Esquire's Electronic Cover

Vogue may have Keira Knightley on the cover of its gloriously heavy, 700-page September bible, but Esquire’s offering something even more alluring: a moving cover.

To celebrate their 75^th anniversary, Esquire will put an electronic cover on the stands in September, complete with a display case and a tiny battery inserted into the cover.

“Magazines have basically looked the same for 150 years,” said editor-in-chief David Granger to the Times. “I have been frustrated with the lack of forward movement in the magazine industry.”

It’s definitely a step forward from a holographic cover, the first of which was used by National Geographic in 1984. Esquire’s cover, produced by E Ink, will flash “The 21^st Century Begins Now,” for 90 days before the battery dies.

“Part of the iconic DNA of the magazine is our covers,” said Esquire’s publisher Kevin O’Malley. “Imagine when the consumer walks by a newsstand and sees that it is alive.”

Cheers to Esquire for their bold move! Hurry to grab one – only 100,000 of the special-edition covers will hit the stands in September.
-Grace Bahk