NAMES AND MASTHEADS

Chrissie Bishop

TYPES OF NAME

Acronym

• NME

• Q

• CCM

Phrase

• Top of the Pops

• Smash Hits

• Drowned in Sound

• Rolling Stone

Connotative

• Vibe

• Kerrang

• Base

• Edge!

• Spin

Compound

• Indie-pendent

• Indie-vidual

sddsd Phrase

The phrase ‘Rolling Stone’ is used as the noun ‘stone’ connotes, since prehistoric times, the principal material used to build important structures. Stones became a very classic feature of stability, hardness and endurance in all languages, bearing a wealth of symbolic meaning, with many deep rooted psychological and historical associations and suggestions. This reflects the audience of the magazine as they share the same characteristics (as does the magazine, therefore they feel as though they can rely on it as it is very significant).

Graphology

The graphology of the masthead ‘Rolling Stone’ is red with a black shadow which makes the masthead stand out amongst the front page and implies it’s significance as the red is on top of the black hence making it a dominant feature. The colour red connotes both love and danger and is a very powerful colour, hence grabbing every essence of the audience’s attention.

Phrase

The phrase ‘Top of the Pops’ is used as it not only suggests which genre of music the magazine is about, but noun ‘top’ defines how the magazine is superior, especially within this genre, as it sits upon the pedestal of pop magazines. This title aslo demonstrates the audience that it is targeted at as it rhymes, reflecting the youth of the magazine as it makes it easy to remember and makes it appear more fun.

Graphology

The graphology of the masthead ‘Top of the Pops’ is always white, however the background changes with every edition, which in this case is blue however it is often pink and this reflects the femininity of the magazine. The stars and swirly font of the text also reflects the audience as it is unprofessional and very girly to grab the attention of the audience and persuade them to purchase the magazine.

sddsd Acronym

The acronym ‘Q’ was originally called Cue (the sense of cueing a record, ready to play). The name was changed to ‘Q’ as they gathered that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands than ‘Cue’ as it could be mistaken for a snooker magazine. The single-letter is very effective as it stands out and is overpowering as less is more, and it is easily identifiable to the audience as it is easy to remember.

Graphology

The graphology of the masthead ‘Q’ is always white, whilst the background is always red. This follows the house style of the magazine as this colour scheme is fluent. The red portrays both love and danger, whilst being a very powerful colour which dominates the rest of the magazine. The flick of the Q reflects the magazine’s professionalism as it is a very formal, classy and sophisticated magazine of which many people can rely on for trustworthy and honest reviews unlike music gossip magazines like Top of the Pops.

sddsd Acronym

The acronym ‘NME’ stands for New Music Express, which is exactly what the magazine delivers. The acronym is very effective as some of the audience may not even know what the acronym stands for however it sticks to the brain and is very catchy, more so than a long-winded phrase. This helps the audience to remember the magazine and purchase it as the letters are soft-sounding and not too harsh, whilst the people who do know what it stands for are at a better advantage as it gives exactly what the masthead promises.

Graphology

The graphology of the masthead ‘NME’ is again red, connoting power with a white outline and a black background. These colours combined makes the title stand out as the shadow on the title reflects the audience with the sharp font. Also, the contrast between black and white makes the red seem neutral which foreshadows how the magazine is not targeted at one specific genre or audience.

sddsd Connotative

The connotative word ‘Kerrang!’ relates to the sound of any word related to music. The phonology of the word ‘kerrang’ is quite harsh, especially as the word is non-existent and this could connote the sound of smashing up an instrument or violently smashing things up.

Graphology

The graphology of the masthead ‘Kerrang!’ is black a white, two colours which complete contrast against each other. The black promotes death whilst the white stands out amongst the black to attract the audience. The typefont of the masthead is also quite violent as it appears to be cracked, combined with the exclamation mark which promotes screaming and shouting – reflecting the audience that it is aimed at.