Designers, historians and publishers are selecting magazine covers they regard as exceptional and probing what makes a print cover enduring, shocking or seductive. The conversation ranges from classic celebrity portraits, such as a widely admired image of Lana Del Rey, to more unusual editorial approaches like an alternative guide to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
What makes a cover work
Contributors say successful covers must accomplish more than simply announce content: they need to stop a reader, suggest a point of view and invite closer attention. "Every magazine cover needs to seduce," the panelists agree, arguing that strong photography, typography and a clear editorial voice remain central to the medium’s impact. The picked examples are being used to illustrate how different strategies — intimacy, provocation, wit or visual restraint — can each create a memorable front.
A defence of print
Steve Watson, founder of the subscription magazine club Stack, urged a reappraisal of how success in print is measured. "We need to rethink what a successful magazine looks like," he said, noting that comparisons with magazines of the 1960s are misleading because media habits and technology have changed dramatically. He added that while print no longer offers the fastest or cheapest route to large audiences, it excels at deep engagement and providing "an opportunity to slow down and absorb information."
Event and participants
Watson will join a mixed group of editors, publishers, designers, historians and academics at a one-day event during the forthcoming London design festival to discuss the varying roles magazines have played over the years. The sessions will examine the functions of print — as cultural artefact, persuasive object and curated reading experience — and analyse specific covers as case studies.
Outlook for the industry
Against a backdrop of frequent predictions about print’s decline, participants struck an upbeat tone about the medium’s prospects. Watson pointed to ongoing creative energy in the sector: "The truth is there are brilliant new magazines launching all the time," he said. The panel’s selections and discussion aim to show how, despite changing distribution and consumption patterns, the tactile and editorial qualities of magazine covers continue to offer distinctive value.