What's the story behind the covers?

Magazine editors and designers spend weeks -- sometimes months -- conceiving and executing their covers. And thousands of dollars. At Runner's World, for instance, our photo editor is on a plane each month to oversee the shoot of our cover. Often she spends two to three days on location -- in LA, or Portland, or NYC, or Miami -- making sure every detail, from the lighting to the backdrop to the shoelaces on the shoes the model is wearing, is perfect (or as close to perfect as possible). Then, once she is back in the office, she must go through hundreds of shots in search of the one that will go on the cover of the magazine.

And then she has to wait to see if her work -- her effort and time and precision to detail -- pays off.

That pay-off comes when we get the sales reports from Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart and other big retail chains. We get weekly reports for each of the four weeks the magazine is on the newsstand. We can tell pretty quickly if we have a winner or a clunker. And you want winners because, obviously, sales drives revenues which drives profits.

Losers, well, drive everyone nuts.

And the line between a winning cover and a losing cover can be the 5 or 6 seconds someone like you -- the consumer -- has to glance over a row of magazines at a newsstand. Magazine editors and designers spend hours and tons of money on their covers. You spend seconds.

It can be maddening.

But as intense as it may be, it's what drives the creative energy at pubs: To come up with the cover that will draw a reader to the magazine, and entice him or her to spend 4 or 5 or 7 dollars on it.

It's kind of cool.

For a look the stories behind some of the most successful covers of recent years, check out this link.

http://www.magazine.org/asme/about_asme/asme_press_releases/2010-best-cover-winner.aspx

Apple Rules the World

As I perused the magazine section at the bookstore, my eye was instantly drawn to the sections that I often look at - the fitness section, the food section and the gossip section. Instead of picking one of those up, I took a step back to be able to absorb the entire picture. While the picture often only includes the three sections that I read, it now included sections from cars to politics to technology.

Since I was venturing into a new territory, I decided to pick up a magazine with lots of simplicity. Mac Life has a white cover with very few words and limited pictures cluttering the cover. Often the covers of magazines have a lot going on, perhaps because the editors of the magazine want to convey to their readers that the magazine has a lot to offer. However, the editors of Mac Life took a drastically different approach.

My first thought of why the magazine is so simple is because they are saying that Macs are simple. By saying Macs are simple and their advice on Macs is simple, they may hope to attract an audience of technology amateurs. As I perused through the magazine, the main content of the magazine was how-tos including 10 for Macs, 5 for iPhones and 5 for iPads. Not only were the how-tos very applicable and general to the common user, some of the questions that were answered were questions that my mom had asked me about the iPhone. These pieces were written in very simplistic manner with step-by-step guides on how to do one thing or another on your Apple device.

I don't own a Mac so why would I pick up a magazine called Mac Life. One reason was to see whether the magazine included information about other Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPod and iPhone (which it did). Another reason was to see whether it would intrigue me at all. Surprisingly it did. One main difference between Mac Life and the other magazines that I read on a regular basis is the mere appearance and set up of the articles. Mac Life is more systematic and doesn't include as much creativity in how the articles are laid out. While it was fun to pick up something new, I'm sorry to say that Mac Life can not expect to earn a dime from me.

Oh Em Gee - It's the Biebs

Have you been to the Lehigh bookstore recently? It's had a major face lift.  The Market Place, a food and convenience store across Campus Square, has since closed its doors and relocated to the bookstore and taken the place where the magazine racks were.  I had some difficulty finding the new location of the magazine rack (it's now to the left of the stairs near the best sellers).  When I found the magazines, I was pleasantly surprised many covers caught my eye. Perhaps because it's February and SI's swim suit issue is obviously dead center on the rack. The swim suit issue did not however divert my attention away from Vogue, featuring Lady Gaga on the cover, with of course, a new hair style making her barely recognizable. It did not surprise me that several magazines featured at least one Kardashian sister - those girls really know how to market themselves!  

One publication I've always liked, but never had the opportunity to read is Rolling Stone. This month features Justin Bieber with an edgy new hair cut. I'm stunned! In my opinion,  "The Bieber Fever" is based primarily off his tween looks and long, flowy shag hair cut. Naturally, I picked up the magazine to check if the article discussed this pressing "issue".

"The adventures of Super Boy: God, girls and boat loads of swag. How Justin Bieber went from Canadian YouTube oddity to the biggest teen idol in the world". A long deck and headline for the feature article, but appropriate. On page 56, the feature confirms my previous accusation; "The hair of the Biebs is a whole article in itself. It's a pleasant hue, made up of all the colors found in hay, and as luxurious in person as it appears on screen.". Ah, this description is music to my ears (pun intended). The article also discusses The Bieb's rise to fame via YouTube and Usher, his " relations" with Disney star Selena Gomez (jealous) and his brand new Range Rover, which he received for passing his road test ... Last week (just kidding!) 

Aside from the Bieber feature, Rolling Stone covers a variety of topics, from an article on Wall Street to upcoming Indie rock artists. I always struggle to keep up with music trends inside the Lehigh bubble, so I benefit from this magazines' input. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to this publication in the future.  

Marie Claire

Sometimes, when I find myself with an hour or so of free time, I head to the Lehigh Bookstore, grab a magazine and read it over coffee. I usually choose between Vogue, Cosmo, and Seventeen. This discretion comes from trying out numerous other fashion, beauty, and style magazines and finding these three to be my favorites. I choose between the three depending on who is on each cover and what is featured in the month's issue from reading the blurbs on each cover. Before I shopped, I knew I would be buying one of those magazines, only rarely would the cover of another entice me enough to stand at my local drug store or airport and flip through its contents - and even then I wouldn't buy it.

Today I was determined to be objective and find a cover that really enticed me regardless of the name at the top of the magazine. I stood for a while, looking at the rack and judging the magazines that caught my eye. Okay's colors and fonts made it too hokey, too trashy. Rolling Stone was a little better, but it just seemed too brash and masculine for my taste. Finally, Marie Claire. I knew who was on the cover - Miley Cyrus - but what really struck me were the colors, type, and layout of the cover - it was truly elegant and alluring. The colors on this cover were done very well. The blue in background made me think of the cold winter, which is still very much a part of February. Miley was wearing a yellow chiffon dress signaling spring, which has been peeping through the winter for a day here and there. The red - which highlighting specific articles - helped topics stand out, but didnt overwhelm the cover. The crispness and beauty of the cover made me think that the magazine took their layout seriously, and suprisingly, this made me want to read more.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised at how much a cover can affect one's desire to read a magazine. I guess it is obvious - covers are in many ways the most important part of magazines. The cover is the potential reader's first impression. They are the magazine's chance to grab your attention and say "You have to read me!" However, I was struck by just how much respect I had for Marie Claire because it produced an elegant cover, which stood out to me on the rack of tens of other magazines. The cover begged me to read on - and I did.

Simple Really Is Better

I always hesitate to visit the magazine section of the bookstore because I almost always end up spending $20 on magazines that I don't really need. Unfortunately, reason goes out the window the second I see those glossy covers and I usually gravitate to the magazines before I even satiate my thirst for a warm cup of coffee.

This week when I walked into the bookstore, the magainze that caught my eye was surprisingly one with the simplest of covers. I don't know whether I was drawn to it because it happens to be my favorite magazine or whether it stood out to me in a sea of magazine covers dominated by photographs.

This was the magazine that really caught my eye! Something about the simple white background contrasted with the bright blue dress (and one of my favorite actresses, woo Modern Family) drew me to it. Of course I had to buy it and devour it!

I was surprised that the tabloids or other magazines weren't the first thing my eyes were drawn too! The placement on the shelf of this magazine was actually right at eye level so that might have had something to do with it to! Either way, it was simple and the color scheme on the cover really worked for me! SHAPE did it right this month because I walked out with that magazine!

Simplistic Styles

Magazines can be overwhelming. Standing in front of the rack at Lehigh's Barnes and Noble, I felt like my eyes were being torn in every which way by the busy covers. Allure wants to tell me "What's Beautiful NOW" and Women's Health says, "SHRINK YOUR BELLY," among a multitude of others. Most of them have attractive women on the covers with differently sized and colored text surrounding them.

Amidst all this visual stimulation, my eyes kept wandering to one specific magazine. A magazine with a trademark yellow border. National Geographic.

I tried to look away. I fought myself. "I don't want to write about National Geographic," I thought. "It isn't any fun."

But that yellow border sucked me in. And it wasn't just the yellow border, I realized. Unlike most of the other magazines, National Geographic's cover was distinctly minimalistic. The cover image was a fox's face, centered, against a snowy white background. The very top of the page lists three articles inside. The magazine's title follows, centered. Finally, the headline and deck for the cover story. The bottom half of the cover is completely devoid of text.

I don't know if it's just because I hadn't eaten anything yet that morning, but that simple cover was much easier to swallow than the others.

With that said, I don't believe National Geographic put any less thought into their cover than any of the magazines. In fact, they may have to deliberate even more. With such minimal information on the cover, they have to be absolutely confident that their main story will be able to draw in readers. In this case, I would say they succeeded. The cover story, "Designing the Perfect Pet: Can a fox become man's best friend?" will appeal to just about anyone who has a pet, and that, of course, is a large number of people.

Spine Chilling Cover

While awaiting the arrival of my chai tea latte at the Barnes Noble at the Lehigh Valley Mall, I began to run my eyes across the various covers lying on the racks. The magazine that popped out with an abnormal intensity was the cover of W Magazine. This magazine is often known for its sophisticated take on fashion, style, and the art of living. W is supposed to fee both the eye and the mind, which it certainly did to me as I raced my eyes across the racks.

I have browsed over W Magazine before, however, I have never purchased or truly even read any of the articles in depth. My mom has always subscribed to W and previous covers had never drawn me to the magazine before. This one was different. This cover consisted of the actress Rooney Mara covered in punk apparel with bleeding knuckles. All of the writing across the cover was written in whites and reds, which made them jump out against the mundane grey background.

What really drew me to this magazine was the imagery versus the actual articles that existed within the edition. When usually looking at a fashion magazine cover, one is used to looking at color, high fashion, delicacy, etc. However, for this cover, the theme resonated more with a dark and bone-chilling feeling. It was shocking to see a woman portrayed in this manner on the cover of magazine; luckily after glimpsing through the magazine itself, I later learned that the cover was portraying Rooney Mara’s character Salander. I certainly will not be surprised if this edition sells out pretty quickly!

BIG Hair for a Big Magazine

While running my fingers over the stale paper magazines, listening to the pages ruffle as I brushed my fingers over them, I was prepared to find a political magazine, or a news magazine, as the assignment was to chose a magazine I didn't typically read. As I wandered down the rows of wooden magazine shelves, tearing my eyes away from the provocative and stimulating covers of Elle, Vogue and Seventeen, I was caught by surprise when I found myself stopping in front of New York Magazine. My parents read New York Magazine, and so, by default, what's left of the rebellious teenager in me refuses to read what my parent's generation values. But, in this instant, I was captivated. Known for covering the style, life, politics and culture of NYC, this magazine was a far stretch from my typical lazy Sunday afternoon reading about Kim Kardashian's new sex tape scandal, or "Beiber Fever." Yet, the cover lured me in.

On the cover, was a seemingly naked woman, except for a small denim fabric which covered her chest, with the biggest hair I had ever seen. This hair could kill. Literally. It was as if an entire flock of birds perched on her head and made a nest. Her hair must have been taller than her torso. At 5'2", Jessica looked 5'9". It was fantastic. It was fashionable. It was outrageous. It was provocative. For those reasons, I stopped at this magazine.

I don't think I even realized that the magazine was the typically mundane and socially forbidden New York Magazine until I got past the woman's outrageous hair. I also didn't realize that for as out-of-character it was for me to be picking up this type of magazine, the woman on the cover was actually someone who would typically appear in my normal magazines of Elle, Vogue and Seventeen. The woan on the cover, Jessica Simpson, was breaking her norm of only appearing in gossip, fashion and tabloid magazines, so why couldn't I break my norm and pick up New York Magazine once in a while? Well, thanks to this assignment..perhaps I will!

Billboard Magazine

A magazine cover that caught my eyes, above all others, was the February 2011 issue of Billboard magazine. There weren't as many colors, like the other magazines. The only colors were the coloring inside the letters of the title "Billboard" - simple: red, yellow, and blue. But the contrast of those simple colors with the black, whites and grays of the rest of the cover made it stand out.

The writing was not crowded or overdone. In large letters, all I made out was GAGA. I was immediately interested. Her outfit was crazy as always. A long black cape looking outfit with some sort of giant hat extending from her head (forming the "i" in "billboard") Her shoes looked like something I had never seen before - impossible to walk in, definitely.

It really was not the content of the magazine that attracted me to it, but the simplicity of the format coupled with the craziness of what made up the design. The phrase "less is more" definitely applies here, especially when working with someone who already commands so much attention like Lady GaGa. Nothing else should be trying to compete with her for attention on the cover!

Elle Magazine, Katy Perry Cover

When I strolled over to the magazine rack in the Lehigh Barnes and Nobles, the first cover that immediately caught my eye was Elle's. I have never read Elle before, but the cover was shocking. It is an image of Katy Perry in a bright green jacket, bright blue shirt (with her matching blue bra showing), gold belt, and bright purple pants. Her lipstick is also a bright pink shade.

I thought this portrayal of Katy Perry was really interesting, mostly because she usually does not pose with so many layers of clothes on. Elle is also a fashion magazine, and her outfit seems to completely and totally clash. However, Perry is definitely making a statement by wearing this outfit. She is a huge star right now, and her album is one of the top albums in the country. Elle is sure to get a lot of attention because of this cover.

When I picked up the magazine, I could not believe how huge it is. It has about three times as many pages as the other magazines and it is more expensive. As I started flipping through the pages, I realized a ton of them are advertisements or just pictures of women posing in fashionable outfits. Many pages seemed like a waste to me. However, the cover was enough to get me to search for articles within the magazine. For example, the cover says "The real reason you hate your looks (and how to get over it)." A lot of college girls, including me, would be really interested to read into that. I read the article and it was interesting and relevant.

I am not sure that I would buy Elle in the future, just because it is expensive and a lot of the fashion items do not interest me, but I do think the cover was attractive and the setup was easy to navigate.

Noticing the difference

As I wandered over to the magazine rack at the bookstore, the first magazine to catch my eye was Nylon.

It wasn't because Leighton Meester (who I secretly enjoy watching on Gossip Girl - oops, guess that's out of the bag) was on the cover, but because it was a different spin on the magazines of the same niche that were there.

Nylon takes the typical Cosmo-esque fashion/women's issues magazine and gives it a modern spin. The publication is more artistic than most, as it uses color and font in creative ways, instead of the normal sans serif headlines you would find in Glamour or Marie Claire. The big stories were still high-fashion like the others, but the way their items were placed on the page was so refreshing. It wasn't textbook.

But the only problem was that because it was so different, it was a bit hard to read. After reading all sorts of magazines that followed the same format, it was hard for my eyes to follow (maybe I just need glasses). The font used was a bit different, but so small for what it was in the editorial photo spreads.

So, the difference is there. While the artistic value lies in its pages, I'm not so sure I'd want to substitute that content for the easy to follow, sameness of the other magazines I've read. Perhaps after some time, but change is weird for the eye.

An Eye-Catching Cover

Among the racks of magazines at the Barnes & Noble in Campus Square, Miller-McCune caught my eye. Not a publication I read, or have ever even heard of for that matter, the cover was something I could not overlook. Pictured was a [cartoon] baby seated in a high-chair. In its mouth was a cigarette, with an older male's hand (father figure) reached out lighting the baby's cigarette. On the table was a bottle of prescription drugs and in the baby's hand was a bottle of alcohol. Naturally, this image would stop anyone in their tracks. After I grabbed the magazine I proceeded to read the headline: "The bad daddy factor. The overlooked connection between male behavior and fetal health."

I was so interested in this cover and its subsequent headline that I decided to read the entire article. I ended up learning about how the behavior of males, not just females, can influence a baby's health. Men who work around heavy metals, mercury, and pesticides, for instance, are more likely to produce sperm with the wrong number of chromosomes. Men who smoke, and drink alcohol and caffeine are also more likely to produce sperm with abnormalities.

From browsing through the pages of Miller-McCune I learned that its focus is on health, psychology and the environment. Although I'm not about to subscribe to Miller-McCune, I am much more likely to pick up a copy the next time I'm in a Barnes & Noble. This goes to show that an attention-grabbing cover or headline can attract just about any reader... even those who have never heard of the publication before.

A Few of Your Favorite Things – And Least Favorite

Some insightful observations on the world of magazines. Taking a page out of Real Simple, I’ll try to simply categorize what folks liked (and didn’t like) about their particular magazine choice:

Courtney on Real Simple

Liked: Simple content that serves to provide the reader solutions to everyday problems.

Disliked: Where are the longer, deeper stories?

 

Alyssa Gerety on People

Liked: Had its own “diction”. Its own voice. Plus, the magazine lived up to its name: It tells stories about People, often succinctly.

Disliked: Nothing much.

Gina on Time

Liked: The photography. As Gina puts it, “Some [photos in Time] are tragic, some are humorous, and all of them come with a high emotional impact. The goal of photojournalism is capturing the essence of the story in a picture.”

Disliked: Not much in this particular issue.

Michelle on Cosmo

Liked: Pages like “Cosmo at a Glance” and “Hot Sheet” that deliver a lot of info in a short amount of space. She also writes, “People like me buy this magazine to escape, to relax, to feel pleasure in reading about light topics in a world of heavy and serious ones. To me, Cosmopolitan is a guilty pleasure.”

Disliked: Not much in this issue.

Loulou on Entertainment Weekly

Liked: That it appealed to a target audience of movie buffs. The imagery was appealing in some cases.

Disliked: In some cases, the imagery overwhelmed the magazine

Alyssa Gutjahr on Fast Company

Liked: A couple of stories, one on China and one on Haiti. Otherwise...

Disliked: A lot of that the stories did not seem very stimulating and a cover that “I do not like the feel of... Literally.” (Nicely put.)

Jackie on Time

Liked: The cover is compelling, and sidebars to the cover story (on the Tucson tragedy) that relate to society beyond the Arizona city. The overall graphics, too.

Disliked: Confusing front-of-the-book layout.

Ally on People

Liked: That it fulfilled “its niche to entertain and to appeal to audiences fascinated by Hollywood.”

Disliked: People’s “lack of substance was quite apparent.”

Adrian on Men’s Health:

Liked: A “double cover” (which MH will use maybe twice a year) and some “interesting longer articles” that were difficult to find because of ...

Disliked: A confusing layout, made more difficult by the number of ads.

Sarah on Real Simple:

Liked: A simple layout with a wide variety of content.

Disliked: Lack of in-depth pieces. “This magazine would have benefitted from some balance of its content – a few more investigative or narrative pieces and a few less guides and lists.” Also, that a page of recipes had been ripped out. (Sorry, my wife snagged it.)

Debbie on Inc.

Liked. That it appealed to a particular nice audience.

Disliked: That right now that niche (business people) doesn’t include her.

Megan on Time

Liked: The Briefing section. Great way to catch up on the news.

Disliked: Aspects of the design. Headlines used the “same bold, boring font” that “gives the magazine a business feeling.”

Nick on Fortune

Liked: How the graphics and photos brought life to a staid topic.

Disliked: Not much (at least in this issue). -- Charlie

All About People

I’ve read People Magazine before. It’s so easy to skim through magazines like People, US, and Cosmo without really analyzing what you're reading. I was truly intrigued when I took a closer look at what is contained within People.

Most stories in the magazine were around 150 words. Theses pieces were anecdotes or stories to describe current events surrounding celebrities, they took the form of short profiles, news stories, updates, and reviews. There were also more developed stories that were a blend of profile and news. In this issue, these stories followed starlets down the aisle in under 500 words. Also included within the magazine were a few harder news pieces that got a little longer in the their word counts. They were still about people, but they followed harder news lines, went more in-depth, and didn't necessarily have to be about celebrities. 

One aspect of the magazine I noticed – that may seem rather obvious – is that it was about people.  In other magazines, news stories may focus on events or trends, but this magazine was heavily focused on people – mostly celebrities – and their stories.

Another facet of People that struck me was the diction used within the magazine. The magazine has its own style when it comes to diction, employing words that reference fashion, sex, or pop culture when describing many of their somewhat commonplace pictures of celebrities. They include play on words such as “aww-inspiring” when talking about things like celebrity’s babies. This diction is something that makes the magazine unique and fun to read.

Real Simple Solutions

Real Simple is a magazine that I've picked up many times before, whether I've been sitting at the doctor's office or perusing magazines at the newsstand. The magazine consists of short pieces that are mainly service and how-to pieces. However, something I've never noticed is the common theme weaving among all of the pieces - there's a solution.

Real Simple. While the magazine is simple in its layout and design, it is also simple in its content. All of the pieces serve to answer some question or problem that many women around the world are asking. Writers suggest how to transform ordinary day things such as packing peanuts into garland or doll up your house with a variety of different colors depending on the mood you want to create. They address homey things and also culinary questions. For example, how might one create a yummy snack out of ordinary nuts? Real Simple has the solution!

Another thing that amazed me was the fact that the magazine can take something as ordinary as toothpaste and write a piece on it. The pieces in general tend to feature lots of products by using comparisons between them and distinguishing what makes one better than another.

While the magazine is nice and aims at making your life simpler, it lacks any long pieces or out-of-the-ordinary pieces. Everything is predictable, which is good but lacks excitement.

The Other Half

Photographs.

For me, photographs are the saving grace of magazines. Yes, the articles can be interesting, but overall, I would prefer to read a novel. Magazines are too busy and often hard to navigate. I couldn't tell you how many times I've opened a magazine in a waiting room and spent five minutes trying to find one of the cover stories.

Novels, though, don't have photographs. In the January 2011 Time magazine I picked up, the cover has a full-page portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma. I barely noticed the title "The Fighter" as an afterthought after being captivated by the portrait. Time, unlike fashion magazines, doesn't seem to airbrush their cover models. You can see Suu Kyi's wrinkles, her pores--individual eyelashes. Her eyes, so brown they're almost black, compelled me to read the article more than any head or deck ever could.

The rest of the magazine follows suit, complementing articles with photographs. Some are tragic, some are humorous, and all of them come with a high emotional impact. The goal of photojournalism is capturing the essence of the story in a picture. Taking that into account, I'd call this issue of Time a success, at least for the photographers.

My Guilty Pleasure

As a college student, I often find myself with my nose buried in thick, boring textbooks with size 8 fonts and no pictures. When reading a magazine, all I want to do is relax and get lost in a world of designer clothes I can't afford, vacation spots I can only dream of and celebrity love-lives I wish I was a part of. For me, magazines are less about reading and more about entertainment.

Cosmopolitan is one of the best-selling magazines for teenagers and young adults. It covers topics like celebrities, love, life, sex, health, beauty, man and fashion. These topics are easy to find, and listed in the front of the magazine to give readers an idea of what's to come.

The most useful page in the magazine for me, however, is the "Cosmo at a Glance" page, which focuses on the most important topics being discussed and briefly expands on them with small illustrations, photographs and captions. It's a great way to get a taste of the meal before you eat it.

Another one of my favorite pages in the magazine is the "Hot Sheet" page, which discusses recent trends in the entertainment and media industry. In the issue I was examining, Cosmo explored dress fabrics, spooky sequels and cyber styling. This page gives readers like me a quick insight into emerging trends which might be explored throughout the issue.

An article which I really enjoyed reading in this issue of Cosmopolitan was the interview with celebrity Lauren Conrad. With technology like photoshop, and the prevalence of libel and rumors, celebrities often have their images shaped in unpleasant and unwanted ways. It's refreshing to cut through all the rumors and hear the story from a celebrity's point-of-view, which is why I enjoyed Lauren's interview piece.

People may say that magazines like Cosmopolitan are junk, and that they don't explore real-life, important issues beyond celebrities and fashion. This may be true, but no one ever bought Cosmo to learn about current events or politics. People like me buy this magazine to escape, to relax, to feel pleasure in reading about light topics in a world of heavy and serious ones. To me, Cosmopolitan is a guilty pleasure.

Entertain Me

Being a movie buff, Entertainment Weekly popped out on the table filled with tens of titles staring back at me. I have always briefly scavenged through this magazine in hopes of finding a few good reviews of movies or a new hit tune to listen too. This particular issue was devoted to 2010 entertainers and their influence in the entertainment business, a very intriguing topic for me.
At first glimpse, when skimming through the magazine quickly, I noticed how much imagery was present in the magazine. Almost all of the articles had full page images of profiles,movie sequences, even the advertisements took up many full pages. Certainly images are important in a magazine like this, however, they seemed to take over a little too much.
One of the articles that really stood out to me was the Social Network article in which the cast of the feature film was discussed. For each character, you read a quote and a "Why Him/Her?" It gives you a different persepctive on the process of choosing characters for a movie.
In general many of the articles were very short, either interviews or a quick recap of the entertainer's past year.
Although Entertainment weekly is not a magazine I would purchase per say, I recommend it for any movie goers or tv buffs out there.

Fast Company

I picked up the Fast Company magazine because I had never even heard of it before, and decided I should give it a read. The first thing I noticed, however, is that I do not like the feel of the magazine. Literally. It has a rough back and front cover, unlike the smooth shiny paper material of most magazine covers. 

This issue is based around the discoveries made in China, one of the most innovate countries in the world. I think this is an interesting idea. However, there are a lot of tiny articles in the magazine that I don't find interesting at all. 

One saving grace is a half-page picture of a woman in Haiti, in the middle of a disastrous area of rubble in a community devastated by the earthquake, standing with towels balanced on her head. But she has all of her attention focused on the cell phone in her hand. This article is about the technologies that help better deliver services to Haitians. It is extremely interesting, and this picture is very colorful and human.

The other articles I don't find as interesting. There is an article about ordering flowers from a new and upcoming company, but the flower arrangements are extremely expensive so I don't find it that relevant. There are many articles about "fake" Facebook pages that started in China and may surpass Facebook in numbers, but I do not find it that interesting because it probably will not affect me at all. 

There are at least six pages in the magazine that are just completely text, with no pictures or any deviation. It looks extremely boring and monotonous to read. I do not love this magazine, although it did have a few interesting articles. 

Time: Surprisingly Enjoyable

I often find myself picking up Time magazine and simply flipping through and glancing at the headlines, and putting it down again. However, every now and then, including this issue of Time, I find myself truly interested in several of the articles.

The cover is simple, reading "Special Report: Tragedy in Tucson," the title "Time," and then "Guns. Speech. Madness. Where we go from Arizona." It features a picture of the Arizona gunman with his a maze drawn where his brain is and a question mark in the center. This cover was very compelling because it is something that I think the entire nation is interested in learning more about, and it shown in an attention grabbing way.

The article about the tragedy in Tucson is rather long, but since it is on a topic that is incredibly important, and it is written in a way that is easy to read yet very informative, I found myself able to make it through the entire thing, a rare occurrence with Time articles!

Time doesn't just include information that directly relates to the tragedy in Tucson, but also indirectly related articles. For example, an article is written about dealing with grief and myths about grief in the wake of tragedy, an article "Are We Becoming an Uncivil Society?"

One complaint I would make about the magazine is the layout of the front of the book articles. Although the content was very informative, it is laid out in a way that is confusing and makes it difficult to know in what order to read the stories, or to tell the difference between stories, ads and random bits of information.

For a magazine that is mostly serious in content, I thought they used graphics very well. The pictures and graphs helped to break up the larger stories. Overall, I enjoyed reading this issue of Time magazine!

People: A Guilty Pleasure

Eyeing the pile of magazines on the table, I was immediately drawn to People. While I do enjoy a leisurely read of The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal from time to time, I don't always have 1-2 hours to spend on such lengthy papers. That is why I prefer People, and other similar pop-culture oriented magazines, on any given day. Whether I am about to embark on a 5-hour plane ride or sit down for a manicure, the world of celebrities, fashion, and glamour is what I choose to entertain myself with. I guess it's really no surprise though, considering I am interested in pursuing a career in public relations and entertainment media.

While I was reading this one particular issue of People it occurred to me just how superficial the magazine really is. Granted, People doesn't pride itself on being the most newsworthy publication out there. Even so, its lack of substance was quite apparent. The two biggest stories featured in the issue was a 6-page spread of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding-in-the-works and an 8-page spread on the "Sexiest Man Alive" Ryan Reynolds.

As for the rest of the magazine, advertisements consisted of perfume, men's cologne, hair and beauty products, jewelry, cell-phones, iPods, and cars. The [few] remaining articles discussed the best dressed celebrities from the latest award shows, as well as reviews of recent TV shows, movies, and CDs.

I personally think there is nothing wrong with a magazine lacking a lot of substance. Its niche is to entertain and to appeal to audiences fascinated by Hollywood. For me, I get my hard-core news and current events updates from sources such as the Web, The Times or USA Today. But that is not to say I can't enjoy a guilty pleasure such as People, US Weekly, or In Touch, on the side.

Tough Read

I'm the type of guy that likes it when a magazine is easy to read and digest. This is why I'm such a big fan of Rolling Stone. They start with short stories about what's trending in music, you then go on to the feature well and end with reviews.

When I picked up the December issue of Mens Health in class, I did so rapidly, not because I thought it was the best one since it was on top of all the other magazines, but because I've always been curious to see how it is structured and what kind of stories it runs. I can't say I'm a huge fan of magazines that are almost entirely made up of how-to pieces.

The huge amount of ads make the layout of the magazine confusing. The headlines should also be bigger so that people can get an idea of what each story is going to be about. The fact that Mark Wahlberg was on the cover, and that the story didn't run more than 4 pages made me wonder that had I'd paid for the magazine on a newsstand, I wouldn't have gotten my money's worth. The good stories weren't advertised in the cover, so it wasn't until i flipped through every page of the thick magazine that I was able to discover some interesting reported features.

What I probably liked the most about this issue (I don't know if this is something Men'sHealth publishes on every issue) was the double cover. The back cover featured a tech guide for 2011. And while tips on how to improve my health didn't appeal to me as much, the guide was actually really interesting and helpful.

Real REAL Simple

Despite living with four guys, I do have a domestic side, which is why I reached for the copy of Real Simple to examine. At first I was impressed with the layout and images. The thick magazine is broken into sections like beauty, health, home, money and food. Food was by far my favorite, the bold pictures and simple recipes especially appealed to me. (Even though, I have to say I was disappointed to find a page of recipes ripped out!)

There was a lot of information stuffed into this magazine, from kitchen gadget I didn’t even know existed to money saving tips, Real Simple really had it all. I understand the allure of this magazine, the layout makes it simple for reader to find what they are looking for and fast. However, I was not impressed by the content. After paging though the magazine cover to cover I noticed a lack of quality content.

As the lifestyle editor for The Brown and White, I have quickly learned the difference between content that takes time and content that is placed in a fluff or filler. The excessive amount of top ten lists and how-to guides along with the difficulty I had finding longer features made me think the editors of Real Simple are just real lazy. This magazine would have benefitted from some balance of its content – a few more investigative or narrative pieces and a few less guides and lists.

Maybe my attitude about Real Simple is because I am not the target reader. I could see myself with a subscription in ten or twenty years when I have a family and just want to know what the best way to clean my laundry room is or incorporate grey tones in my living room and don’t have time for 3,000 word features. But as a young reader looking to enter the journalism industry I demand a little more substance in my magazines, or at least a few more words.

Perfection in "Imperfectionists"

I may be one of the worst English/journalism double majors in the history of academia. My mantra until about a year ago was, “Yes, I study literature and writing, but I hate to read.” So what changed? Somewhere in London, my high school mentality of “if you make me do it I will hate it” disappeared. I discovered the classic texts of my Romantic literature, Shakespeare and American literature classes stuck around for the past few centuries for a reason. Amazingly, when I sat down to tackle the works of Austen, Shelly, Keats, Twain and Shakespeare it didn’t hurt, no tears were shed and I actually enjoyed reading. To be fair, breaking a twenty-year-long abhorrence does not happen overnight, but my mentality was definitely altered. The summer after my return from abroad I read more books by my own accord than I had since I took on the entire Harry Potter series in one month.

I find myself drawn to authors I can relate to: specifically contemporary Jewish authors and journalists turned authors. My favorite is Mitch Albom, as evident from my stained and worn copy of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” He is both a Jew and a journalist, so how can I help but love him? I am drawn to his style; it is easy to read, conversational, yet complex and emotional. I always walk away from his books with a mind full of bubbling question and new perspectives. Even though his background is in sports writing, Albom tackles difficult topics such as death and faith. He tackles them in a way that is not preachy but beautiful and always open for interpretation by the reader.

One of my new favorite books and writers comes from another journalist, and I encourage any journalist, anyone who has worked in a news room or even just read a newspaper to pick up a copy. The author is Tom Rachman and his novel is “The Imperfectionists.” I must confess I am about 100 pages shy of finishing the book, because I suffer from the common affliction of college students involving a guilty feeling associated with reading material other than the thousands of pages already assigned for classes. From what I have read so far, all I can say is this book is amazing! One of the best books, if not the best books I have read in a long time. What makes it so special? Not only does he recreate the landscape of the journalism industry for the past forty years spot on, but he takes the deadline crazy, in-your-face news business and makes is personal. The structure of the book is unique in that each chapter tells the story of one member of the staff of an English newspaper based in Rome. In between each chapter are a few pages telling the story of how the newspaper came to be.

There are moments in this book so real and heartwarming they I have to stop mid page to appreciate the genius of the writing. It is so easy for writers of any genre to fall into the trap of following clichés, I am not exempt from this. Stories have been told for centuries, so finding ones that have not been told before is rare. But Rachman brings a level of creativity to his novel that I did not expect, given his journalism background. I don’t think anyone who read this book would be disappointed, but I think it would be even more difficult for a journalist not to appreciate and relate to it.

Allure where there is none

When everyone else rushed up to the table and grabbed a copy of one of the magazines Professor Butler had brought, I hung back and waited for the chaos to clear before I took one of the leftover publications.

What was left? All business-themed magazines. While I find the business world interesting, I would in no way ever consider subscribing to a monthly business magazine like Inc.com Magazine, the one that I picked up solely because Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, was on the cover. And that's what got me thinking.

That's the clear allure of the magazine industry itself, as opposed to what brings someone to a particular magazine, whether it be the quality and style of writing, photography or design. People go to magazines in general because they're targeted to a specific niche. While a newspaper targets either a specific locale or large populace, a magazine seeks out those interested in a specific topic.

In a newspaper, those interested in sports are limited to either a pullout or the back few pages. Anyone interested in theater gets Arts and Leisure or the features section. But there are no limits in a single magazine devoted to those topics. The entire issue is devoted to discussing the topic of choice and at hand.

What appeals to one person doesn't necessarily appeal to another. They can dive right into their interests with no distractions (in this case, stories about things the reader is uninterested in). A business magazine may not necessarily "allure" me, but it does plenty of other people. Quite frankly, I would have rather had gotten my hands on Time or People.

That's what makes the industry so great: choice. Those who got to the table earliest had the greatest number of choices. But that's not essentially how the real industry works. You can always buy another copy.

So, Inc.com didn't allure me. The thought of my disinterest in it did.

Time Magazine

I don't usually read Time Magazine. It has always seemed kind of boring and serious, so when I see Time Magazine on a table, I usually opt for whatever the other alternative is, unless it is about technology, at which point, I would prefer to sit and read nothing. While I do like to read about current events from around the world, I prefer to get my news from newspapers.

However, after flipping through the December 2010 issue of Time Magazine, I was pleasantly surprised with the layout of the magazine. I especially liked the briefing section of the magazine, because it highlights the biggest stories since the last issue, so it is a good way for me to get more up to date with what is happening in the world outside of the Lehigh bubble. I also enjoyed reading the “verbatim” portion of the briefing section, because it is a whole page of pull-quotes, which I think of as a newspaper feature, but really enjoy reading.

The one thing that I was bored by was how the titles of each article were in the same bold, black font. I think it gives the magazine a business feeling, which is something that I don’t find too appealing. I think if the pictures and text was more exciting, I would be more inclined to read this magazine on a regular basis.

After flipping through the pages of Time magazine, I think I have changed my mind about this magazine. I won’t call in my subscription now, or anytime in the near future, and when I do, I probably won’t read each article word for word, but I think I would enjoy skimming these pieces occasionally. There are so many aspects of this magazine that would appeal to so many people, that I understand why people subscribe to this magazine. It has a good mix of subjects and a lot of the stories are short, so people can skim stories when they have a few minutes free, instead of feeling pressured to read a whole feature.

Fortune Magazine

I first must say I am not the most business-savvy student here at Lehigh. I spent one semester in the Business School here, but quickly learned it was not for me. However, I do still enjoy flipping through a business magazine, seeing what is good in the world of business. What I find interesting about Fortune Magazine, as opposed to the others I normally read such as ESPN, SI, and Inside Lacrosse, is the choice of fonts and photos. On first thought, I wouldn't expect to be intrigued by the photographs in a money magazine. How interesting can a photo of dollar bills be? How many different angles can be taken of coins or gold? Well it seems Fortune realized this, and went with a different angle. Within this particular issue, there are pictures of buildings and people taken from very strange angles that are very interesting. One of my favorites is a black and white photo of traders on the floor. It is an overhead view, providing a scene not many are used to seeing. Just this photo attracted me to read the article below it. Fortune also employs various fonts and colors well in their headlines, which also provides much attraction. While I may not become a regular reader, if Fortune is sitting on the coffee table or in the dentist's office, I'll definitely be looking at it.

House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

Words are simply wonderful. As an English major, it's no surprise that I love words. The things writers can do with combinations of words in the English language never ceases to amaze me. This appreciation has spurred my love of reading since I was in elementary school, and it helped encourage me to share this love in my future career as a high school teacher.

My favorite book, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, is the epitome of what I look for in a novel. I'll try to explain the main characteristics without offering any spoilers.

The plot is rather unique. In considering the plot and subplots, it's hard to pin House of Leaves into one genre. It's not romance, though there is love; it's not mystery or horror, though there are aspects of both; it's not science-fiction, though some of it is definitely not possible in this world.

Even despite the "out of this world" happenings in the novel, Danielewski's voice couldn't be more convincing. Reading this novel is as comfortable and natural as having a conversation. This draws the reader into the novel and engages that escapist mentality so many readers experience. The novel becomes reality.

Finally, the most unique aspect of this novel is the typography. Yes, Danielewski's writing displays a mastery of word choice, syntax, and story development, but he also positions words on the page in ways traditional authors would never imagine. Words are written upside-down, mirrored, and spiraling from the center of the page. Whole paragraphs are contained in footnotes. Sections are struck out, and some pages have notation informing the reader that words or paragraphs are missing altogether. You never know what to expect when you turn the page.

When Danielewski wrote House of Leaves, he surpassed the novel and wrote an entirely new experience.