Magazine covers are meant to grab your attention and make you want to read what’s inside, look at the ads and buy the products. Some have been more successful at that than others. When they are very good, the covers themselves sometimes become icons. The following covers come from a variety of magazines that span all genres. They include some of the most controversial, groundbreaking, memorable and iconic magazine covers ever.
Sources: Mashable.com, Magazine.org, Content.TIME.com, WebDesignerDepot.com
In 1981, Rolling Stone Magazine released its January edition with a cover of a naked John Lennon cuddling with Yoko Ono. Though the picture itself may have stirred things up, the fact that photographer Annie Leibovitz took the photo just hours before Lennon was shot dead outside his New York City home made it even more unforgettable. The magazine dedicated the issue to Lennon. In 2009, the American Society of Magazine Publishers named it the most popular magazine cover in 40 years.
Annie Leibovitz made headlines again when she shot this photo of a pregnant Demi Moore for Vanity Fair’s August 1991 issue. Many people were taken aback by having a nude pregnant woman on a popular magazine cover, and some vendors went so far as to deny delivery and refuse to sell the issue. Meanwhile, many celebrities have taken similar photos since. Moore’s already-successful career took off even faster after she was on the cover.
Ellen DeGeneres is now considered one of the most popular talk show hosts on the air, but she had a difficult time after appearing on the cover of TIME Magainze’s April 1997 issue, where she announced to the world that she was gay. Some media outlets in conservative areas of the U.S. pulled her sitcom, but the cover cemented DeGeneres as a leading activist for LGBT rights, as well as a household celebrity name.
Muhammad Ali made as many enemies as he did friends when he famously refused to serve in the U.S. military due to his religious beliefs. When he was subsequently stripped of his heavyweight boxing title, Esquire Magazine released this April 1968 cover depicting his “martyrdom.” The issue was named “The Passion of Muhammad Ali,” and was an ode to Andrea Mantegna’s painting, “The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian.”
Saul Steinberg’s cartoon depiction of the manner in which New Yorkers view the rest of the world resonated with people everywhere, both in and out of New York City. While many believe that New Yorkers think they are the center of the world, Steinberg’s “View of the World from 9th Avenue” poked fun at this concept, and inspired many other magazines to imitate his idea.
Steve McCurry captured this photograph in 1985 of Sharbat Gula, a young girl living in a refugee camp on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The haunting picture told the story before readers even carried on to the article. Gula had seen her village bombed, her family killed, and had gone through things no girl her age should have to. National Geographic tracked Gula down years later and photographed her once more. Though the face may have changed, the eyes were undoubtedly the same.
Following the first U.S. moon landing, LIFE issued a special edition entitled “To the Moon and Back,” with a photo of astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon. Neil Armstrong shot the photo. The groundbreaking moment was immortalized in the magazine. The issue also provided biographies of the astronauts of Apollo 11 and a history of American manned space exploration.
People’s “Tribute to Diana” issue, released in September 1997, featured a heartbreakingly beautiful photo of the beloved princess. The issue would become the second-bestselling issue of People of all time. It sold more than 3.1 million copies. Princess Diana appeared on People’s covers 57 times. As the magazine’s managing editor, Larry Hackett, said, “The interest in the royal family remains extremely strong with People’s 43 million readers…Five of the top 10 bestselling issues of People have been about the Royals.”
Source: Mashable.com
Katiti Kironde made history when she was featured on Glamour’s August 1968 cover after winning the magazine’s Top 10 College Women competition. Kironde was the first black woman to make the cover of a major women’s magazine in the U.S. The issue became the best-selling cover in Glamour’s history at the time, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
In January 1973, National Lampoon released its notorious cover of a dog with a revolver being held to its head. The magazine jokingly captioned the picture, “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog.” No dogs were actually harmed in the making of the issue, and photographer Ronald G. Harris’s photo became the magazine’s most memorable cover. It spawned many imitations.