Illustration based:
The earliest illustrators had limited color pallets, often grayscale and perhaps one other color, usually red, though sometimes green or orange. As technology and budgets evolved, full-color print runs became possible. Even then, these radiant magazine covers would often be the only full-color artwork individuals had regular access to.
Thomas Lovell, Cover for Dime Western Magazine, 1938.
Lovell started his career illustrating for pulp magazines where, in the words of James Gurney, “color was a luxury.” As mentioned, many early magazines were limited to grayscale and red. It seems the limits Lovell was forced to work within proved educational. His compositional and colorists skill sets are still a wonder to behold, even to modern audiences who live in a profoundly color-soaked world.
Norman Rockwell, No Swimming, cover for The Saturday Evening Post, June 1921.
He is perhaps the most famous illustrator of all time. He experienced success so young that he was actively illustrating children’s publications like Boy’s Life as a teenager. At twenty-two, he received his first cover commission for Saturday Evening Post. During his first ten years of illustrating covers for the Post, his palette was limited to grayscale and red.
J.C. Leyendecker, Votes For Women, Study for Cover of Saturday Evening Post, January 1911. Oil on canvas:
Walter Martin Baumhofer, Interior Illustration for American Legion Monthly, 1921:
Image based:
With this design, usually images of prominant public figures are used as a strategy to market the magazines and increase sales, as well as making them more eye catching for the customers. Some examples of image-based magazines are as follows:
Concept based:
This cover design is often adapted by independent magazines, news weekly and business journals. One of the limitations of this design is, the concept of the cover should be easy to comprehend for the audience to make it a success - something that is difficult to do since everyone has a different level of perception.
Typographic based:
A typographic magazine cover design conveys the message and convinces the audience much better than images. It is not widely used now but, there is a possibility for an increase in its popularity as modern calligraphy and handwritten letter forms are gaining huge acceptance.
Sources:
Congratulations, Hira Asim! 🎉 Your dedication to researching and writing about different types of magazine cover designs is truly commendable. It's not easy to delve into such a nuanced and visually impactful field, but your blog posts and research reflect your passion and expertise. Keep up the fantastic work, and may your future endeavors in the world of design be just as inspiring!
Muhammad Waseem Jahangir.