Paul Jones (famous for his wit and wisdom) once brilliantly lamented the disconnect between covers that win National Magazine Awards in Canada and how they actually sell. How to win an award for Best Cover? The formula: just create a cover that is “Art with Logo”.
Using cover lines is usually a very good idea, if you want to sell.
But this cover, from one of Canada’s great magazines, Adbusters, will probably sell extremely well. We will check in a few months and report back the results.
A relief to hear it said it outloud! I have seen many times that the award-winning covers are the ones who sell poorly on the newsstand. Not to take away from the talented directors behind the award-winners, it just depends on what you’re trying to acheive — art…or sales?! I’d take a loser that sells at a 70% efficiency at the stands any day.