by MediaSlut (@MediaSlut) As the last in our 2016 #MagLoveTop10 roundups, it’s the second year for our other new category: Best Magazine Business Covers! As a collection, they give us a snapshot into the state of affairs, locally and internationally, financially or politically. They’re able to tell us so much, with so little…
Here’s the publishing schedule for 2016’s #MagLoveTop10 series:
- Friday, 2 December 2016: Best South African magazine covers of 2016
- Friday, 9 December 2016: Best international magazine covers of 2016
- Friday, 13 January 2017: Worst magazine covers of 2016
- Friday, 20 January 2017: Sexiest magazine covers of 2016
- Friday, 27 January 2017: Best food magazine covers of 2016
- Friday, 3 February 2017: Best travel magazine covers of 2016
- Friday, 10 February 2017: Best business magazine covers of 2016
Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us at @Marklives and @MediaSlut.
Want to view all the covers at a glance? See our MagLove Pinterest board!
View 2015’s best business magazine covers here.
#10. Finweek, 1 December 2016
A catchy cover that states exactly what its intentions and cover story are. It definitely reels the reader in, and makes you want to know more.
This is Finweek’s second appearance on this new list. Last year, it was also at no. 10.
#9. The Economist, 9 April 2016
World domination. Imperial ambitions. Emperor of the future. The Economist writes that “not since the era of imperial Rome has the ‘thumbs-up’ sign been such a potent and public symbol of power. A mere 12 years after it was founded, Facebook is a great empire with a vast population, immense wealth, a charismatic leader, and mind-boggling reach and influence.” We all know the statistics of Facebooks’ success and how it keeps improving every day, but make sure you read the full article to see why it says Mark Zuckerberg is preparing “to fight for dominance of the next era of computing”, and then the cover will make complete sense! And he’s only 31!
This is The Economist’s second appearance on this new list. Last year, it was also at no. 9.
#8. Harvard Business Review, July/August 2016
Diversity in the workplace is all too familiar to us in South Africa but it, of course, goes so much deeper than just black and white. It stretches across the whole rainbow spectrum, the whole sexuality spectrum and so many other spectra that most companies don’t know where to start and where to stop, thus their programmes don’t work. HBR illustrates this in a colourful and clever way, and the article is an insightful piece that all companies will find beneficial.
This is Harvard Business Review’s first appearance on this list.
#7. JSE, October/December 2016
Did you know? The dolos was developed in East London in 1963 by Eric Mowbray Merrifield and Aubrey Kruger, and is one of South Africa’s most-famous and widely used innovations! JSE illustrates a clever (yet very complicated) way of creating your own little paper dolos. It’s not very practical to do yourself but the illustrations and overall execution are what draws your attention, and make you want to read the cover story to find out about “the next wave of SA innovation”. And that’s why the title is once again in the Top 10!
This is JSE’s second appearance on this list. Last year, it was at no. 1.
#6. Financial Mail, 16 June 2016
You might recognise that Financial Mail is currently looking different these days. But, before the redesign and relaunch, it published this double-whammy by running its very first set of split-covers with two equally striking Julius Malema covers, as it got the scoop to spend time with him on his campaign trail. Financial Mail is definitely a magazine to keep an eye on in 2017! Read more here.
This is Financial Mail’s first appearance on this list.
#5. Forbes (Spain), July/August 2016
This is certainly a cover that you won’t get at first glance yet, once you do, it’s brilliant! On the cover is Tim Cook, Apple CEO, talking about Steve Jobs. Get it now? Read more here.
This is Forbe Spain’s second year on this list. Last year, it was also at no. 5.
#4. Fortune, 15 June 2016
So fresh and amazing! FORTUNE looked at 500 of America’s Largest Corporations, and at no. 34 was Procter & Gamble, owner of the toothpaste brand, Crest. Sheer genius in how these two elements and messages are incorporated on the cover! Read more here.
This is FORTUNE’s second appearance on this list. Last year, it was at no. 6.
#3. Bloomberg Businessweek, 24 October 2016
2017 already seems to be all about “fake news” and “spoof images”, making Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Spoof covers” in October 2016 even more relevant! The main cover is the one with “The Year Ahead — 2017” and the guy in the magazine stall. If you look closely, you’ll see him surrounded by all the other (fake) covers, which all performed the role of section openers throughout the issue! So clever, especially when you go and read all the cover lines, and that the cover designs are based on actual magazines… A worthy no. 3 position! Read more here.
This is Bloomberg Businessweek’s second appearance on this list. Last year, it was at no. 2.
#2. L’Obs, 17 March 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDBRbYuiFsQ/
Two clever, yet simple, split-covers, lands L’Obs the second position! When these covers are placed together on the magazine shelf, the effect is priceless! Read more here.
This is L’Obs’ first appearance on this list.
#1. PM, September 2016
And, for the no. 1 position, we have PM with a very simple digital graphic of the EU stars “loading”, as everyone tried (and is probably still trying) to figure out what hell a post-Brexit world will look like. It’s clean, striking, smart, effective and a most worthy no. 1! Read more here.
This is PM’s first appearance on this list.
MagLove by @MediaSlut is a regular slot featuring the best local and international magazine covers every week, recognising well thought-out, powerful and interesting (and hopefully all three-in-one) covers and celebrating the mix of pragmatism, creativity and personal taste that created each of them. The anonymous (for now) 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 SA magazines fail but, most importantly, also when they succeed. If you’re looking for a library about SA magazines and news, this is your one-stop pitstop.
— Sign up now for the MarkLives email newsletter every Monday and Thursday, now including headlines from the Ramify.biz company newsroom service!