Magazine Cover Review

 

MAGAZINE COVER REVIEW:

            The magazines that had been shown in the interactive lecture during this latest week in class were normally passed during most of my life. I had never put much thought in to how much detail and symbolism goes in to making a magazine attractive to the eye and the mind. When magazines are positioned at the checkout lines in supermarkets, I would usually think about who was still reading magazines when the internet is so easily available. With the knowledge I know now however, it is obvious to see appreciation and enjoyment some individuals get from magazines.

            Perhaps my stigma about magazines did derive from a belief that people would not be able to pay attention enough to a magazine to read an article all the way through. Magazines had been seen as boring in my eyes and to me, they were no match against the moving images and vibrant lights of a phone screen or internet page. While the article by Michael Scherer was made in 2002, it is still relevant when it comes to the attitudes towards magazines. The article makes callbacks towards times before the internet, the 1930s to be more specific, and stated how even long into the past people saw magazines as too long or that they did “not have time to read” because they had the radio instead, yet magazines still exist today. Another example that the article brings up is that consumers have more choices now than they did in the past, so while I may find magazines unnecessary others find it worth their time because of the work that goes in to creating them.

            Magazines need to stand out in a word where media is available almost anywhere and free, that is why magazine companies put great effort into eye-catching design and photography as well as artwork to grab readers into their ecosystem. Magazine companies also buy the rights to exclusive interviews with celebrity figures and collaborations that make paying the price of entry worth the money for some. A magazine that uses the art of design very well is rolling stone, by using bright colors that pop in the light and showing their main article celebrity on the cover makes grabbing the magazine a more likely event. Another magazine that incorporates a mostly celebrity attraction on the cover is vogue, usually having some of the wealthiest characters in the industry on the cover to show off their extraordinary clothing styles and tastes. Sometimes the entire magazine focuses on only one celebrity such as the Oprah magazine, where she continues her talk show identity into the paperback world to bring her audience of mostly women further joy off screen. Magazines also sometimes cater to a specific sex to increased interest among a certain group, Men’s Health would be an example of such a magazine, as it caters to all things man and how to keep the bodily machine running. And sometimes magazines can cater to a certain racial groups’ interests and culture, Essence is an example of a magazine that caters to black people and their interests and issues. Magazines have variety, and they clearly still have a place in today’s modern society.