MarkLives.com runs a regular slot featuring the best local and international magazine covers every week. We recognise well thought out, powerful and interesting (and hopefully all three in one) magazine covers and celebrate the mix of pragmatism, creativity and personal taste that created each of them. By media blogger MediaSlut.
After the great response on last week’s “TOP 10 South African covers of 2012” we are excited about showing you a selection of our favourite International magazine covers.
Remember that you can leave a comment to let us know if you agree, or think we totally missed the mark…
Coming up:
Dec 21: The 10 worst magazine covers of 2012! Tweet your nominations to @mediaslut!
10. Desktop, February 2012
Kicking off our Top 10 is this one from Desktop. Take one photostat of an ass. Add a clever coverline “PUBLISH YOURSELF” and make it pretty with some basic CMYK-colours. It’s taking everything back to the basics…
9. Esquire, March 2012
I’m an Esquire subscriber so when I received my March issue, I didn’t think too much about it when I saw Jon Hamm on the cover, with the coverline ANIMAL in big red letters. Only when I started reading the issue did I realise it was actually a fold-out cover. When you unfold the very smart (and intricate) cover, it shows a half naked Kate Upton, with the coverline “Annihilate the mammal…”. Great execution by the Art Department, and a worthy 9th place.
8. OUT, February 2012
With gay marriage rights on the political radar all over the world this OUT cover of February 2012, with Neil Patrick Harris and husband David, celebrates both the marriage and the beauty of true love.
7. VPRO Gids, 9 June 2012,
According to CoverJunkie no one on the editorial team like this cover, so they shredded it. And then decide to go with THAT as a cover concept. Whether it was purely coincidental or actually planned, I’m not too sure, but it really works. And places them in 7th position.
6. ELLE (Netherlands), Autumn 2012
See the face of a tiger? To view the issue digitally, you can click here.
5. New York, 12 November 2012
Some websites and magazine critics have gone as far as saying that this New York cover is their favourite cover from 2012. The cover almost feels ‘calming’ and shows another perspective on the damage wrought by hurricane Sandy without being too graphic and shocking readers. The small type used (“The City and the Storm”) is very subtle and placed perfectly. The story behind the images, and to see rival cover options, can be found here.
4. Newsweek, 26 March 2012
Newsweek fans immediately noticed something was wrong. On a closer inspection most probably realised this to be one of the best and smarted executions cover executions of 2012. Newsweek dedicated their whole special double-issue of 26 March 2012 to the Mad Men-era of 1960’s (to celebrate the launch of Mad Men’s 5th season). They literally ‘recreated the sleek, iconic look of the magazine during the swinging ‘60s, but with all original content.’ Even the advertisers played along, and recreated their ads in the 1960s style! To view some of these ads visit this blog.
3. Wallpaper*, April 2012
Celebrating “Global Design 2012”, Wallpaper* pulled out all the stops when they created these rooms featured on their cover, painted in a studio and using products from the territories that form part of “Global Design 2012”. The end-result is 8 different covers (above are three of them) that plays with your mind just a little bit. At first glance it looks like just another image but on closer inspection you notice all the detail that went into these shoots… genius. They also sold them as posters, so for more information, click here.
2. The New Yorker, 21 May 2012
This pro-gay rights cover of The New Yorker, with the pillars of The White House painted in the colours of the gay flag, really shouts a strong message to the rest of the world who is still opposed to gay marriage and rights. Not only is it a striking image – it tells a story on its own without any coverlines.
1. Zeit Magazin, 2 August 2012
The Batman-symbol, with a little tear, was on the cover of the 2 August 2012 issue of Zeit Magazin. No cover lines. When you opened the magazine, you found a 2nd cover, with the names of the movie-goers who were killed on that horrible night when a gunman shot them down in a movie theatre in the US state of Colorado. It was the midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the latest Batman sequel. A tasteful tribute in memory of those who died and proof that magazines are still one of the most creative media.
– The (for now anonymous) blogger behind MediaSlut knows way too much for his own good about media in South Africa. Magazines in particular. His mission is to show when South African magazines might fail, but most importantly, succeed. If you’re looking for a library about South African magazines and news, your one-stop pitstop is MediaSlut. #MagazinesForTheWin
– Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us @marklives and @mediaslut
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