Existing Masthead/Name/Logo Magazine Designs

WH Smith's Logo

There are many different music magazine which all fall into completely different categories. They also aim at different type of genres of music such as Rock, R&B, Pop, ect. Each magazine has content which only appears in that type of genre, for example "Kerrang!" would include information about rock music and focus on gigs and their style whereas R&B would be about the lifestyle of the artist. 

Magazine are easily brought these days, however good stores such as newsagents, Tesco's, WH Smiths, ect sell most magazine. HMV which focus on CD and Games also stock some music magazine which focus on certain genres. Also due to the era we are in, we are able to buy digital copies of magazine on their websites. We are able to view them on mostly any new technology.  Magazine might also have phone applications where people can access the magazine.

Music Magazine Mastheads/Logos:

Kerrang is a famous rock magazine and this masthead has become famous for rock music lovers. The main colours are yellow, black and white. The bold black with the basic white illustrates the classic side to the rock and roll theme, however the lines across the title give the title a broke and grunge look which contrasts well with the classic look. The letters are all capital and it also has an explication mark at the end to give it an aggressive side. The black background illustrates the darkness of both the genre and magazine, the white text seems to be the pure part of the magazine and genre, as if the genre and magazine are good and bad in there own way. We are instantly able to tell the target audience for this magazine, teenagers who are a bit on the aggressive side and like rock music.

 

NME is a British classical rock music magazine. By using the bold red with the white outline grabs the readers attention, it also contrasts very well. Also by using a black background this makes the letters of the NME masthead stand out and become more appealing. The title has been written in capital letters which are dead straight and a clear finish, this illustrates the title as being sophisticated and serious. As there are no curves present it makes the title seem more professional and less child like which increases the target audience for the magazine. The type of people to read NME will be working class and older teenagers who are into classic/old rock.

The world class famous music magazine "Rolling Stones" caters for all types of music. The bold main colour of the rolling stones is red with a white outline which is then finished off with yet another outline of black, its as if the title is an illusion and its leading us in. The typography has diagonal lines/flickers and rounded text rather than bold and capital like other magazine, this has been done as this magazine is versatile for all genres and now dedicated to one, the title can easily be adapted to many other music genres and audiences. The colours of the title sometimes do vary depending on the magazine, however the layout does not change. The red colour is a very popular choice in the music magazine industry as it represents importance, passion and boldness.

The magazine VIBE is aimed at R&B and Hip Hop lovers. The magazine have decided to use black as the main colour for the masthead and the background as a pure white to make the title bold, contrast well and grab the viewers eye. The first three letters are in capital however the last letter "e" is not, this is probably aimed at a young audience as it can be seen as a type of joke/game. If the audience feel connected through the title they will think that the magazines content must also connect to them. However compared to other magazines, the title is not dead straight and actually has some curves, this was done to give the magazine a sense of relaxation and to give the audience a clear understanding that they mean business but they also have a humorous/relaxed side. 

Existing Names:

Many music magazine names are based on a musical note/noise, for example "VIBE" which is part of a musical note or "KERRANG!" which sounds like a noise a guitar makes when being strummed. The names of the magazine can also connotate the kind of music which you might find inside the magazine. As we said earlier "KERRANG!" sounds like a guitar, its more likely the content will be based on rock genre.

Many other magazine use unique styles and ideas, for example rolling stones is named after a well known famous band and the band is known for being the best of the genre. Due to this the magazine has become globally recognized by millions as a strong, well formed and known brand. The name "Rolling Stones" would have helped the magazine get to its current status.