Face Up: Favorite Magazine Covers of 2018 (So Far)
Foliomag.com asked seven magazine art directors for their picks for the best magazine covers of the past six months. Here’s mine:
Essence
March, 2018
Creative Director: Ronda Thompson
Issue Editor: Vanessa DeLucca
My favorite cover this year (at least so far) was the Essence March 2018 split-run newsstand edition in advance of the Black Panther movie (Essence did a solo cover of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman for subscribers). Everything about this pair of covers was brilliant: the intimate and iconic photography (by Denis Leupold), the simple yet rich styling (by Ade Samuel), and the polished typography. Creative director Ronda Thompson and the Essence team produced a masterful visual treat that is rich with power, elegance, and style.
Splitting the cast into groups of men and women was a brilliant decision, which not only highlighted an important aspect of the movie, but gave well-deserved prominence to some of the actors—especially Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright, who could have been overwhelmed—or just left out—of a larger cast photograph. The overall black, white, silver and gold color palette enhances the images’ regal feeling.
These are great covers which seem to connect to the Essence audience on multiple levels. Essence seems to be hitting a major groove with its covers of late, and is really rocking it, creating celebrity covers that combine newsstand appeal with social media power.
