Cover of the Week: Shortlist 27/1/11

Well it didn't take Shortlist long this year to grab a Cover of the Week award. This has to be the most impressive launch in the mens magazine market in the last 5+ years and continues to amuse and delight me on a regular basis.

Tragically for commercial reasons, it came hidden beneath a wrap around ad spread for an instantly forgetable film (see? I've forgotten what it was already...), but all self-respecting editors and designers will rip that off to display the mag the way its rather talented art director Chris Deacon intended.

What's to like here? Well there's the boldness of the concept, the use of Elton's glasses in the 'O' and the brilliant coverline 'Elton John. Exclusive interview. Need we say more?' to name but three.

But there is something else going on here which I think we can all learn from. Fact is Elton these days aint looking his best - wrinkles and wigs are not a great combo, no matter how famous you are - so a pic of the man as he looks today is not going to cut any mustard. Use a pic of him from 30 years ago and you're undermining the impact of having a brand new interview.

Instead Deacon has taken a step back from his mac and said: 'You know what - to get maximum impact on the cover from our Elton John interview, let's NOT use a picture of Elton John. Let's do it another way.'

Genius.