Planning Task 6: Masthead Design

The aim for my masthead is for it to be clearly visible and instantly recognisable for consumers, while also considering how it will appear at the top of my website. I plan to use stylish, elegant serif fonts to construct a classic and timeless look, much like the established aesthetic of VOGUE. To maintain organisation and clarity throughout the magazine without creating a cluttered appearance, I intend to use two to three fonts in total. Once my photoshoot is complete, I will select a colour scheme that complements the main image, ensuring the cover feels cohesive, elegant and visually appealing.

For the LUMÉ masthead, I knew from the beginning that I wanted an elegant serif typeface to reflect sophistication and luxury, similar in tone to VOGUE. I experimented with a range of serif fonts, including Garamond, Cambria, Felix Titling, Lucida Bright and Source Sans Variable. Each offered subtle differences in letter spacing and thickness, all of which I had to consider carefully. I wanted the masthead to be large and eye-catching, but not too heavy or condensed, so that it would stretch naturally across the width of the front cover without feeling overpowering.

Lower case options

Upper case options

Ultimately i preferred the look of the upper case lettering and typography as it looks more clean and readable from a further distance such as a display shelf. Before finalising the masthead font, I experimented with strapline options to ensure I liked how the two would work together. 

Strapline and masthead tests 

For the strapline 'glow with style', I tested both serif and sans-serif fonts, trying options such as Centaur, Georgia, Franklin Gothic Medium Cond Regular, Arial Rounded MT Bold Regular and Garamond. I also experimented with size, weight and italicisation, as I didn’t want the strapline to distract from the masthead, but instead to complement it. In the end,  i chose Georgia a clean serif typeface that balances the masthead and the strapline as one. These trials allowed me to explore serif versus sans-serif, capitalisation choices and overall readability. I also ensured my selection was distinct enough from iconic Condé Nast mastheads like VOGUE, avoiding fonts that felt too similar. Ultimately, I selected Garamond (upper case) for the masthead and Georgia for the strapline, as together they create a stylish, modern, yet classic identity for LUMÉ.

Final outcome