Analysis of magazine front coversCover 2.Kerrang! NOV 2011

You Me At Six Edition

The masthead – It is the same on every edition so it is easily recognised by regular buyers. It clearly stands out at the top of the page and it uses a dramatic font style (from Dafont site). It is like broken glass to suggest rebellion which is associated with rock and finally the exclamation mark makes it more dramatic as if to symbolise the sound of the glass breaking.

Flasher – this automatically draws the readers focus to this part of the page; also the bright yellow and pink colours draw the focus here as well. It also intrigues people to want to read more inside the magazine.

Background – the background is generally just white as there are that many other images and colour things going on, on the page it would make it feel too crowded with a patterned background so this then does not put people off as sometimes too much going on can make it hard for readers to focus on the magazine.

The footer – this gives the information of other (mainly rock/punk) music artists relating to the genre of the magazine, featuring in this issue & so gives the impression there is a lot more to see inside the magazine & that it is varied which then attracts more buyers.

Barcode/date/issue/price – it is important on all magazines for them to sell sufficiently but is placed on the bottom right away from the main copy as it is not as important to the genre of the magazine.

Main Cover line/Sell line – it again informs the target audience of other Rock related bands (the ones in the main image) featuring in this issue and so if some people are a fan of them they will want to find out about them and so buy the magazine. It is also written in block black capitals and black has connotations of Rock and it stands out.

Main image –it is of many Rock music artists and not just one to show there is variety featuring in the magazine and so will attract a variety of people who are fans of several or just one of the artist featured. It will also attract a niche audience or those who don’t usually buy it. Also this is a medium long shot of them all which suggests there t-shirts and facial appearances e.g. Hair colour being mainly black which is associated with Rock. As they are all smiling this gives the connotations of welcome to buyers. The outfits they are wearing are again mainly black/dark which has connotations of Rock and the girls t-shirt stands out the most as it has a Rock type phrase in bright white on it “ TO LIVE FAST AND DIE PRETTY”. Finally, the jewellery that they wear, for example the nose piercing, tag necklace and the man on the back left – black ear piercing, relates to what people interested in Rock would wear. All of this would then interest those who are also Rock fans and dress in that way and those who aspire to be like/dress like these on the front cover.

Cover line – This is a sort of chatty type phrase, that may relate more to youth, which makes a potential buyer feel as if they are being spoken to and then more involved which would encourage them to buy it.

Header – This is again a chatty type phrase to attract the readers and the exclamation mark draws even more attention to it.

Rule of thirds – is the traditional layout of a magazine but it looks more as if it uses a rule of two but it adds interest to the target audience and the cluttered layout shows that the magazine is filled with content and also relates to the stereotypical lifestyle of a Rock star.

House style – the house style is consistent and uses Rock related fonts to suit the genre. It also uses the colours Pink, Yellow, White and Black which is quite informal to relate to the target audience of youth and bright to stand out to be eye catching to potential buyers. The colours Pink and Yellow could also be a representation, of people who are interested in Rock, and their lively, no fear personalities.

THE TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE The target audience of this magazine are both male and female but as these days both genders can be/are interested Rock/Punk and so will be attracted to this magazine as both female and male Rock artists appear on this front cover. However, there are more male Rock artists on this cover as it was more known that males would be more interested in Rock. The main age group that are likely to be interested in this magazine could be varied in age as Rock related artists vary in age so may have varied fans. However, the impression given by this front cover is that the age group would be young adults as more lively colours and chatty, informal language like “POP PUNK’S NOT DEAD” and so only youth may relate to it and understand to it and the lively colours relates to their lively personalities. The majority of the target audience may be students and on little or no wage so, although the Kerrang magazine is £2.70 suggesting it may be young adults on a small wage purchasing it, it is not too expensive like the average alternate magazine.

The methods used to attract the target audience are:

All of their facial expressions as they are smiling which connotes a welcoming vibe which is not the traditional stereotype for people interested in Rock e.g. It is normally more serious but this difference may be influenced by the youth today.

The music artists themselves and the style of them because it may attract Rock music fans who aspire to be like them and for example look like them.

Also the general House Style of the magazine, the bold big eye catching writing and the Rebellion style of it and bright colours, will automatically attract the target audience as they will straight away know it is Kerrang magazine and they may feel it will relate to themselves and their personalities/interests.

Analysis of magazine contents pagesContents 2.Kerrang! Nov 2011

You Me At Six Edition

The masthead - is again the same as on the title page just in white; this shows a consistent house style with keeping the colours within the house style which then reinforces the brand identity.

The main image (& others) - it is the focus of the page suggesting the contents is mainly image led and there are a couple of smaller images below it again reinforcing this. The ones below are edited to look like photos so that they stand out more. The flasher is also repeated on this page to emphasize the genre of the magazine which is Rock/Punk. The 3rd image at the very bottom is of the editor, who has written the editorial, which makes the readers feel more involved as they feel they know the editor and can recognise him, plus it is more welcoming.

House style - there is an added colour of blue on the contents page but this could be so it is recognised as the Kerrang contents page and so could be a consistent house style of the contents page. The colours black, pink , yellow and white all feature on this page which shows a consistent house style of kerrang, for example the word contents at the top of the page is in bright yellow.Lure - “Hello Readers” this text engages the target audience as it uses direct language as if it is talking to them personally.

Editorial - this sets the tone. For example the text says “and what you’re holding in your hands” which is direct language creating a personal mode of address and it is not too informal suggesting it is targeted at people in their early 20’s/young adults who relate to this type of speech/language. Also at the end the editor has put his name “James” but it has not been typed, it has been signed which reinforces the personal feeling this creates to the audience.

•Subscription - this is influencing the audience to subscribe to Kerrang if they havent already. It does this by saying “K! SUSCRIBE” and as it is in capitals it is as if it is shouting out to people and the exclamation mark puts even more pressure onto the audience to join. Also this writing is written in the consistent house style font from DaFont site. There are also details of the phone number and price listed of the advertisement to again engage the target audience to feel involved with the Kerrang and its special offers/relations. The bright colours also stick to the house style and stand out to attract attention.

Subheading & Summaries - There is a subheading, always in block yellow capitals on a black background, splitting pages into sections to make it easier for readers to follow. There is also a summary of the pages under a brief heading to intrigue the audience to read more. It is also always in black with the page numbers in red on a white background; therefore all of the colours used stick to the house style for the contents page.

Layout - this again uses an easy to follow layout; this time a rule of quarters. Also the layout, like the front cover, appears cluttered and lively to suggest a lot is going on to suit the genre of Rock personalities. To attract the niche audience it is conveyed to.

Banner & Date - consistent banner saying “Kerrang! Contents”, at the top, like on all Kerrang contents pages and the date and issue number is consistently featured. Plus they are in the contents house style colours.

Picture Credits - attention is drawn towards the people who do the cover photos which also adds a more personal touch.

Analysis of magazine double page spreadsD.P.Spread 2.Kerrang! Nov 2011

You Me At Six Edition

Main headline/Lure - this is in black and red block capitals on a white background and so again suits the house style of double page spreads. The exclamation mark adds drama to the headline by conveying it as important and attracting attention so it could be a lure for the target audience. Also the bright red straight underneath the plain black immediately catches your eye so is a lure for the target audience making it seem more intriguing. It could also be in bright red as it is a play on words to show that ‘BMTH’ star Oli is combining with ‘YMAS’ which will attract more people e.g. Fans from both ‘YMAS’ and from ‘BMTH’.Main Image – In this image, a

medium long shot of Josh Franceschi , from You Me At Six, and Oli Sykes, from Bring Me The Horizon, are wearing red and black coloured clothing that fits in with the house style and the colours of the clothes have connotations of the Rock Genre. Also Josh’s facial expression is quite welcoming and jokey along with Oli’s facial expression suggesting the magazine is quite informal and that it is aimed at young adults as they are a similar age to these artists and they may be the ones that understand and relate to this jokey atmosphere.

By line - this is a credit for who the double page spread is by e.g. Who the photographer of the image is. This could again be just to advertise their magazine but in an effective way so that if people know who the photographer is it may intrigue them to buy other issues with that photographer in.

Stand first - this is an introduction bit of information about the artists being interviewed so that if people read this or recognise the artists they may be interested enough to read further on in the article.

Drop Capital - the drop capital is 8 lines down; therefore sticking to the house style of Kerrang! Also it could lure you in as it is bright red and bold so stands out and will attract attention.

Columns - there are 2 columns of equal width so sticking to a consistent house style of. However, they slightly wrap around the images on the right, which take up a slightly larger column as there are quite a few of them as well as the main image on the left, connoting that the page is mainly image led (images are more important) perhaps because they know their target audience prefers more images than text.

Second lot of Images – these are generally of ‘YMAS’ and ‘BMTH’ and people involved with Kerrang! magazine meeting them which suggests the magazine is friendly and welcoming and it advertises the people involved with Kerrang! making them more recognisable to readers. As ‘YMAS’ and ‘BMTH’ are pictured in a lot of the images or the images involve them in some way it suggests that they are popular to this genre of magazine and are easily recognised by regular readers and are at a high point of fame and so will attract a large audience. Also the images portray a jokey atmosphere of ‘YMAS’ and ‘BMTH’ and Kerrang! again connoting an informal mode of address and suggesting it is again aimed at young adults who will understand this humour well.

Flasher - there is also a flasher on the double page spread, in bright red to catch attention, as it is and advertisement of Josh and Oli appearing on next weeks Kerrang! issue which then entices readers, usual or not, who have read this to buy next weeks whole magazine just for to find out about You Me At Six and Bring Me The Horizon Combined. Also there is another advertisement about ‘YMAS’ new single reinforcing that they must be well recognised and known by people interested in Rock which also suggests these people will know ‘YMAS’ are a regular feature in Kerrang!

Captions – there is a caption to each image that Kerrang! editor has written that adds humour and therefore will encourage readers to buy the next issue if they like the comments and kerrang! will eventually be recognised for its humour. This again emphasises that this magazine is informal and for younger audiences who will enjoy the humour.

House style- here it shows consistent house style as on most pages in the magazine there is the Kerrang! website listed and a NEWS logo advertisement to encourage more people to use the website.

ANALYSIS OF WRITTEN ARTICLE: The article itself is basically about Kerrang! Travelling to New York to interview Josh Franceschi from the famous Rock/Pop Punk band You Me At Six and, guesting, Oli Sykes from the famous MetalCore band Bring Me The Horizon whilst filming for You Me At Six’s new video ‘Bite My Tongue’. The style of the article is written in quite a humorous manner to suit the humorous personalities of the bands ‘YMAS’ and ‘BMTH’ and the niche audience it is directed at (the main group most likely from the age of 16 – 20 and maybe up to middle 30’s). Also in the interview some swear words are used suggesting it is not appropriate for younger audiences. It is written in 2 equal sized columns consisting of approximately 250 words. This could be again to stick to the house style but also as only 2 columns are used this could be to ensure the target audience will not be put off by too much text. The main headline is dramatic as it uses a catchy play on words “Sykes” to show that ‘BMTH’ star Oli is combining with ‘YMAS’ which will attract more people e.g. Fans from both ‘YMAS’ and from ‘BMTH’. Also the exclamation mark adds extra drama to the headline and gives off an excited atmosphere to the audience. Also the fact that Oli is appearing in Kerrang! reinforces that the genre of Kerrang! is Rock/Metal as well as Pop Punk conveyed by ‘YMAS’.

MORE INFO ON Kerrang! MAGAZINE Kerrang! is a UK based magazine devoted to Rock music. It has been published since June 6, 1981 when it was currently edited by Geoff Barton.

Angus Young from AC/DC was featured on Kerrang!'s first front cover. Kerrang! was originally launched as a monthly magazine but as its popularity grew it became published fortnightly and then in 1987 it was published weekly.

Kerrang! launched its own online website in 2001 with the "rants and raves" section being the most popular. Many other pages, on the website, were also considered to be popular but the number of users began to drop around 2005 as the number of people online decreased to as low as 10 when previously it had been closer to 100 - http://www.kerrang.com/

The circulation of the magazine, last noted Nov 2011, is currently at 43,033.

The hiring of editor Paul Rees circa was in 2000 when the nu metal genre, featuring bands like Limp Bizkit and Slipknot were becoming more popular. Rees then left Kerrang! and went on to edit Q magazine. Ashley Bird took over as editor from 2003 to 2005. However the magazine's sales went quickly dropped in 2003 and so Paul Brannigan took over as editor in May 2005.

In 2008, EMAP sold its consumer magazine to current owner Bauer Media Group. When Brannigan left Kerrang! in 2009 Nichola Browne was appointed editor. In April 2011 she also left Kerrang! And so former NME features editor and GamesMaster deputy editor James McMahon was appointed as editor for Kerrang! on 6 June 2011.

During the 1980s and early 1990s Kerrang! featured many thrash and glam metal artists on its front cover, such as Slayer, Bon Jovi, Metallica and Venom but later discarded them when grunge acts like Nirvana rose to fame. Kerrang! is currently known for featuring Rock/Punk artists on its front cover.

Kerrang!’s target audience is a uni-sex audience interested in Rock but generally more the metal side of Rock. However, it could be mainly targeted at males as Rock/Metal is stereotypically associated with males.