David Carson - Ray Gun Magazine

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David Carson is best known for his designs for the front cover of the alternative music and lifestyle magazine Ray Gun in. The magazine sold over 70 issues from 1992 - 2000, featuring famous music icons such as: Oasis, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilly Peppers and Pearl Jam. One thing that would gain the attention of the public eye, would be how unconventional Carson's magazine covers were. His magazines explored a very abstract style. A lot of the time, most of the magazines were very hard to read.

Many of Carson's designs were different every time the magazine was published, and never had any of the same features. Looking at some of the front covers, we can see how the magazine doesn't include the typical features you would expect it to. For example, most covers wouldn't have any sort of cover lines or datelines. Another component that goes against the conventional magazine cover, is how in some of the magazines, Carson puts the barcode in different places, not always in the usual right hand bottom corner

 

    

Even though I do like how David Carson was able to design these Ray Gun covers, in a very non traditional way, I don't think I would try to make my music magazine cover this way. As David Carson was well known for his covers, it seems that he could design them however he liked, however if I tried to do the same thing, missing out all of the conventional features, I don't think the magazine would sell and be something people would immediately want to buy.