Analysis of Kerrang magazine

The genre of this magazine is obviously music, this is evident from the main coverline and strapline. Furthermore the masthead ‘Kerrang’ is an onomatopoeic word which anchors the genre more so. The masthead name Kerrang has become a brand name which has a particular identity that is easily recognisable.

The use of the rule of thirds in the main image is effective because the three band members faces are central in the magazine and draw the audiences eye line to the masthead also. Moreover the main coverline is also central, as well as this it is almost the same size as the masthead; therefore the main coverline is one of the focal points.

Because the magazine is such a well known name, the main image covers some of the masthead because it is not important. The magazine is recognised easily because of its brand identity. The red used in the masthead is most likely used as it seems like a popular behaviour within music magazines, perhaps it is often copied because it is successful. A smashed effect is across the masthead implies the magazine’s sub genre is rock – anchored by the main coverline, as this music genre is often perceived as loud and angry (relating to the colour red).

The cover models members of a rock band ‘Blink 182’ which anchors the genre of the magazine. Adding to this they are all wearing black which is often stereotyped with rock music e.g. goths, dark.. This represents the band quite stereotypically. The band aren’t directly addressing the audience, they are looking away from the camera apart from the one member in the middle. This comes across as the band being secretive in some way which implies the interview will be interesting. Anchoring this, both men at the end look shocked as if there is once again interesting content. The band are shot in a medium long shot, which reveals their body language, showing the band as close as one man has his arms around the others.

The coverlines are in a small font and fit the colour scheme which is black, red, white and yellow. The coverlines are placed around the edges of the magazine, this is a convention of magazines. The coverlines are not detailed, suggesting the target audience are either young (aged 25 under) or C2 and below within social class. The lack of writing suggests that the target audience does not want to read so therefore may not have a quality education.

The barcode is placed in the right bottom corner, this is because it isn't a focal point it is just a code of magazines.

The layout of the magazine is centred around the main image, with only the main coverline laid on top of the image. The layout seems simple because there is only a white background behind the band.

There are secondary images in the corners which make the cover busier and more exciting. This prevents the corners being empty.

I think that the target audience is aged under 25, and low class. I think this because there are childish elements to the magazine, such as the posters, this suggests that the target audience is a teenager, at university or a single adult. Furthermore the lack of detail in the coverlines also supports this.

Front cover

The layout of the contents page is mostly the medium long shot main image of the contents page. This supports the idea of the target audience I previously mentioned (lack of detail). The contents is listed down the right hand side of the page.

The font of the contents list is kept simple and is monochrome. However the titles within this are bold an highlighted in yellow.

The article titles are similar to most music magazines: news, features, posters, reviews and gigs.

The mise en scene of the main image of the contents page represents the genre (music) well, as the singer is holding a guitar and singing in a microphone. Furthermore the singer is wearing sunglasses and a flower printed blazer. This represents the singer as a confident celebrity as an ‘average’ person wouldn’t wear this kind of outfit.

One of the codes and conventions of magazine contents pages’ are editors letters. Kerrang follows codes and conventions by including an editors letter with a selfie attached. The selfie shows the men as easy going and fun, which anchors what the magazine is about.

The only column on the contents page is on the right hand side of the page. It is all in one column and the information given in this column is not very detailed. This suggests the target audience doesn’t buy the magazine to spend a lot of time reading.

The main image of the contents page links to the articles featured in the magazine, because the caption at the right hand corner reads: ‘the ultimate Reading and Leeds review p40’. This picture is anchored to this page reference because it suggests it was taken at the festival. This makes the contents page easier to understand when different aspects link together.

Another way that Kerrang used codes and conventions on the contents page is by putting page numbers next to different titles and information, so that it is quicker for readers to find what they're looking for. As well as this it makes the reader easily understand that it is a contents page because of this.

The main heading of the contents page is ‘Contents’. This is a typical feature of most magazines.

The house style of Kerrang is not as evident on the contents page as it is on the front cover, because there is extremely little red. However there is still lots of yellow. As well as this, the title of the contents page is even in a different typography to anything on the front cover.

The issue number and date of the magazine is placed under the contents title, in a small font, as it is not one of the focal points of the contents page however it is one of the codes of magazine, so the audience expects to see it.

The magazine uses the rule of thirds in the main image, as it takes over more or less the whole page, apart from the far right hand side. The image is obviously the focal point of the contents page; it is the first thing you look at. The title ‘contents’ is placed in the right corner, this is done because it is obvious what the page is so the title isn't important.

Contents page

The layout of the double page spread is basically the image; the image takes over both of the pages. The article title covers the whole of the first page, and is closely followed with a short synopsis of the interview. In the right hand corner in a small white rectangular box the article begins.

The font of the title is in a paint brush effect with the colours of the American flag, which works well with the reference to America in the title too.

In comparison to the colourful title, the image is quite dull. The band is sat against a concrete wall wearing black clothes. This contrast in colour schemes makes the title stand out.

The title is integrated with the main image because it refers to skating, and in the image there is a skateboard close to the camera. Because the background of the image is concrete this could suggest the men are in a skate park. The title of the article is play on words, as it is referring to Donald Trump’s ‘make America great again’, but instead changes to ‘make America skate again’. This reference is mentioned in the text: ‘But while Donald Trump leads his…’Make America Great Again’ message of divide and conquer…’

The main image is similar to the main image of the front cover as the artists remain in the same order, and in the same clothing. This makes the link seem seamless as it goes together well.

Following convention, the drop cap at the start of the article makes it clear where it begins, it also looks attractive to the reader.

The target audience is still definitely young males, aged below 25, as skateboarding is usually associated with teenage boys. This message is reinforced by the fact that all the band members are male.

The band is still represented quite stereotypically pop-punk. This is represented by the mise en scene which shows the band wearing all black, which is associated with rock music being dark and angry. More specifically, the fact that the article title is surrounding skateboarding and the main image features a skateboard which is stereotypical, because often with this genre, skateboarders are associated with listening to pop punk.

Double page spread

The cover stars feature on the front cover and the double page spread, which is one of the codes and conventions of magazines. This is because the reason the audience bought the magazine so the cover stars would have to have as large feature. The coverlines on the masthead are expanded on in the contents page, this is what you would typically expect from a contents page and therefore it shows it is successful. This is beneficial for the audience because it anchors exactly what the content is about and the audiences understanding of it. For example the tagline on the cover is about ‘Reading and Leeds’ festival, and the main image of the contents page is from the festival, and the caption of this picture offers more information: ‘The ultimate Reading and Leeds review’. This once again anchors the front cover and contents page together.