Magazine+Cover

http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101110404,00.html http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101560514,00.html

2. What do the covers have in common?

Both covers share a read border, the title of the magazine in a bold serifed font, and a relatively sparse cover. There is very little clutter, with a single dominant photo or illustration that fills the frame (with perhaps a smaller inset photo) and small text blurbs indicating major stories within the issue.

3. What is the main story in that issue and how does it relate to the image on the cover?

The cover story from April 4, 2011 is an article by Fareed Zakaria regarding the crisis in the Middle East. Moammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has been the center of controversy lately because of the civil war that is embroiling his country. Platon shot the picture in a series he did of world leaders when they convened at the UN in 2009. Kaddafi was just about to address the General Assembly, and Platon was extremely intimidated by him, and remarked on the fact that he could barely see his eyes.

The cover story from May 14, 1956 is about Marilyn Monroe's meteoric rise to fame. The cover was drawn by Boris Chaliapin.

4. Simplicity (in that there is only a single dominant picture, with at most one inset photo in the case of the recent one, the backgrounds are a solid color). Balance (both are centrally composed portraits). Perspective in the case of the modern cover (to give the dictator a more imposing figure)

The Evolution of the Magazine Cover

5. Color illustrations rather than photographs (because of the technological limitations), extreme simplicity (no inset photos), title was not obscured by the picture. Even older magazine covers resembled the covers to books.

6. Poster covers were meant to be hung on a wall. There was no distracting text or cover lines, and the cover tried to convey a mood rather than to describe what was inside the magazine. The title was not obscured. Huge illustrations were featured.

7. To indicate what else is in the magazine besides the cover story.

8. An integrated cover is a harmonious blend of cover lines and a dominant photograph. The model is positioned in such a way as to allow for more text to be included on the cover without intruding too much on the subject. Color coordination is evident.

9. They should not intrude on the subject of the picture, for they would be too distracting from what should be the focus of the cover. Too many cover lines would also negatively affect the design and clutter it.

10. Different types of cover lines:

a. Outside the box: segmenting the cover into different parts for the illustration and the text. In other words, the picture is inside the box, the text is outside of the box b. Inside the box: boxes with knockout text were placed inside the photo area, covering a part of the photo c. Columns: One or multiple columns are created and placed on the cover, covering some of the illustration. A narrow table of contents would be in the column. d. Zones: Title, illustration, and cover lines would be in separate horizontal zones on the cover. e. Banners and Corners: Angled cover lines and headlines that are extremely prominent but "shouty" and usedveyr sparingly. f. Unplanned and planned spaces: The "unplanned" look involves placing the cover lines in blank spaces in the photograph or illustration, squeezing them in where possible. Planned spaces are tables, billboards, and other elements of the photograph that are blank and are designed to be covered over with text, cleverly integrating the copy and the illustration.