analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

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Analysis of ‘Kerrang’ music magazine

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Page 1: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Analysis of ‘Kerrang’ music magazine

Page 2: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Front cover Analysis-1The masthead of the magazine is red and bold and is placed at the top of the cover, which follows the conventions as this is where most brands usually place their masthead. It is also following conventions as it is bright and bold and stands out compared to the other text on the cover. The mastheads font is very striking and bold and the onomatopoeia used has a exclamation mark after it, suggesting a loud sound, which indicates that the magazine is based on rock music as stereotypically, rock music is very loud.

The main image is a medium shot of the rock band, A Day To Remember. They have used this band to highlight that the genre of the music magazine is rock music. In the image, the band member in the middle is staring directly at the camera, while the other two are pulling faces and looking to the sides. Therefore, direct address through the main image has been used. The use of direct address connotes that the magazine wish to build a connection with the audience as they make it seem that the male in the middle is staring directly at them. The image follows the rule of three as the faces of two of the characters are in the region of the intersected lines.

The main cover line of the magazines front cover is really obvious and clear as it has been written in red font and the font that has been used resembles the font used in a comic, which makes it eye-catching and may appeal to a larger audience

The rest of the cover lines have also been made to stand out over the background as they have been written in bold black font and have been given a background o stand out against the black outfits of the singers.

They have used a slightly unobvious puff here to advertise a article in the magazine. The have highlighted the word unseen to make it stand out as this will grab a viewers attention and make them want to purchase the magazine as it shows they have exclusive content that others have never accessed before. They have also mentioned a hugely successful and famous band, Nirvana, which would also help to grab the attention of many viewers as they have wrote the text in a larger font.

Page 3: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Front cover Analysis- 2

The barcode has been placed at the bottom right of the magazine, in the corner, which is where it is placed conventionally. It is fairly obvious but does not cover any of the cover lines or important features, therefore it is placed in a suitable place.

They have placed the names of other rock bands on the front cover to attract the attention of viewers as these may be bands that they listen to or appeal to them more.

The magazine brand advertises the magazine by showing that the customer will get posters if they purchase the magazine. They have included it on the bottom left of the page, which is not a hotspot but you can see it clearly.

The main cover line is also placed in the middle and follows the rule of three as it is also placed in the hot spot region, therefore is more likely to be read by a viewer.

The magazine addresses the customer through direct mode of address by using the word ‘you’ve’. By talking to them directly, the magazine is building a connection with the audience as a feeling of intimacy and familiarity is created, which urges a customer to purchase the magazine.

While the front cover is very bright and full of colours, we notice that the brand has chosen to stick to a specific colour scheme for the issue. They use mostly red and yellow to highlight and promote their articles. White has also been used to make some cover lines stand out against the black background of the main image. Black coloured clothes have been worn by the members of the band, which also coordinates with the colour scheme as some of the cover lines are written in black text. The dark colour may have been used to represent the music genre as it is stereotypically thought that rock music is very dark and pessimistic at times.

Page 4: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Contents Analysis- 1

Kerrang have placed a main image on their contents page. The medium shot is of a musician playing a guitar and singing in a microphone. The magazine have used the mise-en-scene of props to portray the genre of the magazine. The instrument the artist is holding is a musical instrument, making it obvious that the magazine is a music magazine. The ear piece hanging of the musicians collar also suggests that the figure is performing.

This contents page has been labelled with a title, however we notice that the masthead of the magazine has not been placed on the page like it conventionally is. Kerrang may have chosen not to follow the convention because they are a hugely successful and popular magazine therefore they do not need to remind the audience of the brand. The title reads ‘contents’ and it is in white font, therefore stands out against the dark background. The letter ‘C’ has been covered by the musician in the main image, therefore the two features overlap.

The headings on the right side of the page are very bold and visible. Beneath them, the brand has written what articles will be present in the issue. The whole text has been placed over a white background, making it stand out over the dark colours used in the back.

They have chosen to place secondary images around the page along with the main image, which is done to help promote the articles in the issue and to attract the attention of viewers.

Page 5: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Contents Analysis- 2

The colour scheme has been followed on this page too, however the colour red has barely been used on this page. Dark colours have also been used on this page, with bright colours such as yellow and white to highlight important articles or information.

Kerrang has chosen to place the issue number and date on the contents page. They have broken a convention as this is usually placed on the front cover. Again, because Kerrang is a hugely well-known brand, they do not need to follow many conventions as they already have established a huge fan base.

Headings such as ‘news’, ‘features’ and ‘reviews’ have been included on the right side of the page to make the viewer aware of what type of content the articles in the magazine talk about and cover. It also organises each article and makes it easier for someone to find what they are looking for, if they want to search for a specific article.

This heading has been placed here to make it easier for people to locate where the popular article is. It stands out against the other text as it is in bright white font over a slightly dark part of the page

Page 6: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Double page spread analysisThis is a double page spread from Kerrang and the article is based on the band from the front cover, A Day to Remember. We know this as the background image is a long shot of the band sitting against a wall looking directly at the camera, therefore establishing direct address through the image.

The heading reads, ‘make America skate again’, with most of the words in different coloured fonts. The colours used for the font of the heading are red, blue and white, which are the colours in the American flag. They are mocking Donald Trumps statement ‘make America great again’ by swapping the word great for skate. This connotes their opinions and shows their beliefs.

This text box has been placed here with information about an event involving the band, a day to remember. The box has a white background to make it stand out against the dark colours used in the image for the props. The first letter of the first word has been given a larger font, which is done conventionally as many magazines do this to make the fact that the page has text obvious.

The background in the image is a grey, dirty wall and the clothing worn by the musicians in the page is also very dark, which probably implies the type of music the musicians make. The colour dark is also associated with punks, and at times so are skateboards, also signifying the music that the band create and the personality of the band. The mise-en-scene of clothes and props makes the image seem informal.

The spread also includes the name of other successful and popular musicians and bands, which may have been done to attract a larger audience as more people would be familiar with these brands.

Page 7: Analysis of ‘kerrang’ music magazine

Similarities

All three of the pages in the magazine have a similar, dull coloured theme. They all use the colours white, yellow and black. And some pages also have red and blue in common. The four sides all have an image of an artist. On the front page there is a main image of a rock band. On the contents page there is a image of a musician. On the double page spread there is a large image of the band that was on the front cover and it takes up the whole page. All the pages have large and bold headings on them to inform the audience of what the page will contain and talk about. Every page has some sort of text that describes an event or an article in the magazine. Even though all the pages do not contain the masthead of the magazine, we feel a rock music vibe from the pages, therefore all the pages create a similar feeling and atmosphere. The mise-en-scene created through the font and the props and clothes used in the images on each page emphasise the genre.