Both covers above have a main cover line and subsidiary lines. The Russian title keeps them out of the way at the bottom. Woman & Home uses a range of techniques to make individual lines stand out without overwhelming the others:

Notice that the vital New flash is in the left third below the cover so it will show up in all displays

The image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History of US covers

Database of covers

Study of US Life

Article bemoaning the decline in US cover design

Consumer magazine editors worry more about the cover more than any other part of the magazine. It has long been a mantra that an editor should prostitute himself for the cover, because it is so important to copy sales in the shops (particularly in the UK where 90% of sales are in newsagents).
There are no absolute rules to putting a cover together - as a look at the history of magazines shows. Technology has been a big factor in terms of what's possible (women's monthlies weren't so glossy 40 years ago, but advances in varnishing and lamination have now made them so). Many people bemoan the move away from the sort of covers that made the Illustrated London News and Esquire famous, but readers' tastes change; magazines must change with them or fold.
Generally, photographs are felt to work better than illustration. However, what works for one title might fail on another - computer magazines tend to like a factual look, with white background and photographs; yet computer gaming titles prefer moody illustration.
The models on women's weekly covers will not usually be household names; instead they reflect how the target readers feel - or want to feel - about themselves. Models will be chosen to look younger than the target reader (except on teen titles).
Bruce Willis is chosen as an international screen icon who moves in the sort of circles that the magazine's aspirational buyers would like to see themselves in.
Note that the faces are not centred on the nose, but instead on one of the eyes.
People prefer images of others with wide-open pupils - a sign of attraction in everyday life.
Colour: many editors avoid white, black and green. Red stands out but can be over-used. Contrast between colours may be more important.
Numbers are used to suggest there is a lot in a magazine. The bigger the better, with many editors preferring figures such as 162 to rounded numbers such as 100

Dick Stolley's mantra

 

 

 

 

 

 

A conversation with Dick Stolley