It sounded awesome, so I tried it. They were already over capacity (sometimes I think I get my issues two weeks late because I don't pay for my subscription), which didn't surprise me. But there was still the option to try it anyway for your own "virtual" cover. You get to choose a color scheme, upload a photo (or choose from photos they have), and choose headlines and colors. This was my end result:
It's a cool idea, and would have been REALLY cool if I had been one of the lucky firsts. I wonder if the theme (of the July issue) has something to do with consumer generated content.
There are a few things, though. When you create your cover, you can either email your friends the link or print out your personalized cover. I understand the print-out /Xerox reference, but it would have been great if there was an option to save the file. I had to print mine out and then scan it in order to have it online for others to see. It would have also been cool to generate code for posting to blog /MySpace /yougettheidea, OR a button to upload directly to Flickr. Also, the art direction ended up kind of crap, but I am assuming that's because most headlines on magazine covers are usually designed around the cover image. yes? This is a cool idea, but could have taken so much further. I look forward to seeing more stuff Xerox does.
