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Michigan State University
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Digital Experience Studio

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Digital Experience Studio

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Digital Experience Studio

University Communications and Marketing

  • Experience Program
  • Experience Design
  • Website Technology
  • Social Media
  • Analytics
  • News and Events

< Experience Program

  • Website Project Process
  • Working with a Vendor
  • Glossary
  • Taxonomy Data Dictionary

< Experience Design

  • Website Strategy
  • Website Structure
  • Information Architecture and Navigation
  • User-Centered Design Conventions
  • Common UX Issues
  • Enterprise Design System
  • Content Planning
  • Creating Accessible Content
  • Taxonomy and Filters

< Website Technology

  • Web Standards
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Cascade CMS
  • Sitecore CMS
  • Content Hub Overview
  • Content Hub DAM
  • Content Hub Operations

SitecoreAI

Sitecore user login

< Social Media

  • Alt Text Bookmarklet
  • Meta Ad Pixel
  • Social Media and Web Integration
  • Sprinklr

Sprinklr

Sprinklr user login

< Analytics

  • Google Analytics (GA4)
  • Testing
  • Data Visualization

Google Analytics

Google Analytics user login

< News and Events

  • News and Updates
  • Events and Trainings
Digital Experience Studio > Website Technology > Sitecore CMS > Sitecore Component Guide >

Masthead

Michigan State University

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Masthead

The Masthead contains the white MSU helmet logo and wordmark and the site name text. The helmet logo and wordmark link to msu.edu. The site name text links to the site homepage.

Masthead is a part of the header, along with Brand Bar and Main Navigation. These are found in a site’s Header folder inside the site’s Data node in Content Editor.

Screenshot of the header on the James Madison College website, with the brand bar, masthead and main navigation outlined with red boxes.
Figure 1: Example of the Header component from the James Madison College homepage. The top red outlined area indicates the Brand Bar, including Audience Links and Global CTA Links. The outlined area in the middle indicates the Masthead. The bottom outlined area indicates the Main Navigation.  

 

A masthead showing one rows of site name text. Row 1: "University Communications" in large text.
Figure 2: Example of the Header component from the University Communications and Marketing homepage. In this case, the Brand Bar only contains Global CTA Links on the right. On most sites, the Brand Bar is next to the Masthead. Audience Links would appear in the center and Global CTA Links are on the right. 

 

Note: While the search bar appears in this same area, it is a separate site configuration and not considered part of the Header component.

Component Information

  • Usage
  • Best Practices
  • Expected Behavior
  • Template Data
  • Related Information

Benefits

  • This component displays the MSU helmet and wordmark in the header, along with the site name text.
  • The MSU helmet, wordmark and the main site name (Site Name 1) are required fields.
  • Additional site name lines are optional. Multiple lines are available to support unit’s needs for illustrating unit and college affiliation.
  • The site name (Site Name 1 field) links to the website’s homepage, enabling visitors an easy means of returning home.
  • The MSU helmet and wordmark link to the msu.edu homepage, enabling visitors an easy way to access that website and strengthening the brand connection between the unit and the university.

Component Options and Limitations

  • There are up to three Site Name fields, enabling units to show hierarchy and unit/college affiliation. 
  • Site Name field text will wrap to the next line if too long for the space in the header. This should be avoided when possible, especially if using multiple Site Name fields.

Guidelines

  • Keep text short to reduce text wrapping issues. 
  • The site name links to the website’s homepage.
  • The MSU helmet and wordmark link to the msu.edu homepage.
  • On mobile, the Site Name fields stack at the top of the menu. Be sure to check both desktop and mobile views, especially when using longer text.

Logo (image)

  • The white MSU helmet and wordmark
  • This is a fixed field. No editing is available.
  • This links to the MSU homepage.

Site Name 1 (single-line text)

  • The main site name
  • Text will wrap if too long for the space in the header.
  • Required field
  • This links to the site's homepage.

Site Name 2 (general link)

  • College or department text that appears above Site Name 1 with an optional link to the college or department website.
  • Text will wrap if too long for the space in the header.
  • The display text is the Description/Link Description text set in the Insert Link panel.
  • Optional field

Site Name 3 (single-line text)

  • Secondary site name text that displays below Site Name 1
  • Text will wrap if too long for the space in the header.
  • Optional field
  • Not linkable

Related components:

  • Brand Bar
  • Main Navigation

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the masthead logo and link be changed?

No, the masthead logo must be the white MSU helmet with wordmark and must link to the MSU homepage.

Can the site name be longer than one line?

Instructions for Use

Edit the Website Masthead

In Content Editor:

  1. Locate the site’s Masthead folder (site name > Data > Header > Masthead).
  2. Set or edit the main site name by adding or editing the text in Site Name 1.
  3. If a college or department name is desired:
    1. Set the link in Site Name 2 using the Insert link or Insert external link options.
    2. Set the Description/Link Description text to be the college or department name.
  4. If additional site name text is desired:
    1. Add text to Site Name 3.
  5. When done making changes, click Save.
Publish Changes to the Masthead

Tool Use Guide

 

 

Documentation updated: June 1, 2026

Is there an issue with this documentation? Report it here.

Yes, Site Name 1 text can be longer than one line. However, it will wrap as best as the space allows on different size screens. Line breaks cannot be controlled.

In Content Editor:

  1. Click Save to save any changes.
  2. Click Check In on the Review tab of the navigation ribbon.
  3. Saved changes will publish automatically.
Examples
A masthead showing one row of site name text. Row 1: "Digital Experience Studio" in large text.
Figure 3: Example of the Header component from the Digital Experience Studio homepage. In this case, only Site Name 1 (“MSU Experience Studio”) is in use.

 

A masthead showing two rows of site name text. Row 1: "University Communications" in medium text. Row 2: "Digital Experience Studio" in large text.
Figure 4: Example of the Header component from the Digital Experience Studio homepage. In this case, Site Name 1 (“MSU Experience Studio”) and Site Name 2 (“University Communications”) are in use. 

 

A masthead showing two rows of site name text. Row 1: "Digital Experience Studio" in large text. Row 2: "Marketing, Public Relations and Digital Strategy" in small text.
Figure 5: Example of the Header component from the Digital Experience Studio homepage. In this case, Site Name 1 (“MSU Experience Studio”) and Site Name 3 (“Marketing, Public Relations and Digital Strategy”) are in use. 

 

A masthead showing three rows of site name text. Row 1: "University Communications" in medium text. Row 2: "Digital Experience Studio" in large text. Row 3: "Marketing, Public Relations and Digital Strategy" in small text.
Figure 6: Example of the Header component from the Digital Experience Studio homepage. In this case, Site Name 1 (“MSU Experience Studio”), Site Name 2 ("University Communications" and Site Name 3 (“Marketing, Public Relations and Digital Strategy”) are in use.