Analysis of Kerrang Magazine

The Front Cover

Colour and Design

• The vibrant red and yellow, and the white and black, contrasts very well, making the Masthead, captions and cover lines stand out. • The Masthead and all the cover lines are very

large and sans serif, really catching the eye of the reader, drawing them in.• The design really suggests that its more

directed at attracting young readers, probably teenagers, with their modern looking design and sans serif font.

The Image

• The large image used on the front cover conveys what fans and readers alike either want to see, or want to be. The picture is of a stereotypical boyband and they look very stylish.

• Female readers especially may find the members attractive, and male readers may want to be more like them, therefore encouraging them to buy the magazine and read it.

• Also, the image, at least of what seems to be the leader of the band, is in front of the Masthead, suggesting to the reader that this person is very important, and would encourage the purchase of the magazine.

The poses and style

• The poses in the large image strongly represent the stereotype of a cool boy-band with direct address to the reader, making them seem confident and masculine.• Their style in the image has a

strong rock feel to it and creates a sense of coolness and stylishness.

The Cover lines

• Looking at the cover lines and puffs, we can see that the magazine is aimed at young people, as it involves one about a free poster and one about the set of free stickers that comes with the magazine. This can obviously encourage any younger person to buy the magazine.

• There are also many uses of an exclamation mark in the magazines cover lines, creating a feeling of excitement. This would encourage readers to buy it as the stories and contents that are being advertised seem important and exciting.

The language

The director of magazine addresses the reader directly and does a paragraph thanking them for reading the magazine, making the reader feel involved.In the cover line ‘Your band, their story!’ they are once again including the reader in the contents, saying its ‘your’ story.

Overall Impression

• The front cover gives a good impression of what’s inside by its exciting layout and image of a boy-band.• Readers that are interested in

more calm and classic music are not addressed, as the cover is too in-your-face and exciting.

Institution and Distribution

• Bauer Media Group owns Kerrang, as well as more than 600 other magazines, such as Q and Mojo.• Kerrang is distributed across the

UK

The Contents Page

Colour and Design

• The black on yellow really stands out and, with the warning strip on the side, makes it feel exciting and almost seems dangerous.• The font is very bold and once again is

black on yellow, giving it an almost dangerous feel. The heading is intricately done and fits into the stereotype of a rock musician, with a skull and a snake around it.

The Images

• The large image to the right is depicting what the target reader would love to be the man standing up. The picture of the two men, aka the directors of the magazine, is connected to the story next to it, with them doing silly faces and thanking the reader. This is great for the reader as they feel like the director is talking to them.

The poses and style

• The pose of the man on stage gives an epic sense and makes the reader feel excited to see what else is inside.• The pose of the woman is almost a

seductive one, and she seems to be showing off her beauty to the reader, encouraging them to read on. Female readers may also feel like they will want to adopt a dress style like the one she is wearing.

Cover lines

• Each main cover line is very big, bold and easy to understand, meaning the reader can easily find which page they want to go to at a glance and what is inside the magazine. The director of the magazine also addresses the reader directly and does a paragraph thanking them for reading the magazine.

Language

• The language is quite simple, yet exciting, as lots of exclamation marks are used and the writing is very informal. This really draws the reader in as they feel as if they can relate to the magazine and the people in it.

Overall Impression

• The Contents page seems very well designed for telling thereader what is in the issue. The typeface is very bold and easy to read due to the colour, and young people are drawn into it, as well as rock fanatics, due to the picture and design of the heading.

The Double Page Spread (38-39)

Colour and Design

• This page’s colours are extremely vibrant and stand out considerably. The bright pink and blue really contrast with the yellow.• The text and design is really

exciting and laid out well, with all its different colours and different fonts working together to create this.

The Images and poses

• The images are directly linked to the story, but are extremely exciting, as they feature Tony Hawk, a well known celebrity, doing tricks on his skateboard.• Many fanatics of rock are

associated with things such as skateboarding, as it is seen as ‘cool’. Therefore young people reading will see the images as very exciting and capturing.

Cover lines

• The cover line is very large and the ‘Skate’ is bright pink, as well as the whole thing being slightly slanted. This gives an overall feeling of excitement and it also goes with the images of the skateboard tricks.

Language

• The interviews of different musicians is very informal and some are quite humorous. This grabs the readers attention as it seems more relatable and encourages them to read it.

• Young readers, and especially people who play video games, are drawn in as not only are they talking about rock, which is considered cool, but they are also talking about it in a video game.

Overall Impression

• I think the pages are very well designed and laid out; everything seems close to each other and fits well, yet at the same time there is enough space between things to keep it from being too busy and too full.

• As well as this, the colours are expertly chosen and contrasted, giving a heightened sense of excitement and fun, specifically drawing in young people.