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 MediaSlutZA.
INTERNATIONAL
ELLE UK, December 2011
It’s normal that most magazines have a touch of red on their cover for the Christmas season but there are few that do it right. Not only is this one of the most simple, elegant and beautiful ELLE covers that I’ve ever seen, but the general lack of cover lines, and the added layer of the logo just makes it “wow”. The only cover line “Kiss from a rose” is perfect with the dress covered with lipstick kisses.
FRONT, Issue 162
I’ve seen this magazine with its funky covers pop-up ever so often. And every time I think “what a funny and sexy magazine”, only to find out later that their tagline is “The funniest, sexiest magazine on Earth”. The way they use art/graphics on all their covers, hiding jst the right bits, is just awesome, quirky and very smart.
Visionaire, #61
When I saw this cover of the “Art Magazine” Visionaire with Lady Gaga on it I didn’t think too much about it. “Lady Gaga drenched in Oil. Nothing new.” But the cover line “LARGER THAN LIFE” means quite literally that…
This issue of Visionaire is currently holding a Guiness World Record as “The Largest Magazine in the World”. It’s 2.13 x 1.52 meters (more information click here).
If you love publishing then you’ll be fascinated by the various products Visionaire have produced. There are only 250 copies printed of this issue, and it retails for (only) $1 500. Do yourself a favour and go to the Visionaire website, and watch the video on how they produced/printed it, and how people will read it…
LOCAL
There were no new South African covers this week that have impressed me. Keep an eye out next week!
– The (for now anonymous) blogger behind MediaSlutZA 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 MediaSlutZA. #MagazinesForTheWin
– Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us @marklives and @mediaslutza