Week Six - The 1950’s.

In this research task I will be looking at Illustration and artworks created during the 1950's. I will be doing this through the publications of Playboy Magazine in the times between 1953 and 1959. The editor and founder of the magazine is Hugh Marston Hefner and the art director was Art Paul. Hef came up with the idea of playboy magazine when he was married with an infant child. Through mutual friends, Hef got in touch with Art Paul, who was also married with a baby on the way. The first publication of the magazine was in 1953 with a photograph of Marilyn Monroe on the front cover. On the front page there was also text that stated there was a nude photograph of Marilyn Monroe inside. Selling for only 50 Cents a copy, this is how Hef and Art Paul launched the magazine.

The next year in September (1954) they came up with this design for the front cover, Madeline Castle was playmate of the month. If I didn't know what playboy was, I would probably think this was a music magazine. The cover looks like a rainbow of colour and would have definitely stood out on magazine stands. I like the strong use of black line used for the outlines and how some of the lines overlap. We also see the playboy bunny, a version of it before the famous logo created by Art Paul was introduced.

This is the cover used for November 1959. There is something quite humorous about the expression on the playboy bunny's face. He seems to have been at a bar drinking and now he is thinking about something much more exciting than being at the bar alone. He is thinking about women, they are all in bright colours against the black background having a good time. This could suggest to men that are buying the magazine that if they are alone and feeling the need of comfort or a bit of fun, buy the magazine and see what's inside. It is a lot different from what playboy produce in this day and age but it still is a good way of communicating with the target audience. 






Figures
Figure 1 - Playboy magazine cover 1953
Figure 2 - Playboy magazine cover  1954
Figure 3 - Playboy magazine cover 1959

References
http://www.playboymagazinestore.com/1954/index.php?v=playboy_magazines_back-issues_the-1950s_1954

http://iit.edu/magazine/spring_2009/article_2.shtml