Answers to Everyday Questions : What is a masthead ?

Masthead is the idea that predates the development of a webpage. Generally, you can see a masthead as the image on the top of a certain webpage or a printed page. Like the purpose of a newspaper headline, masthead may include different elements and design to get attention and supply the page with unique appearance. Most masthead designers try to develop a final design that will make the viewer to remember and easily associate with the publication.

The masthead is mostly considered as the most important part of a website to define the appearance of the front page. There are quite a few components combined to create a visually attractive graphic that will tempt the viewer to visit the site and stay to explore the contents in more details. Mostly, the masthead may include elements like a company logo, which can easily be recognized, font and text that can easily arouse curiosity as well as graphic image that will allow people to see something important about the function and purpose of the publication.

When the overall design of the masthead proved to be effective, website viewers are more likely to keep on checking the page in an attempt to see more elements that attracts attention. Numerous online businesses know that a good masthead tends to keep the viewer on a certain site long enough to gain interest about the site’s content and start browsing through the other items on that site. As a result, most online stores spend great deal of time and money to create a properly designed masthead that will be welcoming to the public.

The space a masthead needs on a certain page will differ from the application used. Some masthead takes up to one third of the front page while other considers mastheads that take almost the entire front page. Still, majority of online businesses consider smaller mastheads and save most of the page space to post other promotional announcements.