analysis of kerrang magazine

1. Analysis of ‘Kerrang’ music
magazine

2. Front cover
Analysis-1
The masthead of the magazine is red and bold
and is placed at the top of the cover, which
follows the conventions as this is where most
brands usually place their masthead. It is also
following conventions as it is bright and bold
and stands out compared to the other text on
the cover. The mastheads font is very striking
and bold and the onomatopoeia used has a
exclamation mark after it, suggesting a loud
sound, which indicates that the magazine is
based on rock music as stereotypically, rock
music is very loud.
The main image is a medium shot of the rock
band, A Day To Remember. They have used
this band to highlight that the genre of the
music magazine is rock music. In the image,
the band member in the middle is staring
directly at the camera, while the other two
are pulling faces and looking to the sides.
Therefore, direct address through the main
image has been used. The use of direct
address connotes that the magazine wish to
build a connection with the audience as they
make it seem that the male in the middle is
staring directly at them. The image follows the
rule of three as the faces of two of the
characters are in the region of the intersected
lines.
The main cover line of the magazines front
cover is really obvious and clear as it has been
written in red font and the font that has been
used resembles the font used in a comic,
which makes it eye-catching and may appeal
to a larger audience
The rest of the cover lines have also been
made to stand out over the background as
they have been written in bold black font
and have been given a background o stand
out against the black outfits of the singers.
They have used a slightly unobvious puff
here to advertise a article in the magazine.
The have highlighted the word unseen to
make it stand out as this will grab a viewers
attention and make them want to purchase
the magazine as it shows they have
exclusive content that others have never
accessed before. They have also mentioned
a hugely successful and famous band,
Nirvana, which would also help to grab the
attention of many viewers as they have
wrote the text in a larger font.

3. Front cover
Analysis- 2
The barcode has been placed at the bottom
right of the magazine, in the corner, which is
where it is placed conventionally. It is fairly
obvious but does not cover any of the cover
lines or important features, therefore it is
placed in a suitable place.
They have placed the names of other
rock bands on the front cover to
attract the attention of viewers as
these may be bands that they listen
to or appeal to them more.
The magazine brand advertises the magazine
by showing that the customer will get posters
if they purchase the magazine. They have
included it on the bottom left of the page,
which is not a hotspot but you can see it
clearly.
The main cover line is also placed in the
middle and follows the rule of three as it is
also placed in the hot spot region, therefore is
more likely to be read by a viewer.
The magazine addresses the customer through
direct mode of address by using the word
‘you’ve’. By talking to them directly, the
magazine is building a connection with the
audience as a feeling of intimacy and familiarity
is created, which urges a customer to purchase
the magazine.
While the front cover is very bright and full
of colours, we notice that the brand has
chosen to stick to a specific colour scheme
for the issue. They use mostly red and
yellow to highlight and promote their
articles. White has also been used to make
some cover lines stand out against the black
background of the main image. Black
coloured clothes have been worn by the
members of the band, which also
coordinates with the colour scheme as
some of the cover lines are written in black
text. The dark colour may have been used
to represent the music genre as it is
stereotypically thought that rock music is
very dark and pessimistic at times.

4. Contents
Analysis- 1
Kerrang have placed a main image
on their contents page. The medium
shot is of a musician playing a guitar
and singing in a microphone. The
magazine have used the mise-en-
scene of props to portray the genre
of the magazine. The instrument the
artist is holding is a musical
instrument, making it obvious that
the magazine is a music magazine.
The ear piece hanging of the
musicians collar also suggests that
the figure is performing.
This contents page has been
labelled with a title, however we
notice that the masthead of the
magazine has not been placed on
the page like it conventionally is.
Kerrang may have chosen not to
follow the convention because
they are a hugely successful and
popular magazine therefore they
do not need to remind the
audience of the brand. The title
reads ‘contents’ and it is in white
font, therefore stands out against
the dark background. The letter
‘C’ has been covered by the
musician in the main image,
therefore the two features
overlap.
The headings on the right side of
the page are very bold and visible.
Beneath them, the brand has
written what articles will be present
in the issue. The whole text has
been placed over a white
background, making it stand out
over the dark colours used in the
back.
They have chosen to place
secondary images around the page
along with the main image, which is
done to help promote the articles in
the issue and to attract the
attention of viewers.

5. Contents
Analysis- 2
The colour scheme has been followed
on this page too, however the colour
red has barely been used on this page.
Dark colours have also been used on
this page, with bright colours such as
yellow and white to highlight important
articles or information.
Kerrang has chosen to place the issue
number and date on the contents
page. They have broken a convention
as this is usually placed on the front
cover. Again, because Kerrang is a
hugely well-known brand, they do not
need to follow many conventions as
they already have established a huge
fan base.
Headings such as ‘news’, ‘features’ and
‘reviews’ have been included on the
right side of the page to make the
viewer aware of what type of content
the articles in the magazine talk about
and cover. It also organises each article
and makes it easier for someone to find
what they are looking for, if they want
to search for a specific article.
This heading has been placed here to
make it easier for people to locate
where the popular article is. It stands
out against the other text as it is in
bright white font over a slightly dark
part of the page

6. Double page spread analysis
This is a double page spread from Kerrang
and the article is based on the band from
the front cover, A Day to Remember. We
know this as the background image is a long
shot of the band sitting against a wall
looking directly at the camera, therefore
establishing direct address through the
image.
The heading reads, ‘make America
skate again’, with most of the
words in different coloured fonts.
The colours used for the font of the
heading are red, blue and white,
which are the colours in the
American flag. They are mocking
Donald Trumps statement ‘make
America great again’ by swapping
the word great for skate. This
connotes their opinions and shows
their beliefs.
This text box has been placed here with
information about an event involving the
band, a day to remember. The box has a
white background to make it stand out
against the dark colours used in the image
for the props. The first letter of the first
word has been given a larger font, which is
done conventionally as many magazines do
this to make the fact that the page has text
obvious.
The background in the image is a grey, dirty
wall and the clothing worn by the musicians
in the page is also very dark, which probably
implies the type of music the musicians
make. The colour dark is also associated with
punks, and at times so are skateboards, also
signifying the music that the band create and
the personality of the band. The mise-en-
scene of clothes and props makes the image
seem informal.
The spread also includes the name of
other successful and popular musicians
and bands, which may have been done
to attract a larger audience as more
people would be familiar with these
brands.

7. Similarities
All three of the pages in the magazine have a similar,
dull coloured theme. They all use the colours white,
yellow and black. And some pages also have red and
blue in common. The four sides all have an image of
an artist. On the front page there is a main image of a
rock band. On the contents page there is a image of a
musician. On the double page spread there is a large
image of the band that was on the front cover and it
takes up the whole page. All the pages have large and
bold headings on them to inform the audience of what
the page will contain and talk about. Every page has
some sort of text that describes an event or an article
in the magazine. Even though all the pages do not
contain the masthead of the magazine, we feel a rock
music vibe from the pages, therefore all the pages
create a similar feeling and atmosphere. The mise-en-
scene created through the font and the props and
clothes used in the images on each page emphasise
the genre.