Kerrang magazine analysis - issue 1346

Kerrang magazine analysis - issue 1346
Front cover

This magazine is called 'Kerrang!' whikch has connotations of loud music and hatred. The exclaimation mark also adds to this idea, it's exciting, bold and youthful. This suggests that the magazine is aimed at younger men, pehaps in their late teens, that have an interest in loud music and confrontation. It is written in capital letters in a cracked, black font which suggests that the genre of music that the magazine focuses on is rock/metal and will appeal to teenagers that might style themselves based on this genre. 'Kerrang' also sounds like mic disturbance, so the title actually relates to music rather than just being a made up word.

The magazine is promoted by one band; 'Blink 182'. The band is all male, which reinforced the idea that the magazine is aimed at men and the band's following is usually male, though because they're attractive men, they may appeal to teenage girls too. The main picture is covering the magzine title which suggests that the magazine is successful and independant and can be recognised by the small bit of font you can see. It also brings the image forward as if to say 'they're important, buy it!' The image of the band is central on the page which shows that the main article will be about Blink 182, this will help the reader decide whether they want to buy this particular issue of the magazine. The shot is a medium long shot, so you're focused on their faces so that you become familiar with the band rather than being distracted by articles of clothes etc. Their facial expressions are happy which reflect their pop-punk genre of music, it's also friendly and inviting for the reader. The image is a publicity shot and looks of good guality, the layering of the image over the text has been done neatly and professionally.

The cover lines are in bright red, which contrasts with the electric blue text box's. They're written in the iconic Kerrang font which will be recognised and picked out by regular readers, or people that might be interested in the magazine. Some headlines are written in black font on a white background which contrasts against the red and blue again. The red has connotations of anger, which then related to the angry nature of the genre of music Kerrang focuses on. The blue tones this down, but has connotations of a male audience. All of the text is written in capital letters which adds to the idea of the magazine being loud and shouty.

The language on the magazine is used to persuade the reader to purchase it. Phrases like 'Win! A three smartphone and free credit!' is located towards to main image of the magazine, so it'll probably be one of the first things that you read on the wrong cover. 'Free' is repeated twice to persuade people to enter the competition, it will also appeal to the readers because anything free is worthwhile. Underneath they have added '(Wortth £400) this will appeal to a teenage audience because large amounts of money are what any teenager would like. 'Poster special' will draw the audience in too because they're one of special posters that you might not be able to find again. 'Taylor laid bare' will appeal to a mainly male audience because it has sexual connotations of the attractive singer being naked, although it actually means that Taylor Momsen is coming clean with all the gossip from her band. The blue font that rauses this article also implies a mainly male audience. 'World exclusive studio report!' is the main headline for the main article, it's in an arrow pug which makes it seem that it's very direct towards the person who's reading. 'Exclusive' implies that you won't be able to hear the news anywhere else, it's fresh, exciting and will appeal to dedicated Blink 182 fans. Finally, 'We're making a masterpiece!' is in a larger font, again in the iconic Kerrang font. It makes the reader wonder what masterpiece they're working on, whether it's a new album, new songs or a new video- it leaves the reader wanting to know more- it's a 'tease', it also implies that if you're a true fan of the band then you must buy the magazine so you know all about them.

Finally, the magazine uses 'freebies' to persuade the audience to buy the magazine if all else fails to tempt them. Offers of posters and competitions will be tempting as you're not going to get the same from another magazin (eg. Rocksound or NME)

The image of the magazine is very cluttered and text is written at odd angles with jagged edges, adding a youthful, crazed feel to the front cover of the magazine, though the photographs are professional, clean and of good quality, which suggests that Kerrang take pride in their magazine and are professional about bringing their readers what the want with quality.


Contents page

The contents page of this magazine is very neat and tidy in comparison to the busy front cover that crams in all of the information that readers want. The contents page is to guide the reader easily to the bits of the magazine that interest them most, but also the bits that the editors and team want the reader to read to get publicity for Kerrang! magazine.

Kerrang always follows its simple house style, white, black, red and yellow are key colours to the design of the front page and the contents page. The easily recognised worn-out font almost symobolises Kerrang! and the genre of music they present to the public. Half of the page is an image of Remmstein which presents a cover story, though it is not the main one. I think that this reassures the reader that the whole magazine isn't about Blink 182, though the main article is about them. Ramstein are a slightly different genre of music, so this will appeal to a more varied 'Rock fan' audience. On this image, are tumbnail images of other double page spreads throughout the magazine, one is for The Pretty Reckless, which will initially appeal to a female audience as Taylor Momsen is an idol to teenage girls, and the other is Rob Zombie, a typical screamo, hardcore band that will appeal to the male audience. Kerrang! has ensured that both male and female will enjoy this issue of Kerrang! by showing a sneak peak of what's in store.

The Kerrang! logo is repeated in the middle of the page which symbolises that Kerrang! are confident with their image, and that the audience might think it's 'cool' to read the magazine. The pages are organised in columns in numerical order for easy reading, the page numbers are in a bold red font, which links in the the house style, and also draws your eye straight to the articles. The contents is divided up into sections; Feedback, News, Win, Live Reviews, Features, Albums, Gig Guide and The K! Quiz- this helps the reader choose what section they want to look at, and gives them an idea of where something they saw on the cover might be in the magazine. Each band/story is in bold, with a subheading describing in short what the article will be about- this provides information to the reader so they know whether they want to read it or not.

A picture and note from the editor is shown at the side of the magazine, the note describes what happens behind the scenes of Kerrang! to write the articles and get all of the gossip the readers want, this helps your trust the editor and writers that the information you're getting and buying is of quality and that they know what they're talking about rather than creating rumours because they've talked to the bands themselves. It may also appeal to young people wanting to go into the magazine industry that want to know what happens in the industry.

Finally, the contents page advertises the subscribtion, the banner is in red, and the font is in white and yellow on a grey background. This is at the bottom of the columns so that it is the last thing you see therefore it stays in your mind and will help make you consider subscribing to the magazine- this provides funds for Kerrang! to keep the magazine running and improving it etc.

Double page spread

The double page spread is mainly made up of large text/headlines and the photograph of Blink 182. There is no heading indroducing the band as 'Blink 182' though it is 'Three's a company' this suggests the band are well known and popular enough to be recognised instantly by the readers of the magazine by the picture. The heading is pushed behind the lead singer of Blink 182, which presents him to the audience as the main important person, as the other two are positioned behind him, this will give people that don't know Blink 182 an idea of who is who in the band. The levels in the image also show status- the next important memeber of the band is standing up, which also helps present the band professionally. The eye contact is very direct, which helps you feel included with the band/magazine and will appeal to a female audience that find the members attractive and the male audience that consider the band fashion/musical rolemodels. Their appearance is a lot more neat and tidy than it used to be, as they're quite an old band- this ties in with the heading which says 'They may be older and wisers, but they're still the Blink you love and know...' the fact that the band's tattoos aren't hidden suggests that they are still the fun and bubbly band they used to know, but they're taking their career more seriously.

The house style has been continued by using the same font for headers as the font on the contents and front page of the magazine- the 'destroyed' style of font. The colours are kept neutral with grey and black, but they contrast against eachother well, making the header on the right hand page bold and stand out more. Again, all of the headers are in capital letters, this ties in with the house style and implies a loud, male audience as it does on the front cover.

The language used is particularly striking to this double page spread- 'first album in nearly eight years' 'most anticipated' 'la studio' suggests that the reader needs to know this exclusive information if they're truly fans of the band. The fact that the magazine is British, and they traveled all the way to LA to talk to the band tells the audience that the magazine work hard to bring the best and top news to their readers so they're in the know. It also gets you excited about when the album will be released, which makes you want to read on.

In the main article provides statistics about last year, about festivals that they have played at etc. for example- 'had just played their biggest headline show of the year to an estimated 100,000 people.' this tells the audience that the band are a very popular band, but it also helps publisise the band even more for their new album release to potential new fans. 'Remarkable, wholly triumphant comeback.' suggests that Blink 182 are a successful band and have had a good career, it makes the audience wonder what they coul possible do next to keep their career and reputation running to their already high standards. I think this article is definitely for fans of the band rather than people that are looking for new music to listen to because it talks about things that have happened in the band's career already, so you would need some background knowledge to understand what the article is talking about.