Kerrang Analysis

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Kerrang! Magazine Analysis of the front cover, contents page and a double page spread article

Transcript of Kerrang Analysis

Kerrang! MagazineAnalysis of the front cover, contents page and a

double page spread article

Masthead: The masthead of this magazine is placed across the top of the page and is written in bold, bright yellow text against a bold red background. The harshness of these colours makes the masthead very noticeable. Also, the title of the magazine is “Kerrang!” which mimics the sound of a guitar being strummed. This suggests that this magazine is targeted at an audience that enjoy the sub-genre of rock.

In addition, the masthead is partly covered by the main image. This means that the audience cannot fully see the name of the magazine, but they are still able to depict what the word says. This suggests that this magazine is now branded and therefore the target audience, and even people who the magazine is not aimed at, will recognise the name of the magazine or simply the font it is written in.

Strapline: A strapline has been included across the top of the front cover which states that there are free posters included in this issue. The offer suggests that the target audience for this magazine is young adults between the age of 15-25 as posters are seen as quite an adolescent thing to have, and would therefore appeal to this age group. Also, this feature says that there is a “Green Day Poster Special”. The adjective “special" suggests that this is a rare offer and it is unlikely to happen again soon and won’t be seen anywhere else. This has been done to attract the target audience as if they like the band featured in this strapline, they may want to purchase this issue of the magazine to see the unique features.

Main Image: The main image of the front page features a popular band in the rock sub-genre. This further suggests that the magazine is aimed at an audience who particularly enjoy rock music.

Furthermore, two shots have been used in the main image here as the lead singer is shown through a medium long shot while the rest of the band are shown in the background through an extreme long shot. This has been done to exaggerate the frontman as it is likely that the audience will recognise the lead singer more than the rest of the band, and therefore may take interest in the magazine if they are familiar with the artist displayed in the centre of the page.

Main Coverline: The main coverline on the front cover of this issue of the magazine is anchorage text to the main image as it states the name of the band, “Of Mice & Men”, who are shown in the main image.

Additionally, a caption has been used with the main coverline to briefly discus the reason behind this interview. The phrase “2014’s breakthrough band” anchors the main image as the frontman of the band is holding a hammer and an effect has been added to the photograph to make it look as if he is breaking through the page. As the caption states the band are new to 2014, it implies that the band appeal to young adults and confirms that the magazine is aimed at the younger generation between the ages of 15-25. This can be seen by how the magazine have included this band on the cover to attract that age group as they wouldn’t put an older band, so to speak, on the cover that the target audience would not have heard of or have an interest in.

Three words have been included with the main coverline which say “prison” “illness” and “death”. It could be suggested that these words have been used to hint at some of the points that will be covered in the cover story of this issue. This is likely to then interest the reader as it is only giving a brief insight and if the target audience are purchasing this magazine, it is likely that they like this band and will be interested in information that they may not yet know about the band i.e. the more personal details like illnesses.

Puff: A puff has been used on the front cover of the magazine which is offering the readers a chance to win a letter from the artist included in the main image. The text is in the same font as the coverlines and is coloured in red and black against a white circle which also has a black border; these colours have been used to make this feature stand out to the audience. The choice of words also has a big effect on the audience as by the way the word “WIN!” is larger than the rest of the rest, the audience will be excited by what they could potentially be getting. Direct address has also been used here as the word “personal” makes the reader think that this has been done especially for them. Additionally, as the puff is offering a prize which relates to the artist featured in the main image, this is likely to appeal to the target audience as they should have some interest in this band and are very likely to want to gain something “personal" from them if they are a fan.

Coverlines and Sub-Images: Below the main coverline, there are two other coverlines which are briefly explaining featured contents in this issue. The text here is written in smaller font than the main coverline to show the audience that they are not the main article. It could be suggested that these few contents have been chosen to be included on the front cover as they are stories about popular artists related to this magazine; people may buy the issue to read about these artists instead or aswell as the main cover band.

They each have a small image of the artists that the coverline is about and these photos have been edited in photoshop so they have no background, and are now slightly overlapping some of the main image.

Page Numbers: The page numbers are written in the same size text as the contents but in red text which makes it more noticeable. However, when there is an image to show a content, the page numbers are written in larger text and are placed in the corner of the images. This helps the target audience to see where they can find this featured content easier as the page number will be one of the first things that they see.

Section Headings: The contents have been divided up into specific topics that they all fit into. This is useful to the target audience of 15-25 year olds as it is likely that they are not going to be interested in all of the contents as this age group stereotypically have a shot attention span. Also, this makes the page look more neat and organised as it is set out in columns.

Editors’ Note: This feature discusses the cover band in a brief manner but helps the readers to get an insight into what the editor thinks of the band.

Also, the editor addresses the readers directly and in an informal way which is likely to appeal to the 15-25 year old audience. This can be seen through the quotes “you lot!” and “hello, readers”. These are friendly phrases and will most likely make the readers enjoy reading the magazine as it is not too formal.

Images: Three images have been included on the contents page to represent some of the contents. This is a good feature as it is a more interesting way to show what is in this issue of the magazine instead of the typical way of just through text. The target audience will be attracted to these images because they are interesting and hint at the contents of the articles in a more fun and exciting way.

Contents Banner: This feature is displayed in black and white which creates a simple theme for the reader and therefore it will not distract the readers attention away from any of the important contents. It is placed in the top right hand corner of the page which is one of the first things that the reader will see so they will know what page they are looking at.

Captions: The contents and images on this page each have a small caption to go with them which gives a small insight into what the article is about. Words and phrases such as “woah”, “he’s dead clever, like” and “amiright” are colloquial so are likely to make the reader feel more relaxed. This also confirms the target audience as the words and style of writing here resembles some of the spoken language that the majority of 15-25 year olds use nowadays, so they will feel as if they are having a conversation with their friends and not so much reading a magazine

This small addition to the contents page helps the readers to get to know the team who works in creating the magazine on a more personal level. There are mentions of some of the team members first names i.e. Eleanor, which makes it seem like the audience already know the team on a personal level as there is no description or who she actually is or what part she plays.

Also, there are some mentions of popular artists in this magazine which the target audience are likely to have an interest in. A few images have also been included which have been taken by the team themselves to give the audience a look behind the scenes. These photos also link to what is said in the note which again makes the reader feel comfortable as the majority of the younger generation share photos of their actions with their friends and the magazine seems to be doing this too.

Layout: The rule of thirds has been used on this page which makes the page look more organised. The contents have been divided up into three columns and there is a small, even gap between each of the boxes which adds a neat look to the page. The biggest news story in this issue has been positioned in the top left and centre boxes in the rule of thirds to show it’s importance as this space is in the direct eye-line of the reader and will be one of the first things that they see.

Also, there is a simple colour scheme on this page where there are only a few colours used (black, white, yellow and red). This makes the page look organised and professional as there are is not too much going on and the colours are not too distracting, which is what the target audience of 15-25 year olds are most likely looking for.

Title: The title of this article is “Hammer Of The Odds”. This is anchorage text to the main image as the frontman of the band is holding a hammer in the photo. The text is written in very large text and in bold, yellow font against a black background. This makes the title stand out as the harshness of the font and colours connects to the words used as a “hammer” is a robust object. Furthermore, the title gives an insight into the article as it implies that the band have had to fight to get to where they are now; it sounds as if “the odds” where not in their favour and they had to smash through people’s expectations of them.

Main Image: The main image of this article is of the cover band. In contrast to the front cover’s main image, where a medium long shot and an extreme long shot was used, the band are all shown through a long shot. This shows that all of the band are going to be interviewed here and are equal, whereas the frontman was used as a marketing technique on the front cover. Also, the band are all stood in a fighting stance to which again links the main image to the title. The title of the article suggests that the band have had to fight to get the success they have now, so the way they are standing in this photograph confirms that this is what the interview is about. Therefore, this will interest the target audience as they will want to read the article to find out how the band have got to this position. Furthermore, the target audience of 15-25 year olds are likely to have gone through or are currently struggling on their school work or figuring out their career. Due to this, it is likely that some of the readers will be able to relate to the bands situation in some way, as they be going through some similar struggles, so they will want to see how the band got through this for some advice; bands are often inspirational to young adults of this age.

Grab Quote: A grab quote has been used on this double-page spread which is hinting at the content of the article. The quote itself has been used to excite the reader about how the artist s going to go about taking “over the world”, as it is likely that they are going to want to read on to find out how. Furthermore, the target audience may want to see how they are going to reach their goals in hope that this will be useful to them to adapt to solve some of their problems.

Text: There is text in the top left hand corner of the page which states the name of the band that the article is about. As this interview is with the cover band and is therefore the main article of this issue, it is likely that the readers will be looking for this article and if they are flicking through the magazine, they will see this text in the corner and turn to this page. This is a useful feature as the target audience of 15-25 year olds are not likely to read through all of the contents to find the article they want, so this will make it easier for them to find this interview as they will recognise the name of the band.

Sub-Heading and text: The sub-heading is giving a brief overview into the reasoning behind this interview - the band are now very successful, but they struggled to get there. Suspension marks have be used to the end the summary of the article to create a sense of tension for the reader. This leaves the rest of the content to the imagination of the audience, and how this punctuation mark follows the short discussion of the struggles the band had to go through will make the reader want to continue reading. Additionally, the word “smash” is written in italics which exaggerates the meaning of the article of how the band fought to get to where they are now.

The text on this page is the start of the story which is setting the scene and introducing the band before the interview starts. Tom Bryant, the writer of this piece, uses informal language as he talks about the band which has been done to make the reader feel more relaxed and as if they are there with them.