US versus UK: Magazine Covers, April 2012

1. VOGUE

Vogue US: I've been studying Medieval and Renaissance art in class lately, and this cover reminds me of a dramatic painting from that time period. It's something about the quality of the photo, the wonderfully Vogue-photoshopped features of J-Lo, and movement of the dress that make it look like a painted masterpiece. The theme of placing the celebrity in front of the ocean has continued, but once again I won't complain since I love the sea. This cover is picture perfect for me, and the consistent shades of red work perfectly.

Vogue UK: I think this design is fresh, the colors are very summery, but there is something a little awkward about her pose, with her mouth being agape and looking straight into the camera. 

WINNER: Vogue US.

2. COSMOPOLITAN

Cosmopolitan US: It's kind of funny to see how celebrities do the same poses over and over again. For example, the right hand on the hip pose. Both Megan and Holly are doing it here, then below Olivia does it on GQ UK, then Sophia and Drew on their InStyle cover, and finally Mila Kunis on Harper's Bazaar. A safe pose, that's for sure, but hey, they aren't models. The only thing I think of when I see Megan Fox so dolled up is how pretty she would be without so much makeup.

Cosmopolitan UK: Holly's eyes look dead and her mouth is in this very odd gurn. Not a fan of all of the big text and crazy fonts here. It's just so busy, it gives me a headache!

WINNER: Cosmo US, even though I don't love the red with the hot pink.

3. GQ

GQ US: Swagger. Pure swagger. Never have I seen Drake looking so sharp. This cover is lovely, and actually GQ just won the Ellie in the design category at the 2012 National Magazine Awards. It's clean, simple, your focused entirely on the celebrity and the clothes he is wearing.


GQ UK: This could work without a couple of things: the handwritten font with the white drop shadow, the "comedy special" boxes, and random placement of text. When it comes to design I find that less is more. Pick one cool element, like the drawn on horns and tail, and run with it. Everything else should compliment that element. 


WINNER: GQ US.

4. GLAMOUR

Glamour US: See, I love The Hunger Games and Jennifer Lawrence, so I'm happy to see her on the covers of both Glamour US and UK. There are things about each version that I really like, but on Glamour US, the backlighting and the lighting on her face just illuminates her so well. And I am very impressed the cutout they did on her hair. With their new redesign, I'm also happy the didn't use 50 different font colors like they did before. 

Glamour UK: I love the sultry look on Jennifer here; the eye makeup and loose curls. I actually really like the jumpsuit (?) on her. She's a curvy girl, and I love seeing that accented. 

WINNER: Glamour US. The lighting wins me over. 

5. INSTYLE

InStyle US: InStyle has the habit of placing all the text on one side and the celebrity on the other. I don't know if I like it or not. Otherwise, I like Sophia Vergara's look. The styling is very appropriate for the InStyle audience, I mean, compared to her Esquire cover below.


InStyle UK: What is with Drew's hair? She had a similar look for InStyle US a couple months back, and they had the same cutout problems with her hair. I mean it looks like a block compared to Jennifer Lawrence's hair above. Just compare.


WINNER: InStyle US.

6. ELLE

Elle US: This cover got a little bit of buzz for putting pregnant Jessica Simpson on the cover-- a mean, her naked cover got a little more buzz, but I expected a little bit more. Besides the usual explosion of text that I can't even read, I like this simple cover.

Elle UK: Love this. I love the piece-y, graphic background--can't even tell what it is but it breaks up the cover very nicely. I appreciate the "style now" in super thin sans serif and Elizabeth's entire look is just edgy and awesome. 

WINNER: Elle UK.

7. ESQUIRE

Esquire US: As usual, Esquire rocks out a risky subject in design perfection. An Esquire investigation of sex, and since I'm subscribed to this magazine I got to see the numbers, and yes, they are very interesting. Huge, bold text and small everything else-- it's simply brilliant. 


Esquire UK: I love the cover, I love the sexy styling without it being too much. The only thing I don't like is the shade of orange they used for the cover, simply because it's a little too close to Freida Pinto's skin tone. Do you see what I mean? It makes her in turn look orange. Otherwise it's perfect. I love the minimalist headline.


WINNER: Esquire US.

8. HARPER'S BAZAAR

Harper's Bazaar US: I love Mila Kunis, but she looks waxy here. Too perfect, too smooth. Plus her stiff pose isn't helping. Then there is the huge text that just attacks my eyeballs.


Harper's Bazaar UK: I mean, just compare US to UK. The UK cover is just softer on the eye, there is more room to enjoy the cover star, and I can just breather easier looking at it. Plus, they actually put Cate in a natural setting with shadows and lighting, while still looking naturally gorgeous. 


WINNER: Harper's Bazaar UK.

 9. MARIE CLAIRE
Marie Claire US: I honestly love both of these covers, which is odd because I usually don't have strong feelings either for or against Marie Claire. But these covers are close-up, intimate portraits, almost beauty shots. Love them. Leighton has a soft, smoky look here-- I love her with bangs.


Marie Claire UK: I love the pale pink colors on this cover, the deep V of her dress and pink lip. Just a lovely, beautiful shot.


WINNER: Marie Claire US. Just love the sultry look on her and the expression in her eyes. 

FINAL SCORE:

US: 7

UK: 2

And my favorite cover for the month is... Leighton Meester's Marie Claire cover! I just love the whole look, her eyes and hair. It all just works. 

Which was your favorite this month?