Bon Appetit
Creative Director: Michael Axe
Deputy Art Director: Mike Ley
Photo Director: Alex Pollack
Photo Editor: Susan Getzendanner
Photographer: Michael Graydon
Food Stylist: Nikole-Kerriott
Martha Stewart Living
Creative Director: Matthew Axe
Deputy Design Director: Jen McManus
Photo Director: Jennifer Miller
Deputy Photo Editor: Linda Denahan
Photographer: Anna Williams
Food Styling: Jennifer Aaronson
Food Network Magazine
Creative Director: Deirdre Koribanick
Art Director: Ian Doherty
Deputy Art Director: Marc Davila
Photo Director: Alice Albert
Deputy Photo Editor: Kathleen E. Bednerek
Photographer: Johnny Miller
Food Styling: Christine Albano
26 Comments
Food Network. The tree cookies made a strong graphic and engaged my eye.
Bon Appetit is my favorite. Least cluttered and the pattern on the plate resonate with the patterns on the cookies.
photographically / lightingwise speaking they are very very much the same. the rest is a matter of audience and hence taste.
me? i would really like to know how the bon appétit cookies taste though. the others look like they are more predictable. ;)
Ooooh, tough one. The Food Network is the weakest but really because of the design and layout–so jam packed and cluttered with typeface and colors and different fonts–not really the fault of the photographer. But the Bon Appetit is really unique–it’s both whimsical and chic. So, I think that’s my favorite.
bon appetite hands down – much better form, layout, overall eye grabber — food network, been there done that – nothing special
There’s an editor’s note in Food Network, they tried the cover with a background of green sprinkles ( but said it it looked like a 70s plush carpet ) so they nixed it but did offer this tip for baking needs: 6lbs of sprinkles for $24.99 at supplyvillage.com.
I strongly prefer Bon Appetit’s cover. I love the graphic lines of the plate, the color choice for the cookies, and their pattern. Moreover I want to bake and eat these cookies. Martha Stewart Living’s cover seems stale (pun intended) like something I see every year.
To me, Bon Appetit is a clear winner. Clean and fresh. Those are the committee’s that oily want to eat. That’s the magazine I want to read. I also like the white balance that BA uses for most of their images. Just touched with a little blue.
Best is Bon Appétit! Food Network looks like Food Network and Living looks like Food Network except the lighting is a little better.
Love the Bon Appetit cover!
Bon Appetit for sure…. Love the arrangement of lines and angles with the circular plate/circular cookies.
Bon Appetit – stunning use of color and crisp design. Perfect for those looking to make an impact on the season.
Bon appetit! Best photography always!! Others are nothing new. Color and plate choice is more interesting to look at.
bon appétit! I love the modern color scheme and graphic arrangement. Although unconventional for holidays, I find it refreshingly out-of-the-box. Eye catching and wonderfully executed
I really love that bon appétit! cover. One small note: I think you have a typo on one of the names—I’m pretty sure it should be Kathleen E. Bednarek.
Well, I guess the question is “who shot it better?”. The answer is, the shots are all about the same. The BA photograph is ‘a little’ more to my taste though. The others, MSL and FN are too studio for me and takes away the yummy factor of the cookies. They’re also, dare I say, too cookie cutter. Sorry. But, yes… they are very expected… no surprises. So, What is Bon Appetit for $100 Rob or Heidi. Then if your talking about what cover gets me to walk over and snatch it off of the stand I’m going to have to say BA again. The BA cover has great type and obviously has a little more thought in it, design wise. Also, I’m a dude. The BA cover cookies look like something I could make and bring to a party and get some high fives. The other cookie covers are, well, feminine… yes, I like to bake too.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS Bon Appétit. Did you see their Jan ’14?? TO DIE FOR.
Have to go with Bon Appetit. Strong, contemporary direction. Grabs the eye in a very fresh way. Others seem more expected. We’ve seen it 100 times before. My $.02 and worth every penny.
I wonder if it’s better (bon appétit naturally) because it it all seems to come so well togheter. As if every element exists in consideration and playful interaction of the other. Photographer, stylist, editor, director and designer alike.
I also think the photography works better because, while highly stylized, it gives a sense of in situ, which brings me, the viewer into the story too.
And wow, so glad I now know of Michael Craydon. Amazing sensibility.
Thanks APE & Happy new year everyone. xt.
This “who shot it better thing” is like judging a guitar contest where everyone plays the same song but you have to ignore the production quality, the rest of the band, the accoustics of the venue and the subsequent recording. It’s hard to ignore the synergy of it all if you ask me.
I’d love to peek at the newsstand sales numbers in 6 months to see which cover performed the best.
I think with newsstand sales you have to look at the ubiquitousness of cookies and I would find it difficult to believe that the same people who buy any of these magazines on a regular basis would choose one over the other based on the photography. I think the brand recognition would already be established and shoppers would actually read the cover to see what might entice them to look further into any of those choices based on that shopper hunting for something new or different and their own previous history with those pubs. I can see that Bon Appetite might drive more visually savvy folks to pick it up and at least look at at it, but I think those shoppers are already inclined to read the magazine anyway. I think the photography just helps support the image of the brand. Maybe try comparing something between Saveur, Bon Appetite and Garden and Guns.
When I say perform the best I meant for that title. You can’t compare sales between titles but you can see which cover out performed relative to others that year or previous years with similar themes. The image is the cover, it’s the most important part.
Roger that. Thanks for your time.
Sure I like BA, but my Mom would buy Food Network.
Bon Appetit, hands down!
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