Still More Inspiration, or...???

We've got another example of cover design inspiration, one of the boldest to date. Portland Monthly art director Jason Blackheart sent us two covers "inspired" by his original December 2006 cover. Read his comments after the jump...

(Left) : Portland Monthly, December 2006. Art director: Jason Blackheart, photographer: Steve Bonini. (Center): Sacramento, June 2010. Art director: Debbie Hurst, photographer: Gabriel Teague.  (Right): Toronto Post, The Kids edition, Fall 2010. Art director: Lance Garvey, photographer: Steve Bonini.

Jason Blackheart, art director of Portland Monthly: We had our jacket manufactured at Settlemier's, a local, family-run shop that does a lot of custom work for Nike. I designed the type and the palette of the jacket and they took it from there. Earlier this year Sacramento magazine called me and asked how we executed our cover, whether we faked it or had the jacket manufactured. During the conversation I got the sense she was feeling me out to see how I felt about them using the idea, but I didn't really think much of it at the time. All designers steal, and I'm more than happy to give a hand or advice to peers. What I wasn't prepared for was how literally they copied our cover--right down to the type, color, and pose. I was disappointed that they just copied the idea, instead of stealing it in a more playful way.

About a month later I was contacted by the Toronto Post, looking to outright purchase our cover image. I happily passed them along to the photographer, Steve Bonini, who sold them the image. The scale of the Post is much bigger than our magazine, so it was nice to see more of the image, and the figure feels a little less crowded. However, they tried to fake flocking on the type below, which just makes it look blurry and kills some of the elegance of the actual jacket. That said, they did send us a giant cookie, two feet in diameter, in thanks for helping them out. I'm still waiting for as much as a Twinkie from Sacramento!

Related stories:

Another "Inspiration?" Cover  New York / St. Louis

More "Inspired" Covers  Esquire / Wizard / Texas Monthly

Sports Illustrated "Appreciates" a TIME cover

Homage, Inspiration, or ...  TIME / The Village Voice

Rolling Stone: Deja Vu?  Friends / Glee

Inspiration, or...  New York / Seattle

More Inspiration...  Billboard / Mediaweek

Eat Cheap Eats  New York / Time Out New York