Kerrang!

Magazine
Analysis 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 as
electric guitars are a connotation of rock music.

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 wont 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.

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 recognize
the name of the magazine or simply the font it is
written in.
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.

Price: The magazine costs 2.20 which suggests that Kerrang! is

aimed at a working class audience as it is at a price that is
acceptable for the lower working class to afford.

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 target 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.

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 2014s 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 wouldnt
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 language 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.

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.

Contents Banner: The banner 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 positioned 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.

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 organized as it is set out in columns.

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 of young adults 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.
Through these images, it can be suggested that the magazine is
aimed predominately at young adults of both genders, yet
mostly males, and of a white ethnicity. The ethnicities of the
target audience is seen through how the images include mostly
artists of a white ethnicity, and therefore an audience of the
same ethnicity will be able to relate to the artists more than
people of a different ethnicity. Also, we can see that the
magazine is mostly aimed at young males as the activities
shown, like skateboarding, are typically connotations
associated with young males.

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. Language such as
woah, hes 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 like reading a magazine.

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 in the editors note, 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.

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
its 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.

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 target 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.

Title: The title of this article is Hammer Of The Odds. This is anchorage
text to the main image as the front man 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 peoples expectations of them.

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 recognize 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
target 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.

Main Image: The main image of this article is of the cover band. In contrast to the front covers main image, where a medium long shot and an extreme long shot was used, the band are all shown
here through a long shot. This shows that all of the band are going to be interviewed here and are equal, whereas the front man was used as a marketing technique on the front cover. Also, the band
are all stood in a fighting stance and the mise-en-scene shows a member holding a hammer, 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.