masthead analysis

1. Mojo is an idiom which means magic charm, magic power, or spell. The colours used are black and white, this is a very classic look which makes that masthead
prominent on the page. Having a prominent masthead is essential to a magazine as when attracting an audience the magazine needs to stand out as it is in
competition with many other magazines of it genre.
The masthead also has red typography on the front of it, this colour against the black and the white stands out without over powering the main word. As the red
statement says “The Music Magazine” it tells the audience exactly what there going to get in the magazine and doesn’t leave them second guessing. The masthead
also has a 3D shadowing effect on the word Mojo, this subtly makes the title look as if it ‘popping’ out of the magazine.
The red writing is written in a serif font this emphasises on the contrast between the word “Mojo” and “The Music Magazine. As these two fonts are very diverse
from each other, it implies this magazine has a variety of different bands and musicians. Because of this diverse image, more people are more likely to want to buy the
magazine as it is likely to have something that will appeal to them inside.

2. Q’s masthead is very iconic and well known amongst many people, it is clearly displayed as it is always in a red box in the top of the page not only does this make
current Q fans able to find and access the magazine quickly. But It also stands out to new possible readers as it is clearly defined and looks unique to other
magazines it could be contending with.
Q’s bright red background and serif font Q is recognisable worldwide, this masthead never changes for Q, excluding certain special episodes, which gives them
self promotion as its iconic. Although this masthead is very simplistic; it still manages to have a professional edgy style. The letter Q itself has many different
possible meanings which could explain why this letter has been used as a symbol. Q could connote to queen meaning this magazine company is at the top of its
category and is recognised. However most commonly Q is known as symbolising a record player and the tail of the Q acts as the tone arm.
Due to the colours and design used the masthead doesn’t appeal to aim towards a certain gender as the colour red is very unisex, this helps widens Q’s target
audience as they are not aiming for a small section of people. However this unisex approach could change depending on what celebrity is used to sell the
magazine on the front image.

3. Kerrang’s masthead can change colour sometimes depending on what type of magazine its on, for example if the colours are very bright on the page, e.g.
yellow; also if there was a special addition of the magazine the masthead maybe different. Although this shows variation and can widen Kerrang’s audience, It
does however make it harder to spot on the magazine shelf if the masthead can change sometimes.
However saying that, Kerrang often stick to the black background and white typography. These contrasting colours are very bold and go with a lot of other
colours therefor Kerrang are able to be more lenient on what type of images they use for there front cover. To add to that the way the work is written is as if it
in chalk. The letters do not have defined edges which gives the overall appearance an edgy appeal. Also expanding on the idea that the writing looks as if it is
written in chalk could connote the idea that this magazine is very old and classic; it’s your typical music magazine sticking to the traditional codes and
conventions.
The word Kerrang itself comes from the onomatopoeic word that initially came from the sound that is made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric
guitar. This could link to the genre that this magazine aims to meet, electric guitar often corresponding to rock and metal music; this is also expressed through
the images and colours.

4. Billboard is another magazine masthead that changes slightly depending on what image the company have chosen as their front cover image, for example some on
some of their magazines they change the typing to white instead of black if it works better with the overall appearance, as shown by the image above. Although in
Kerrang this could’ve been a problem; in Billboard it is less of one. This is because the colours in the middle of the letters remain the same.
The colours that are used to fill the centre of the letters always remain the same no matter what the image on the front cover is. This makes an iconic colour
scheme which cam always be associated with the masthead. This can help attract an audience as the colours will stand out when on a magazine shelf. As well as
changing through the colour of the typography of the masthead also varies in thickness on certain magazines.
Most of the time the word Billboard has a capital at the start, however can be lower cases in some cases. Usually Billboard use a lower case letter if the magazine
front cover has a different format. By then adding a lower case letter it emphasises the idea that this issue is different to others and can be seen as more informal
as there is no capital letter.

5. We love pop is the only gender specified music magazine that I have analysed. You can tell that this magazine is aimed for girls by the way the heart is colour
pink/purple. This is stereotypically a colour that is associated with girls, especially young girls. The masthead itself is also in a speech bubble which insinuates
that someone is saying it. This is a tool used to attract young people as they are more likely to be persuaded to want a magazine due to someone saying they
love it.
To add to that this is the only masthead where it uses more that one word in the main title. “We love pop” is a statement which tells the audience the
magazine is based on popular music, (which is again mainly what younger children listen to). Similar to Kerrang and Billboard the colours of the masthead
change depending on the issue, however the design in the speech bubble always remains the same. Therefor it is easy to recognise for younger generations.
Also the masthead is always in the same place on every magazine making it easy for younger children to acknowledge.
As they have used the colour pink/purple, not only does that connote girls but it also connotes creativity and nurturing, giving off a positive effect.