Possible mastheads...

For my hip hop magazine I need the right masthead. For this reason, I have considered different options; I will analyse and compare them, in order to pick the right one. The possible mastheads I have come up with are:

Hip hop tribe
This is an interesting masthead, as it conveys a certain message to the specific audience. There is a key word in this example which would make the readers feel a direct connection. The use of ‘tribe’ makes them think that this is a magazine for them, they are part of it, and it has something to do with their lives. Because of this ‘Hip hop tribe would be a suitable masthead for my hip hop magazine.

Swagga Read
The reason I chose this masthead is due to my market research. The questionnaire results showed that the majority of readers would be most interested in fashion. Because of this, I have chosen a slang term used for fashion which is well known to my audience age group; ‘swagga’. This again makes them feel directly connected to the magazine, as by looking at the cover of the magazine they can straight away realise that language is being used which is similar to theirs (slang). As a result, this would attract the reader, proving that this would be a suitable masthead for my hip hop magazine.

Beat talk
This possibility has been chosen as it is related to the hip hop music, and is also a catchy name to remember. It’s an informal and simple masthead. This masthead would again relate directly to the target audience, as the term ‘beat’ is mainly used by them to refer to music. Also it is a short masthead, which can be pronounced in two syllables, which is similar to other well known hip hop magazines, such as ‘The source’.

Sound Stories
This is a unique masthead. The use of alliteration makes it catchy and easy to remember. The word use allows the readers to see straight away that the magazine would be based on strictly music, and the hip hop lifestyle. This masthead has a good flow to it. The alliteration of the S’s, make it memorable.


(slogan: Money takers, Sound breakers, Rule breakers, Night shakers, Stunnershades shakers, Move makers, No time wasters, Money makes the world go round ... and the girls go down).