Who Did it Better?
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
It's a men's magazine showdown. Back in October 2008, waifish Transformers actress Megan Fox wagged her tongue on the fire-truck-red cover of GQ. Now, for its June 2011 issue, Esquire has turned to Kelly Brook, best known for her work in movies like Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and Piranha 3-D, for a similar cover. We want to know, from a design perspective, which publication does it better? Vote below, and let us know why in the comments.
Tagged with: Esquire • GQ • Kelly Brook • Megan Fox
9 Comments
Hallie
May 11, 2011While Esquire’s type is tops, GQ’s visible flash is so out of place on a magazine cover that it really holds my eye.
Molly
May 12, 2011Esquire’s cover seems to be far too cluttered, and the “Kelly” text written in white gets lost in her abdomen. By choosing a photo that is more focused and shot closer up, GQ draws the reader in.
Peter
May 14, 2011Let’s be honest. Megan is way hotter but Brooks boobs look better!
Paul Everett
May 16, 2011Esquire made a better job, their typography is design space is far superior, I feel like CQ is fighting to get all the information in there. However Esquire amount of copy is over the top. Question who sold more copies?
Mike
May 18, 2011I agree with Molly that the Esquire’s cover is a bit cluttered, however visually I’m more drawn to Esquire cover more so than the GQ cover.
urbanizr
May 18, 2011the red bikini top and orange backdrop are in a strong color-conflict
Mike Mai
May 18, 2011sorry i didn’t see anything except for the rack, good job esquire. also, did they do too much airbrushing? looks a little weird.
nipplenizer
May 18, 2011where is the nipple? Esquire !!!!!!!!!
Kirk Voltz
July 2, 2011I’m going with GQ, not because its a better cover… indeed, they are nearly identical… but because I am so utterly disappointed in Esquire’s redesign. They took a book which typographically was light-years ahead of everyone else, and brought it back to a baseline set by the likes of MAXIM, FHM, and the like. It’s not that the redesign is bad, it isn’t. It is well executed and beautifully detailed in places. The problem is that visually it does not differentiate itself from the competition any longer. It used to be able to dish out sex, style, and life in a manner so elegant, you would feel out of place if you didn’t have a 30 year old scotch in your hand and a dinner coat on your back while reading it. Now, it is nothing more than another men’s lifestyle magazine to add to an already bloated playing field. And. All that aside. You chose to duplicate your direct competitions cover as the launch cover of your redesign? Shame on you Esquire.
GQ, well done on being yourself, and being original.