Remember Sky Magazine? Nothing to do with the TV channel but a magazine aimed at 16 - 21 years olds that was started in the late 80's. It went off the boil around '94 and died in 2001. April brought these old issues in for something we're working on. The covers are great aren't they?
Look at those covers. Not a pair of breasts on show! Decent (but not brilliant) portrait photography! Men and women! Real stars, as opposed to semi-naked Big Brother stars! Sky also featured decent articles about social and political stuff that didn't read about elsewhere it you were 15. It was brilliant.
Those covers have a nice, simple, strong graphic style that stood out on the news stand.
Great dps' like this Lisa Stansfield one. Simple and distinctive. Confident.
Ever listened to a phone call over and over again?
Looking through I stumbled across this ad. I loved that ad. It seemed to make so much sense, it was so true. I guess it wouldn't be the same now with txt messaging an all. But at the time I guess that's what you call an insight?
Anyway. Sky Magazine - bloody great covers.
Yep, you're right. I loved that magazine, made me excited about what was going on in the wider world before I even experienced it.
Hey I was young, I was still in Lytham.
Shame I never kept them all.
Posted by: claire | Jun 21, 2007 at 11:13
Only designers would keep them. Get them out years later. Photograph them. Put them on the internet...
Posted by: Ben | Jun 21, 2007 at 11:25
I think I still have an A1 poster of that Kylie cover somewhere!
Posted by: Richy | Jun 21, 2007 at 12:06
Do you know who did that advert for Royal Mail ? They used to have some other good ones, too. You know what I think of stamp design and whether it's gone up or downhill recently - and although the same is true with the adverts, I like the message behind one recent one which was about it being the 'real network' - ie. not a virtual one, a REAL one - touching people physically each and every day. I think that's a powerful thing to be able to do.
Then they changed it all to 'with us it's personal'. Fuck me. So they loose your mail on purpose, because of some kind of grudge or something ? It should be 'don't take it personally'. I also like 'We know where you live'.
That was a sensible comment, wasn't it? Let's hope Michael Johnson's not reading...
Posted by: TomLR | Jun 21, 2007 at 14:24
I think I had the Keanu Reeves one on my wall.
How things have changed.
Posted by: claire | Jun 22, 2007 at 14:18
Looks like every other run of the mill magazine. What about early Sleaze Nation, ID, or even Raygun... They're a world apart.
Posted by: ty | Jun 22, 2007 at 16:37
My mate Stuart used to design Sky, he'll be chuffed with this.
Give me Sky over Raygun anyday, indulgent trendy bollocks that was.
Posted by: LondonLee | Jun 23, 2007 at 19:28
It was great magazine wasn't it. It had a rather simple and personal quality about it, and like you say - excellent design.
Posted by: Paul H. Colman | Jun 23, 2007 at 22:31
The fact that they could put Mickey Rourke on the cover with the strapline 'Hiya Handsome' shows you how long ago it is...
Posted by: David Atkinson | Jun 25, 2007 at 17:56
I like the fact you get a 'proper star', not even a tv show star or anything rubbish.
Posted by: paulpod | Jun 26, 2007 at 12:39
Yup I used to be a fan too but boy, it really went off the boil by the end. Shame.
Posted by: neilperkin | Jul 01, 2007 at 17:56
I did a work placement at i-D this summer and was looking though their issues from this period for some typography research they asked me to do. Seems like they were very similar titles actually, the articles were a lot broader in focus than they are now and a there is a much more optimistic outlook on most things.
Interesting to note that when Sleazenation tried to relaunch as 'Sleaze' a few years ago to do a similar thing, it only got as far as 4 issues before being axed. There's probably some sort of socio-cultural comment to be made there...
Posted by: Tom | Dec 12, 2007 at 17:54