NEWsweek

obama on obama? is that supposed to be a pun on the phrase “black on black” crime?

i don’t remember another political figure (or celebrity) having his face stamped by text like this before. strikes me as disrespectful.

I don’t know if I find it disrespectful, but I don’t find it effective. It’s…weird. Why crowd letters and pictures into one space where both are completely diluted and lose their punch? This is the photographic equivalent, for me, of people talking over each other.

there is a heightened reality of a tight close up, yet obscured by text – the conflict between the two objectives is uncomfortable. are they trying to invoke in viewers a feeling of distrust?

They managed to hide the man behind their words.
That’s about as clearly as I can put it – the cover confuses me, frankly.

@yg – interesting observation, but I think it’s more a reference to the classic interview books like “Directors on Directors” series of books, e.g. “Scorsese on Scorsese.” I think it’s an interesting design that’s past its sell-by date for those of us who follow design, not very forward-looking. But it’s the cover of Newsweek, not Print or Next Level or whatever.

sorry for hogging the thread. i’m too impulsive. i’d do better to take my time and craft more complete arguments.
but i can’t resist adding one more thing (it’s strange how i find this cover so irksome.)
the reiterative obamas that fills the page, without room for anything else (it’s all obama, all the time. it’s an obama world!) drives an unflattering suggestion that obama is an egoist who is preoccupied and full of himself. a criticism that’s echoed on the right. remember the democratic denver convention where the right mocked the “greek temples” as a paean to himself.