Mast Head Analysis

The Masthead is the same for every issue, however this is an exception for special editions. By keeping it the same it makes it identifiable to all the people and helps it be well known. People who recognise the rolling stone magazine from simply glances at this mast head which is always found in the top corner as it is known for being a popular and successful rock magazine whilst staying professional. The icon, which retains it's old fashioned look, was founded in 1967. It sticks to it’s old theme of a rock and roll kind of era which probably adds a unique affect to it’s name. The logo is very simplistic, bold and basic but still reflects the traditional style of text through a band named mast head. The colour of the text is red which appeals to both sexes however it can be viewed as predominately male; illustrating how the magazines main audience is male. In addition, the colour red has connotations of power, wealth and dominance which highlights the fact that “Rolling Stone” is a high end magazine that is aimed at working class adults. The name of the mast head is named after a famous rock band which highlights how the magazine is aimed at people who listen to more classic rock artists of a similar genre to the band themselves.

The mast head of a Q magazine is recognisable and well known globally through its bright red back ground and bold white “Q” in a basic font. The mast head is in the same font and colour for every issue (excluding the special editions). By keeping it the same it makes the logo well known. People recognise Q from purely looking at the logo in the top left hand corner as it is known for being a successful popular alternative music magazine. The logo is simplistic but has professional style. The appearance of the logo looks like an old record p[layer, this suggests that Q includes old traditional music and artist within its issues. The “Q” is large and the back ground is bold and eye catching which makes it easily recognisable on a shelf.

The mast head of this magazine is the same for every issue (excluding special editions). By having the mast head the same colour and design for every issue it makes it easily recognisable to both the audience and potential buyers. People recognise NME naughtier character through viewing the logo that is always found in the top corner as it is known for being a successful music magazine, renown around the world. The colour of the text is bright red with a white and black outline., This makes it eye catching and helps it stand out in a shelf when placed next to other music magazines. The colour red appeals to both male and females but can be viewed as predominantly male colour highlighting how NME try to appeal to the male audience.

This logo is usually formatted in this style, with it being a sans serif. bold fairly simple font. as well as this the main colour featured is black, with the exception of the primary colours red, blue and yellow being included in the circle shapes of some of the letters in the title. This gives the effect that the magazine is targeted towards a younger age group, possibly ranging from 16 to 26 years old, as of how the simple design is gives a relaxed and fun tone to the magazine and also suggests that it doesn’t take itself to seriously. As well as this it is different to majority of the other magazine mastheads and therefore is unique and iconic, as well as being easy to remember. This logo can be laid out in various positions on the cover page, usually being either horizontal at the top or vertical on the left hand side of the page, framing it. Although this is the most frequently used masthead, the colours and font can differ in each article.

Spin magazine, has said that its the opposite of Rolling Stone. By using the inverse of Rolling stones traditional colours, they further present this in a less obvious way. The red colouring is the main focus and could have connotations of love, excitement, danger and enjoyment, all of which is presented throughout songs, music videos and so on. This suggests that these are the various emotions and tones that they wish to get across in the magazine and also gives a clue to the reader what the overall genre and tone of the magazine is before they even read it. As well as this the font is sans serif and all bold in Capital letters. this suggests that the magazine is trying to get across a strong message in their masthead and also presents the older feel and targeted audience of it.