KERRANG! COVER DECONSTRUCTION

pug

pug

pug

puff

masthead

Main cover line

Barcode, date and issue number

Cover line

Cover lineSub headingSub heading

Sub images

Dominant imagesstrapline

Sub heading

Masthead - The masthead is the name of the magazine and is almost always prominent at the top of the magazine cover. It is there to brand the magazine and advertise the brand, it attracts peoples attention because they associate the brand with a certain genre of music so by making it large and obvious, it attracts more of their target audience. In this example, ‘kerrang!’ is bold, capitalised and white against a grey, darker background. This stand out masthead is perfect to attract readers. However, it is part hidden behind the dominant picture showing that the contents is more important to the magazine than the name. It also shows that the magazine is big and popular enough to be able to hide part of the name and still be recognisable.

Dominant image - The dominant image is there to attract the reader. By showing a large image of a band or singer, the target audience and those who like the pictured artists will want to buy the magazine. The other purpose of the dominant image is show who/what the main article is about. This ‘kerrang!’ magazine shows a full page picture of the band ‘my chemical romance’ which shows clearly what the main article is about and easily grabs the attention of potential readers and keeps them interested. The fact that it is covering part of the masthead shows that they believe that the dominant image is one of the most important aspects.

Puff - The aim of a puff is to stand out from the rest of the cover, like a sticker, and boost the magazine. This magazines puff is located in the top right corner and acts as a sticker showing why the reader should buy this copy. In this case its because it’s a ‘special bumper issue’. This attracts the readers attention and makes them believe that as it’s a special edition, they have to have it. The purple circle and yellow/white writing fits with the theme of the cover yet still stands out against the rest of the cover.

Pug -A pug is there to give information on what is inside the magazine and it is there to gain the readers interest. The pugs in this magazine are located in the top left, on the left half way down the page and in the bottom right corner. The positioning of these pugs spreads across the entire cover and therefore wherever a potential reader looks they will see a pug and will get a glimpse of what is inside the magazine. The contrasting colours of yellow against black, yellow against purple and white against black made the pugs stand out and made them even more likely to grab readers attention.

Sub images – The sub images are there to support the sub headings and cover lines. They go along side the subheading and help to explain what the article inside is about and is often a picture of the artist or band. This article shows sub images along the bottom of the page. This section being dedicated to different articles make them clear, doesn't’t take away from the dominant image or cover line yet ensures the images are easy to see.

Sub headings – Sub headings are there to invite people to look inside the magazine and explain the cover lines . By putting a bands name on the front cover, smaller than the main cover line yet still bold and obvious, this invites people to read the articles. This magazine has a bold and white, capitalised text that matches the cover lines above it but smaller text. This makes it clear and easily readable. Another sub heading on this cover is the main cover lines sub heading. This sub heading is different from the others and stands out as it is a different font from any other font on the cover. This makes it obvious that this is explaining the main and most important article that the magazine is advertising and promoting.

Main cover line –The main cover line shows what the main article and focus of the magazine is on. In this example it is the band ‘my chemical romance’. The main cover line is always large and bold, as shown in this example. The main cover line has to be big, bold and obvious (shown here in a contrasting yellow) to grab peoples attention and encourage them to pick up the magazine.Cover lines –Cover lines show other articles that are in the magazine that aren't the main focus but are still important. They also have to be bold but aren't as big as the main cover line so it doesn't draw attention from that. This magazine has the cover lines in a fairly large, capitalised white font that attracts attention. They are also short and to the point, stating only the bands name. This makes it more likely to attract people as a long cover line doesn't bore them, they are only interested in the bands name. Issue number –The issue number is just there for identification and doesn't mean a lot to the customer so it is also often small and out of the way. This magazine has chosen to put it with the bar code, date and other non-essential information such as the website address for the magazine.

Barcode –The point of a barcode is identification. Shops will be able to scan the barcode on an item to get information such as the price from it. Shops also use the barcode to track their inventory and sales. Once the barcode is scanned it is put down as sold and they will know that it isn’t in their inventory anymore. From looking at this they can figure out what is selling well, what is popular and what is making the most money. This magazine has put its barcode on its side on the left hand side. This would save space yet still keep this vital part of the product visible.Date –The date on a magazine is there to show if it is current or not and proves if the events or articles are up to date. The date isn't the most vital piece of information that people look for first so it is often small and out of the way. This magazine for example has put their date with their barcode to free up space.Strapline – Straplines as simple, straight to the point and memorable. They convey the essence of the magazine. “join the ultimate celebration inside!” and “the album that saved your life” are all simple yet powerful. They display how important the articles are and portray the high energy essence of the brand with the word ‘celebration’. The are placed around the main cover line which means they are in line with the main attention. They are also in a simple, spaced out font so they are easy to read and memorable.