In order to get started on my research, I decided to start examining some case studies of covers. Obviously, this was a logical decision because magazines start with the cover page. In order to get a sense for the genre conventions, I will be examining covers from three similarly issues-oriented publications: Mother Jones, The Atlantic, and National Review. While, these three favor different places on the political spectrum, these case studies will give me an initial impression of what the cover of a political magazine should look like.
The Atlantic
This issue of the Atlantic from March, 2016 (an MLA citation is included at the bottom), is an example of the style that I would like to emulate in my project. Aesthetically, I am drawn to the simplicity of the blue background. This is an ironic choice. Blue is usually a calming color, but obviously the subject matter and cover image are meant to be about a quite stressful topic. However, the clear and evenly lit background accentuates the puzzle image and makes it really stand out. Moreover, it is just the sort of simplistic design that I might be capable of (even with my chronic deficit of artistic talent).
Next, in examining the masthead it becomes apparent that the masthead holds great importance in the cover as a whole. The different size of text for the word “the” is an interesting stylistic choice, and I also think that it is interesting that it is layered above the feature story in the top right corner. The Feature story is about half the font size of the masthead, but is made more striking due to the bold black coloring. In this way, the title of the magazine becomes both noticeable and subtle, because the eye is drawn to the feature story first and then the masthead second. This is an interesting quality, because it is tailored specifically for the task of drawing attention to the magazine and enticing the Hudson Newsstand patron on the way to his terminal. He/ she is so intrigued by the story that regardless of his/her political views they find themselves considering the purchase before they look again and notice it's from a relatively liberal (albeit not that liberal) magazine. This is an interesting strategy that I’m seriously considering utilizing in my project.
Fallows, James. "How America Is Putting Itself Back Together." The Atlantic. Hayley Romer, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.
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