Now what's the point of all this industry with my fevered collections of magazine covers sorted by their titles? Some of the dullest books in eternity have paraded glossy reproductions of these juicy gems as a sort of visual candy. I want to use this luxurious spread as a series of visual tests for you, dear viewer.

The designer of the Magazine Cover has many aspects to consider:

1. how well do succeeding issues represent the title on the newstand?

2. how well does each cover design function with its accompanying text?

3. how well does the design represent the selected feature within, or the chosen theme for the magazine?

4. how appropriate is the design for the month of publication?

5. how does the sense of the title extend over time?

6.When the same title is used for a different type of publication, how is this to be absorbed? e.g. Life, Tatler etc.

Given the constraints, how closely does the design teeter on the edge of the Total Cliche? you can make your own list of infamy as to what will represent each month. Failures at this game and safe choices have a certain charm. But as readers we do know what is entailed by the presence of a Turkey, Beach Ball, Snow Ball, Hare, Pumpkin, Graduation Ritual etc etc.

I do recommend you looking at JUDGE which subverted the whole deal. Month by month succeeding issues presented their own versions of popular newsstand titles, Cosmopolitan, Saturday Evening Post, Popular Mechanix, with Pin-Up themes, Pulp Murder issues. How mischievously JUDGE infiltrated itself into the newsstand each month, sailing under false colours.