Planning Task One : Magazine Title and Strapline

You have now finished the research phase of your NEA and will be starting the planning phase.

The first part of your planning journey is to consider the title of, and strapline for, your magazine.

Magazine title : this will be the masthead for your magazine. Most magazine titles are single words but this is not always the case.

Magazine strapline : straplines appear, conventionally, below the masthead and communicate a message about the magazine's identity. For example:

the strapline for The Wire is 'Adventures in sound and music'

the strapline for The Big Issue is 'A hand up, not a hand out'

You can look at other magazines to see how their strapline links to their brand identity.

Coming up with a magazine title and strapline can be a creative and challenging process and is not something that can just be plucked from the air.

For this task you need to take a sheet of A4 paper (or the digital equivalent) and complete a mind map of potential ideas.

It is essential that you do not show or share your initial ideas with other members of the class.

Here are some tips to help you:

1. Consider your target audience 

Consider the interests, demographics, and lifestyle of your target audience to come up with titles and straplines that resonate with them.

2. Brainstorm keywords 

Brainstorm a list of keywords related to your magazine's content, themes, and mission. Use a thesaurus to expand your list of keywords and synonyms.

These keywords could be the catalyst for potential magazine titles.

3. Use puns or wordplay if appropriate

Consider using puns or wordplay to make your magazine title more memorable and attention-grabbing.

4. Keep it simple and memorable 

Choose titles that are easy to remember, pronounce, and spell. Avoid using complex or obscure words that may be difficult for your audience to remember or understand.

Most magazine titles are 3 or less words with the majority being a single word.

When thinking of your potential strapline, keep this short and pithy too.

5. Check availability 

Before finalizing your magazine title, make sure it is not already in use by another publication.

6. Get feedback 

Get feedback from the people who assisted you with your audience research to see if your magazine title and strapline resonates with them.

Remember, a great magazine title should reflect the content and mission of your publication while also being catchy and memorable to your target audience. 

Take your time, be creative, and test out different options before settling on a name that feels right for your magazine.

TASK

Create a post for your blog titled:

Planning Task One : Magazine Title and Strapline

In this post you need only to do the following:

1. Add your mind map of initial ideas to your post (make sure that this represents detailed evidence of your thought process)

2. Confirm the title and strapline for your magazine

Deadline

The start of our lesson on Tuesday 4th June