This is the latest issue of US Glamour, and the first from new Art Director Geraldine Hessler (ex of Entertainment Weekly). The inside pages are good, but the cover is an absolute belter, with many things to admire and, quite possibly, steal. Here’s seven reasons why it’s so good.
1. The picture. Shot outside, so the sky is real. A red dress against a blue ground is a classic way to deliver terrific newsstand pop. Her hair looks great as well, with tons of texture and highlights.
2. The coverlines. At their best, American magazines really do craft their words, and this cover is no exception. Terrific economy of writing, with real value in every word.
3. Use of the hot spot. Do’s and Don’ts is the number one brand franchise, so to place it in the most powerful part of the cover, just under the logo, is smart. Although not large, the use of caps gives the line a very different feeling to the other main sells.
4. Punctuation. Unusual use of full points in the splash, along with good use of brackets and underlines elsewhere.
5. Typography. The main font has a small x height, which makes it feel very posh. Yet the type has been fitted with extreme care, so no ascenders crash, and the type size remains really good. There’s real drama between the size of the main splash, and the small line referring to Penelope. Which makes the cover feel very three dimensional. Smart use of a script in the mix as well.
6. The logo. Geraldine has redrawn it as a Roman as opposed to an italic for the first time in many years. It has lost none of its newsstand zip, but I suspect will play better to advertisers.
7. Colour. Aside from the red logo, it’s all delivered in the picture, with the type either black or white. This makes makes the cover feel both upscale, and shamelessly patriotic (ie mass market) at the same time.
Tags: Front covers, Magazines