The covers of the most famous publications are one of the indicators of the era. And this is understandable, because at one time the most famous photographers of their time took part in their creation.
We present you the top 10 most striking covers of leading print publications, each of which at one time became a real sensation.
List
- 10. Life, April 1965
- 9. Cosmopolitan, October 2018.
- 8. National Geographic, June 1985
- 7. Vanity Fair, July 1997
- 6. The New Yorker, September 2001
- 5. Life, 1969
- 4. Paper, winter 2014
- 3. Esquire, May 1969.
- 2.
- 1. British Vogue, June 2016
10. Life, April 1965
How can the essence of this terrible phenomenon be conveyed to a society that has never seen war on its territory? How at least for a moment to immerse a simple layman in an atmosphere of chaos and meaninglessness of what is happening, where death awaits you at every step? One of the most effective methods for achieving this goal is military photo chronicle from the scene.
In 1965, the cover of the celebrated edition of Life was dedicated to the Vietnam War, which claimed many lives and split American society. The photo shows a soldier who is trying to confront the enemy in a damaged helicopter. Nearby are his colleagues, one of whom is dead. This famous shot was taken by renowned British photographer Larry Burroughs.
9. Cosmopolitan, October 2018.
Against the background of anorexia nervosa spreading all over the world and annually taking thousands of lives of young people, many designers decided to promote the idea of body positive to the masses. By this, they are trying to explain to girls who are always exhausting themselves with all kinds of diets that bbw can also be attractive and be a kind of role model.
This idea inspired the creators of Cosmopolitan to invite the famous plus-size model Tess Holliday as a model for the cover of the issue. However, such an experiment was not enthusiastically received by everyone, as many readers accused the editor-in-chief of excessive promotion of obesity.
8. National Geographic, June 1985
This piercing photo is considered the most popular cover for the entire period of existence of the famous print publication “National Geographic”. At first, the editorial staff of the magazine rejected the offer to make this photo the cover of the June issue, arguing that it carries a strong negative psychological burden on the reader. But, in the end, the decision was made in his favor and, of course, he did not leave anyone indifferent.
Photo by Steve Maccary. It depicts an Afghan girl in a refugee camp. The child’s look, full of fear and a plea for help, became a symbol of the Afghan war.
7. Vanity Fair, July 1997
Everyone knows that the royal family in the UK, despite the lack of actual power in governing the country, and the abundance of various attacks on their reputation, are one of the main symbols of the state. Most ordinary English people understand this, and even taking into account that the maintenance of August persons is not cheap for British taxpayers, members of the royal family are still respected and honored by the vast majority of society.
That is why the cover of the queen herself and her household is a very responsible mission that only the elite trust. One of them was the photo artist Annie Leibovitz. This famous photograph captures Her Majesty Elizabeth II herself in an informal setting, surrounded by her pets, as the Queen personally insisted.
6. The New Yorker, September 2001
This cover has become one of the most striking symbols of the terrible tragedy that occurred in the United States in September 2001. Two huge towers, which were the symbol of New York along with the Statue of Liberty, collapsed as a result of the terrorist attack. This day divided the history of the States into before and after.
The black cover of the magazine was equally endorsed by both critics and the readership. The picture shows two barely distinguishable black rectangles that resemble a collapsed structure.
5. Life, 1969
The beginning of the second half of the 20th century was marked by the greatest event - the first manned flight into space. After several years, something no less amazing happened - the flight of astronauts to the moon. Of course, this event became the main one in 1969, therefore such a famous publication as “Life” could not deprive him of its attention.
This month, the issue was dedicated to astronauts visiting a satellite of the Earth. The cover captures Buzz Aldrin, one of 11 daredevils who took part in this space expedition.
4. Paper, winter 2014
Famous photo artist Jean-Paul Goode developed 2 cover options for the winter release. The model was made by everyone adored Kim Kardashian. In one of these pictures, the photographer captured a parody of his own 1976 work. However, in the original version, the model is naked, while Kardashian appears in an elegant black dress.
In the picture for another cover, Kim was already without clothes and showed her dignity in all its glory.
After the publication, there were a variety of reviews regarding the cover, but no one was indifferent.
3. Esquire, May 1969.
On the cover of this issue is the cult personality of his time - Andy Warhol drowning in a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, which has become, to some extent, a symbol of all his work. He portrayed it in several of his works, thereby exposing the philosophy of the consumer society. Thanks to Warhol, the bank became known as a separate art object.
The May cover of Esquire magazine was the epitome of the end of the pop art era.
2. Life, April 1965
This photograph became a real sensation, because it captures a fetus, 18 weeks of fetal development. It was shot by the famous Scandinavian photographer Lennart Nielson, who became the pioneer in the field of medical photography. Thanks to his fantastic photos of that time, people far from medicine had the opportunity to see the development of the child from the moment of conception to the birth of the world.
1. British Vogue, June 2016
Kate Middleton had to persuade for a long time to pose for the authoritative publication of Vogue. As a result, she gave her positive answer only to the anniversary issue of the magazine. Until the last moment, the photo shoot itself was shrouded in a halo of mystery, because in the editorial office no living soul knew about it, and even preparations were underway for the appearance of another version of the cover. To prevent leakage, there wasn’t even anyone on the set.
At the insistence of the Duchess of Cambridge herself, the photos were stylized as classic English country (Her Highness was categorically against the image of a typical prim lady). However, they were mostly mercilessly criticized by the public for their excessive simplicity, which, in the opinion of its subjects, did not suit a member of the royal family.