Transcript
Page 1: KERRANG! Magazine Analysis

KERRANG! Magazine Analysis

Page 2: KERRANG! Magazine Analysis

• UK based magazine devoted to rock music• Published by Bauer Media Group • First published on June 6th 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper• It started off as a monthly publication, going to fortnightly and eventually in 1987 it

went weekly. Priced at £2.20• Targeted at 14-21 year olds, interested in heavy metal/rock music • Circulation 43,003• It is named after the sound made when play a power chord on an electric guitar• Kerrang! Was initially devoted to the new wave of British heavy metal and the rise

of hard rock acts• the original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991 who

then sold it to Bauer Media Group In 2008.• In the early 2000’s it became the best selling British music• To find out more information to do with this magazine visit www.kerrang.com as

this website is dedicated to giving information on current bands and upcoming events. The website also hosts kerrang’s online shop, podcasts, message board and Tv and radio segments ensuring even more opportunities to sell associated merchandise and the magazine itself.

KERRANG!

Page 3: KERRANG! Magazine Analysis

Masthead: black and bold, against white background helps it to stand out, the dramatic font style taken from the site ‘Dafont’ gives it a broken glass effect which could suggest rebellion (associated with rock). The use of the exclamation mark also helps to give it a more dramatic feel and makes the title seem ‘louder’ like loud music. And the title itself is a form of onomatopoeia, with ‘kerrang’ being the sound made when strumming on an eclectric guitar, this gives the impression already that this magazine is not only a music magazine but a music magazine related to rock

Header: the word ‘free’ is written in yellow in order to stand out and attract the reader emphasising free things as this appeals to them. The white writing is also capitalised and bold in order to stand out this could suggest it is aimed at a younger audience as posters are something younger people enjoy

Sell line: suggests that this is a magazine associated with loud heavy rock music and this wording would attract the target audience, it is written in capitalised yellow font again to attract the target audience

Main image: the main image is of ‘Marilyn Manson’ a well know artist associated with heavy rock/metal music this would suggest that the target audience is interested in loud rock music. What he is wearing is very dark and this could suggest that the target audience are likely to wear dark clothing and the fact it is a male could suggest this magazine is aimed more at males. The angry but relaxed pose is associated with the rock genre appealing to it’s target audience, it is also a close up shot allowing the reader to form eye contact

House style: bright vibrant colours such as yellow, black, white and red have been used these are quite serious masculine colours which could suggest it is targeted more at males, these colours also give off a moody ambiance which could suggest it’s buyers are typical moody teens interested in rock music

Barcode/date/issue no

Coverlines: ‘Download ‘is written in a bright yellow in order to stand out. ‘the ultimate guide’ is written in capitalised white and against the red backing this stands out nicely attracting the reader

Page 4: KERRANG! Magazine Analysis

Images on the front cover have been set out to look as though they are cd album covers, this emphasises that this is a music magazine and the artists are all associated with rock music suggesting that people interested in rock music would buy this magazine

Coverlines: the fact it is on about the best music to download suggests that this magazine is dedicated to providing it’s fans with the best music and the artists mentioned on the cover e.g. ‘Enter Shikari’ and ‘My Chemical Romance’ (bands from the rock genre) help us to understand that this magazine is associated with rock and the buyer of this magazine would have a strong interest in the rock genre

-alised font in order to catch the readers eye. The use of yellow font has been used to highlight the names of the bands as it is bright it will instantly attract the target audience and the fact they are bands associated with rock music e.g. ‘Biffy Clyro’ suggests that the reader of this magazine would be interested in rock and of a younger audience due to the fact posters have been included. This would also appeal to teenage girls as they are known to sticking up posters of ‘attractive band members’ on their bedroom walls etc

Kerrang! identifies its target audience as ‘individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty’ aimed at both males and females between the ages of 16-24 and buyers being of class D-C, interested in Heavy Metal/rock music

Coverlines: ‘Huge Giant Posters!’ this is written in white capit

Price: at £2.40 this magazine is easily affordable for it’s target audience and again would suggest it is for a younger audience

The content of the magazine focuses on hard rock and therefore would attract those interested in this genre of music

Rule of thirds: used to help place things well

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Date/issue no

Housestyle: dark colours such as black and red have been used to connote anger/danger and aggression , creating a moody ambiance which links to the rock genre. A white bright font has been used also to break this darkness up and suggest loudness and give it a unique edgy feel attracting it’s target audience

Header: The word ‘Contents’ is written in capitalised white font helping it to stand out to the reader it has a urban effect on making it seem more rural and edgy relating to the rock genre and appealing to it’s target audience.

Layout: the layout is easy to follow with the sub headings being red and the main text and page numbers being written in black again these are quite dark, masculine colours which could suggest that this magazine is aimed at teenage males rather than teenage females. The page itself is quite image lead with little text this reinforces it is targeted at a younger audience

Mode of address: ‘excited much, about the weekend? C’mon download is gonna be AMAZING’ the way the editor uses direct informal language to connect with the reader suggests that this is for a younger audience. The reference to a music festival ‘download’ suggests further that this magazine is aimed at young teens and those interested in going to concerts/festivals etc

Subscription: the use of bright red text against a black background helps it to stand out to the reader, the writing in white is also a sly way of persuading the reader to subscribe with the use of words such as ‘claim your discount’ making them believe if they subscribe now they get to save money. This again suggests that it is aimed at a younger audience as they are more vulnerable and easily fooled.

Picture Captions: Cheesy e.g. ‘ yummy mummy’ again suggesting it is aimed at a younger audience

Images: images are all of rock artists e.g .‘Brody Dalle’ suggesting that this is a rock magazine and so these images appeal to it’s target audience. The expressions on the faces within the images link to the moody ambiance of the magazine with them being quite moody, serious and with the top left one being quite loud

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Main Image: is of Gerard Way lead singer of a well known rock band ‘My Chemical Romance’ this suggests that this magazine is aimed at those interested in rock music. The fact he is seen ‘screaming’ down the mike suggests ‘loudness’ which is associated with rock music as it tends to be loud and noisy. His clothing is dark colours e.g. Red and black which create a dark mood and connote aggression, a mood commonly associated with rock music and those that listen to it. This could also suggest the readers of this magazine would wear dark clothing like his with him being a style icon attracting the target audience

Housestyle: colours such as yellow and black have been used to create a loud atmosphere with these colours being quite vibrant and outstanding attracting the target audience

bold capitalised letters in order to stand out & attract the target audience. Alliterated phrases used within it such as ‘Metal Madness’ are catchy and associated with rock suggesting it is aimed at people interested in rock music

written in black also, however it is not capitalised but as it is against a white background it is still easy for the reader to read. The simplicity of the layout suggests that it is for a younger audience. An extra box has been featured within the q/a based article featuring well known lead singer of ‘Paramore’, ‘Hayley Williams’ expressing her feelings as to how scared but excited she is to be playing at download for the first time . The use of white text against a black background helps to make it stand out to the reader and the yellow banner at the top of the box helps the title ‘i love download’ to stand out’ the heart icon attracts the target audience as it is red so therefore eye-catching but teenagers often use these symbols when texting or when using the internet and so this appeals to them

3rd Headline: loud & dramatic, use of bright colours attract target audience

By line Main Headline: black and capitalised creating a dramatic loud mood like the mood of rock music and against the yellow background it stands out well

Headline: band name written in capitalised letters in yellow font in order to stand out against black background this works well. It creates a dramatic mood linking to the mood of the band being loud & dramatic they’re a rock band so suggests it is aimed at people who like rock

Stand first: uses an informal & direct approach of addressing the reader creating a friendly mood it is written in

Layout: it is written as a question and answer based article with the questions being capitalised and in blackfont so it is made easier for the reader to see and read. The majority of the main copy is


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