When I first heard of the MAD relaunch, I immediately began thinking of ideas. How could I make MAD hip and cool again, drawing in readers and perhaps even a whole new audience? That's when I had the idea for photograpy on the covers. Throughout MAD's history, the covers have been illustrated, with very few exceptions. I thought this might be the time to break that barrier.
Below are several comp images that I created as part of the design process. The influence of Harvey Kurtzman's logo was already there, as were the bolder, brighter colors that would eventually be part of the redesign. While the photo idea never materialized, here is a glimpse of what might have been...
Please note that these photos were taken by a variety of photographers, and were previously published in other sources. They were ONLY used for comp purposes. No copyright or ownership is intended or implied. They are shown here only as an inside look into the design process. If you would like the image credited or removed, please contact me. Donald Trump artwork by Mark Fredrickson, repurposed from MAD 547.