Magazine Covers presents an unparalleled survey of the best of British, American, and European magazine and periodical cover designs from the late 19th century to the present day. Whether trashy, avant-garde,academic, or political, the magazine cover provides a snapshot of contemporary ideals, politics, aesthetics, and trends.Here, for the first time, design expert and writer David Crowley offers a unique social and cultural history of the phenomenon of the magazine cover, tracing recurring themes as diverse as lifestyle, illustration,and celebrity culture.

The magazine cover has always been a formidable selling tool. Far more than in any other form of printed media, it is the cover that sells. Today, more than a century since the first boom for mass-market magazines, it is possible to 1ook back and see how the magazine has affected the way we perceive the world. Not only has the magazine cover provided the canvas for some of the world’s greatest designers and art directors, but also it has created lasting icons, from Richard Nixon on the cover of TIMEto Muhammad Ali’s depiction as a martyr for Esquire.

Magazine Covers is an unparalleled survey of the best of British, American,and European magazine and periodical cover designs in the 2oth and aist centuries, from Spare Rib to Ladies" Home Journal, from Man about Town to Dazed and Confused. Representative examples of the very best covers are chosen by design expert David Crowley to explain the methodology, motivations, and aims of the art directors and their designers, and to show how magazine covers are closely linked to the social and political events of the times. Thematic chapters explore prevalent trends occurring throughout magazine history including the high profile of illustration, from late a9th-century satire magazines to the present day; photojournalism and the response to current affairs; and celebrities and popular culture.

With over 300 illustrations of popular and more avant-garde examples, Magazine Covers is a social and cultural history, presenting a unique documentation of the history of the medium - required reading for all design students, designers, and vintage magazine collectors.

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: THE ART OF ART AND DESIGN MAGAZINES

CHAPTER 2: THE ILLUSTRATED COVER

CHAPTER 3: COVERING THE WORLD  

CHAPTER 4: CELEBRITY AND POPULAR CULTURE

CHAPTER 5: FASHION AND LIFESTYLE

FURTHER READING

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS