Existing Names and Mastheads G321

1. Existing Names and Mastheads

2. Existing Names
Magazines names are often derived as a result of many different
strategies and approaches such as;
- Acronyms
- Symbolism
- Phrases

3. Acronyms
A prime example of using an acronym as a magazine title is NME which
stands for National Music Express.
Using an acronym especially in this case is very effective because it
provides a contemporary feel the magazine thus appealing to a variety
of different audiences however it also incorporates the purpose of the
magazine within it. The originality of the name is therefore also aided
as it incorporates taking a phrase and consisting it down into a minimal
amount of letters thus making the name practical, effective and
fuctional.

4. Symbolism
Some magazines opt for a more symbolic name for their magazines
often to resemble and reflect the purpose and some synonymous
features of a particular genre.
For example, Kerrang! Encapsulates the sound made a loud, guitar
synonymous with the rock/metal genre that Kerrang! Aim to market
their magazines. This is effective because the target audience will be
attracted to the magazine because of the title, and therefore this brings
into play such things as the front cover of which further help to sell the
magazine therefore showing as to why the name is so important to a
magazine.

5. Phrases
Phrases are also sued as names for magazines. Often phrases are
deduced into acronyms to make it more efficient however some times
the phrase within itself is more effective.
Top of The Pops is a prime example of this. The use of Top of The Pops
as a title is effect because the name is synonymous with the popular
television show that used to be engrossed within the British society in
particular and was therefore able to establish a wide fan base and
support therefore by using this phrase as the title for the magazine,
audiences can immediately grasp the concept of the magazine because
audiences will draw reference to the purpose of the television program.

6. Existing Mastheads
Mastheads follow similar patters, fonts, colours and styles to names and so there effects are often
similar or even the same.
Mastheads are often a title for an article or page and are used to capture the readers attention. The
creation of a masthead follows similar procedures to names , such as phrases and acronyms. For
example in an October issue of Kerrang! Metal icon Ozzy Osbourne was the topic of the feature article,
and with the month being synonymous with Halloween and Ozzy Osbournes infamous ‘Bat’ scenario,
the masthead stated ‘Going Batty’ referring to the infamous occurrence and also this was relevant to the
seasonality, causing the article to attract a variety of audiences.
Colour and font wise the masthead often remains the same as the name presented on the cover, this
accentuates the corporate side of the magazine in that certain font s and colour schemes often become
synonymous with different magazines and may therefore improve the popularity of the magazine.

7. Existing Mastheads
Kerrang masthead and name comparison (aesthetically)
Here we can clearly see the resemblance and similarities between the masthead
on the right and the name on the left in terms of font types and colour schemes.