Original story:

Chevrolet doesn't have to say much (or use any purple) in this powerful tribute to Prince that ran today in newspapers around the country.

The bare-bones ad shows the "muse" of one of his most famous hits, a little red Corvette, along with a line inspired by the tune -- "Baby, that was much too fast."

The brand previously ran a version of the image on Twitter following the news of Prince's death.

The ad was created out of Commonwealth/McCann and ran in USA Today, the Detroit News/Free Press, the L.A. Times, the Minneapolis Star Trib and the New York Times.