I was looking through my magazine collection. When I noticed these two magazines. They both are using the same type of image (MUGSHOT) and similar color palettes but they are both different.
The Men’s Journal magazine does not feel welcoming at all. The photo of Steve Nash looks dry and empty. Even though the article is about him bringing fun back to the NBA. He doesn’t look very fun to me. He looks like an animation. There is a disconnect between the cover line (Steve Nash The Superstar Who Made The NBA Fun Again) and the image. The fonts take over the page. Everything is in bold which is overpowering. Note: I hate Rooflines! (I hate them so much I think it is worth wasting one of my five “!”)
The Details magazine feels lighter and cleaner. The cropping and the off center positioning helps the cover. Ben Affleck’s expression looks like a man that is determined and focused which goes well with the cover line. I love the use of bold, regular and lightface fonts to show hierarchy. The fonts don’t takeover the page as the Men’s Journal cover does. The lighting is also well done. The lighting does not make Ben Affleck look dark or evil. The lighting can change the effect of an image like this. The Men’s Journal cover is a perfect example of this. The shadow on the left hand side gives Steve Nash a dark mysterious look. This look would be OK if the cover line read “The Dark Side of Steve Nash.”
If you are going to use an image like this on your cover you have to really think about what this type of image says to your reader. The image, typography and lighting can make or break a cover.
1 comment:
Good call on the discrepancy between the image and the title. The seriousness of Steve Nash's photo definitely does not say fun.
I've never worked at a magazine, but maybe there was a disconnect between the photographer and the writer. The photo is very standard "sports superstar," but the theme of the article is not.
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