Analysis of Mastheads

Mastheads -

The function of a masthead is to inform the audience of the name and basic information about the magazine, for example: name, date of issue, and tagline. It also helps create a brand for the magazine, so it becomes recognisable to the reader.

Kerrang -

Kerrang has a very distinguishable masthead. It has a very bold san serif font, which grabs the readers attention. The colour of the font is black, which is not as dynamic as if they had user a brighter colour. However as the rest of the front covers tend to be quite busy, I think using a bold colour would detract from the impact of the front cover as a whole.

There is a cracked effect across the K and E. and I think they have emphasized these two letters because when the magazines are laid out on the shelf, the audiences eye automatically is drawn to the top left hand corner. So the embellishments would further attract the readers attention. I think the cracked design symbolises that the music they cover is so loud that it’s managed to crack their title.

The have used the tag line “Life is Loud” which I think tells you a lot about the kind of music they feature. You can tell that they focus on loud/rock music, the font used also implies this as it is slightly rugged and edgy.  The tag line is typed in a pink colour, which distinguishes it from the black colour used for the name of the magazine. I think it gives the magazine a fun edge, and balances out the masculine colour scheme of the overall front cover.

The main cover image is overlapping the masthead, which shows that this is well established magazine, and they don’t need to show their whole title, as the audience will know which magazine it is, without having to see the title in its entirety.

The name is displayed on a white background, which I think works well, as it makes the title stand out more, opposed to if it had been displayed either on top of the cover image, or on top of a darker coloured background. This gives the masthead a clean cut look, which I think fits in with the clean layout of the front cover. I also think the masthead indicates target audience well, as you can tell that it is aimed at the younger generation, through font type, and colours and effects used.

NME (New Musical Express) -

The NME masthead covers the top left hand side of the magazine. The name is typed in a bold san serif straight cut font, and is white in colour. There are no effects over the name (unlike Kerrang), so it looks very smooth and polished.

Underneath the name, also in white, is the tag line: New Musical Express. Which tells the reader what NME actually stands for.

On this particular magazine the name is in front of the main image, however on some of their other magazine covers the name is slightly covered by the main image. I think this shows that sometimes the band/musician they’re featuring is more important than the magazines name and brand, and sometimes they’re not.

Above the name, type in black they have the issue date, so that readers can keep track of each issue. NME is a weekly magazine, so it would be difficult for readers to remember if they had bought the previous issue or not. Using black I think works well, as it shows up well against the lighter backgrounds.

Overall I think that this masthead is simple yet very effective, as it is so clean and edgy, that it reflects the music they cover (indie/alternative). I think the clean cut look is fairly universal, so that NME can target their magazine to any generation.

Q magazine -

The masthead for Q is again located in the top left hand corner, so that like NME, it is easily viewable for the audiences perspective.

The letter Q is typed in a white serif font; and is displayed on a red background. Red has the connotations of danger, so maybe this colour has been used to reflect they kind of music they focus on. However I think it has been used because it is a very eye catching colour, that people become aware of quickly. So if the magazine was sat on the shelf, the reader would easily spot it.

This is a special edition, dedicated to the 70^th birthday of John Lennon, and the main front cover image is overlapping the title. I think this displays the iconic authority of Lennon, and shows that he is more important than the magazines name itself.

The red used for the background of the name, also ties in well with the colour scheme of the rest of the front cover, as the cover lines, and badge background are also red.

Again this is a cleaner cut masthead, and the serif font makes me think that this magazine may be aimed at the older generation, opposed to people in their teens and twenties. Also the kind of musician they’re covering, would be more appropriate for the older generation as they are more likely to have appreciated Lennon’s music.

Rock Sound -

The name of Rock Sound is typed in a white san serif font, and is quite thin and bold, I think it has a slight black outline or drop shadow to distinguish the name from the background. A distressed texture has been placed across the name, and I think this reflects the rocker image that they’re portraying.

The tag line is: “New Music First”, which shows that they focus on newer bands that people may not have heard of, opposed to giving well established band and musicians more publicity. The is also typed in white, and is underlined. I think the underlining really enforces that they believe in their tag line.

The name is covering the main image, which shows that they maybe this magazine isn’t as well established as NME for example, so they have to fully show they’re name to make it recognisable to the audience.

Its obvious that they cover rock music, from the name of their magazine, and the styling of the front cover. The magazine overall has a fairly youthful feel, which makes me think that it is aimed at the younger generation.

Vibe -

Vibe uses a bright red bold san serif font, and the sharpness of the font I think reflects the style of the magazine, which I think is rap/hip-hop music.

The colour red has connotations of danger and alertness, which I think fits in with the style, as rappers are stereotypically known to be quite tough and threatening.

The main cover image dominates the title, as you can only really see the V and E, which I think shows that Vibe is a well established magazine, therefore the title can be covered by the forceful main image of T.I.

The red links in with the cover lines of the magazine, which are also in a red font.

I think, judging by the type of musicians (T.I, Keri Hilson etc) they’re covering this magazine is aimed at the younger generation.

Conclusion -

Overall I think mastheads are one of the most important parts of a magazine, and from what I have seen they always dictate what kind of magazine they are. Mastheads tend to be quite clean cut, and simple, which I think works well, as it doesn’t detract attention away from the main articles, however it still manages to create a brand for the magazine.