My Masthead

Choosing a suitable title for my magazine cover plays a major part in attracting audience. As I analysed earlier, the masthead should be an instant, eyecatching feature and designed in a unique font. Below is the shortlist I came up with and the reasons I considered each one an appropriate masthead.

Possible Titles

• Student Hub
• The Sense
• Continuance
• The Extension
• Pupil's Perspective
  

• Student Hub: Firstly, the word 'Student' has connotations of education and academia, also symbolising a less prestigous stage of school life, and so could be applied towards a sixth form or below. Additionally 'Hub' emphasises a collective location and has resemblance to a central base or a fixed point.This establishes the idea of community and shows how the readers of the magazine can be seen as a team.
  
• The Sense: I thought this was a short and blunt title that could create mystery. In terms of the semantic meaning, 'sense' refers to something which can be perceived using the body's receptors. The implied meaning in this example would be referring to a student's mental 'senses'. Using the determiner 'The' enables the masthead to appear abrupt and concise, giving it an omittive authority. However on consideration I think this would be too aggressive as a masthead for an educational magazine.
  
• Continuance: I liked this masthead due to the simplicity of the word. 'Continuance' insinuates that this magazine would be ongoing and implicates how there would always be more content to explore, metaphorically relating to the hectic lives of students. Not only this, but the theme of continuation provides reassurance towards the reader, leaving the suggestion that the magazine will constantly be there to offer advice or enlightenment.
  
• The Extension: Of course, 'extension' refers to the additional school tasks set if you are ahead with the lesson's work. But in this masthead, 'extension' can also refer to how the magazine is an extension of school life, providing the reader with the necessary extra information. Although I think this magazine works well, I think it has implications of 'high flyers' and would put off students who are less academically successful.

Pupil's Perspective

After some review, this was the title I chose to adopt as my masthead. 'Pupil' is a more formal way of addressing sixth formers and so I think it would assert professionalism to the magazine. Not only this, but 'perspective' contributes to the idea that the magazine would be based around the views, issues and suggestions of sixth form pupils. This makes them seem in control of the magazine and so would establish trust between reader and author.

From a technical aspect, the alliteration of the phrase allocates the masthead rhythm and enables us to say pronounce it in a fluent, continuous way. Another reason why I have chosen this is because I feel like I can use it to creative advantage when I design my front cover. I plan on taking the 'U' in 'Pupil's' and the 'S' in 'Perspective' and colouring these two letters in a separate shade to the rest of the title in order to highlight the word 'us' within the masthead. This would contribute to the communal outlook of sixth forms and make the reader seem like they are part of a larger minority.