Appreciation
04.12.10
Happy 20th Birthday Entertainment Weekly. The Covers, Part 2
February 16th marked the 20th anniversary of the publication date of the first issue of Entertainment Weekly. We're continuing our six-part, year-long celebration with a look at the EW covers of the magazine's second design director, Robert Newman (that's me!). Here are a dozen covers from the classic years 1994-1996.(Cover left): April 22, 1994, published after the death of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.
(Left to right): 90210, September 23, 1994; John Travolta, October 21, 1994; The Lion King, July 8, 1994.
Entertainment Weekly covers almost always featured original photography or artwork created for the magazine. The photo direction for all these covers was by Mary Dunn and Doris Brautigan.
(Left to right): Friends, January 27, 1995; Toy Story, December 8. 1995; Bruce Willis, May 19, 1995.
In the still-young days of Entertainment Weekly, cover lines were kept to a minimum. There was usually just one headline, for the main story, with a few small secondary lines sometimes appearing above the logo.
(Left to right): Sandra Bullock, May 5, 1995; The Fall TV Preview with Laura Leighton of Melrose Place, September 16, 1994; Summer Cool with Julia Roberts, June 24, 1994.
Julia Roberts was EW's go-to cover person. She always guaranteed good sales. For many years she held the record for most cover appearances.
(Left to right): The Fall TV Preview, with Courtney Cox, September 15, 1995; Hugh Grant, July 21, 1995: Star Trek Voyager, with Kate Mulgrew, January, 20, 1995.
Entertainment Weekly featured a stellar cast of designers and art directors during the years 1994-1996. Many of them went on to art direct their own magazines. A partial list, with the magazines that they later directed:
Jill Armus (Saveur, Offspring, Teen People, Prevention)
Florian Bachleda (P.O.V., Maximum Golf, Vibe, Latina)
Elizabeth Betts (Men's Health, Sports Illustrated for Women, Us)
George Karabotsos (Out, Men's Health)
Michael Picon (New York, Redbook)
Joe Kimberling (Los Angeles)
Karmen Lizzul (Family Circle)
The complete Entertainment Weekly issue archive is here.
See more of Robert Newman's Entertainment Weekly covers here.
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