Font/Masthead - Typography Analysis

The definition of typography is : ' the style and appearance of printed matter'. I will be analysing this, and how magazines use different types of fonts or mastheads to implement their particular style or genre to the consumer.

Kerrang!:

'Kerrang!' have an eye-catching masthead that would stand out to their target market of young, rock -influenced individuals. This is due to the sans-serif font having a distressed effect on it , making the text stand out more and fit into the 'cool' image. The font is not always one colour and varies mainly between white, red and black to fit with the background. The font size of the magazine is always the biggest writing on the page meaning the customer will clearly aware  of the magazine, it is usually size 36 and covers the entire top of the cover. The exclamation mark at the end of the masthead makes the title stand out more and reflects the in-your-face music genre the magazine features.

The contents page for 'Kerrang!' always has a similar layout, for example the main text such as , 'Contents' and 'This Week' are always yellow; this helps to exhibit a house style in the magazine. As the yellow font is on a dark background it makes the text stand out more. However, the layout of the contents page is not always the same and varies depending on which type of picture they use - this helps to make each issue more interesting and diverse.

NME:

Similarly, 'NME' used a sans serif font, giving the magazine a younger, more modern feel to it. However, unlike 'Kerrang!' the text colour is always the same - red with a white border. The contrast of colours makes the text stand out more, meaning it is more eye catching to a potential customer. The text is always in capitals and very large on the page, making it more noticeable.

The layout of NME always similar in each issue. The content page is often simple with the same sans serif font and layout. The same red colour is used for some of the text for page numbers and the side menu, meaning a house style is established and it increases the fluidity of the magazine.

VIBE:
The masthead for 'Vibe' magazine is also red and in a sans serif font, making it appear modern and simplistic. However, it does not have a specific background or border but still continues to stand out on each issue due to its colour.

The contents page is often focused on a picture covering on the whole page, however, a continuous style for the magazine is established through a simplistic style being maintained. This is achieved by using sans serif font again