Image Analysis
‘Esquire Magazine’ (March 1965)
Contextual Studies Essay, GD Year 1, Sophie Costello
Image Analysis
I’ll be researching the image on the front cover of an Esquire magazine, titled 'The Masculinisation of the American Woman ' Issue no. 376 (March, 1965), the Verna Lisi cover in a photo shoot showcasing the iconic blonde caught mid-shave.
I found the image in a book by Richard Hollis called ‘Graphic Design, A concise History’ (2001).
The reason I chose to study this advert was because it stood out as a piece of graphic design, how the place of women in society has changed since 1965.
The Dimensions of the cover were as follows: 1/1 (single page) - 200 mm width, 276 mm length.
The cover was made from a photograph, with a collaboration of words through offset lithography by George Lois, whose works were engagingly simple and direct. Lois went on to design over 90 covers for Esquire magazine in the 1960s. He used powerful photographs and photomontages, usually by Carl Fischer, to make brief editorial statements about the United States.
The art director tells the article in Esquire at the time, George Lois, whom they say, created some of the most memorable covers in the magazine’s history. Lois’s commentary is stark about the commercial pressures he felt at the time (but got away from). This piece on the adman and art director George Lois is interesting. It 's about the history of feminism, in an odd sort of way.
‘It was really pre-feminism, but if you were back then you could see it coming. You could see women getting stronger; you could see women not taking any more shit. There wasn 't a full movement but it was happening. They interpreted it as masculinisation. It was a little bit of an insult but back then — it was way back in '65 — nobody took it as an insult.’
(Selling Sex And Axe Murderesses: George Lois ' Esquire Lady Covers)
Pictured is Italian actress Virna Lisi, the famous actress made a dent in Hollywood comedy as a tempting blue-eyed
Contextual Studies Essay, GD Year 1, Sophie Costello
Image Analysis
I’ll be researching the image on the front cover of an Esquire magazine, titled 'The Masculinisation of the American Woman ' Issue no. 376 (March, 1965), the Verna Lisi cover in a photo shoot showcasing the iconic blonde caught mid-shave.
I found the image in a book by Richard Hollis called ‘Graphic Design, A concise History’ (2001).
The reason I chose to study this advert was because it stood out as a piece of graphic design, how the place of women in society has changed since 1965.
The Dimensions of the cover were as follows: 1/1 (single page) - 200 mm width, 276 mm length.
The cover was made from a photograph, with a collaboration of words through offset lithography by George Lois, whose works were engagingly simple and direct. Lois went on to design over 90 covers for Esquire magazine in the 1960s. He used powerful photographs and photomontages, usually by Carl Fischer, to make brief editorial statements about the United States.
The art director tells the article in Esquire at the time, George Lois, whom they say, created some of the most memorable covers in the magazine’s history. Lois’s commentary is stark about the commercial pressures he felt at the time (but got away from). This piece on the adman and art director George Lois is interesting. It 's about the history of feminism, in an odd sort of way.
‘It was really pre-feminism, but if you were back then you could see it coming. You could see women getting stronger; you could see women not taking any more shit. There wasn 't a full movement but it was happening. They interpreted it as masculinisation. It was a little bit of an insult but back then — it was way back in '65 — nobody took it as an insult.’
(Selling Sex And Axe Murderesses: George Lois ' Esquire Lady Covers)
Pictured is Italian actress Virna Lisi, the famous actress made a dent in Hollywood comedy as a tempting blue-eyed
Bibliography: * ‘Graphic Design, A Concise History’ Richard Hollis (2001) * ‘How to Murder Your Wife’ Richard Quine (1965) * ‘Not with my Wife, You Don’t’ Norman Panama (1966) * ‘Assault on a Queen’ Jack Donohue (1966) * ‘Why Can’t a Woman be More Like a Man?’ George Lois, Esquire May issue (1965) * ‘Extract from Yale University Press’ (2008) * ‘Esquire front cover text’ (Issue May 2008) * ‘Professional Review on Redesigning the Esquire Cover’ A Bravo Photo Editor (2008) * ‘Consumer Review on Redesigning the Esquire Cover’ (http://publish.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/omgwe-shot-a-stupid-cover) * ‘Selling Sex And Axe Murderesses: George Lois ' Esquire Lady Covers (2010)