David Crowley’s latest book

Magazine covers of every flavour are reviewed by Royal College of Art history of design tutor and design writer David Crowley in his latest book. Simply entitled Magazine Covers, the book assesses the ‘vast remit’ of cover features from cartoons to society faces to graphic design, and looks at the social and political context of the work. It explores the developments in cover design over time and the role of the cover in defining ‘not only the magazine itself, but also the consumer who buys it’, says a spokeswoman for publisher Mitchell Beazley. ‘The cover of the magazine is its face, defining the mood and purpose of the magazine,’ she adds. Photographed by Roger Dixon, cover images on the book jacket include Architectural Design from August 1956, i-D magazine from October 1999 and Sleazenation from November 2001. The book is designed by Fiona Pike and released on 20 November, priced £20.