Cover Review: Mother Jones
My new review for the Folio: online Face Up column looks at the July-August 2014 cover of Mother Jones, “Koch vs. Koch.” The cover was art directed by Ivylise Simones, and features a tabloid parody of right-wing bogeymen the Koch Brothers. The parody is spot on, with just the right mix of funkiness and visual chaos. The design holds nothing back, right down to the Mother Jones logo, which was redesigned for this issue to reflect a tabloid feel. The result is a cover that is fun, engaging, provocative and viral-ready. It takes a strong partnership between the editors and the visual team to create this kind of high-level, sophisticated cover design and it works brilliantly, crafting a set of images that work on so many levels.
Lately there has been a true renaissance of cover design at some of the most notable liberal magazines. In addition to Mother Jones, The New Republic (creative director Dirk Barnett) and The Nation (creative director Robert Best) have all been turning out exceptional covers. That raises this question: Why do liberal magazine covers look so much better and smarter than their conservative counterparts? While many liberal mags are having a design renaissance, two of the most prominent conservative publications, the National Review and The Weekly Standard, look dated and uninspired.
Related stories:
Robert Best Creates Powerful Imagery on the Covers of The Nation
