This document analyzes various design elements of a Kerrang magazine cover and contents pages. The cover uses a bold typography and dark color palette of purple, yellow, and black that is well-suited to the emo/punk music genre targeted. The contents pages continue this color scheme and house style while featuring band interviews, articles, and incentives like free posters to engage readers. Overall the magazine's visual design effectively brands it as a publication for its target male audience aged 15-34 interested in rock and alternative music genres.

1. Kerrang Analysis
Ella Brown

2. The typography is bold and
abrupt - this makes it stand out
more despite having artists
covering portions of it. It also
reflects the genre because the
word Kerrang is an
onomatopoeic word that derives
from the sound made when
playing a power chord on a
distorted electric guitar (reference
to Wikipedia). This means the it is
well suited to the genre as the
magazine is mainly emo/punk
music.
The colours used are quite dark
and are purple, yellow,
blackened white which offers the
association to the punk rock
genre with black having the
connotation of ‘emos’ and this is
reinforced by the main image
being a man with longer black
hair covering one eye which is
the stereotypical ‘emo’ look.
The use of the feature article ’50
greatest me albums ever’ further
reinforces this idea.
The feature article stands out a lot making it very
eyecatching for readers and instantly draws
attention as it takes up a large portion of the page.
The feature article is anchorage for the main image
which is a variety of artists/bands
There are several aspects of the
front cover which would suggest
the target audience would be
young - the cartoon drawings e.g.
the skull and the typography
suggests the audience is
younger. However the actual
target audience of the magazine
is mainly men asked 15-34 with
the average reader age being
22. This magazine would appeal
to many people interested in this
type of music and this genre.
This front cover uses lots of
incentives such as the tag word
‘won’ as well as the rhetorical
question ‘who’s number one in
the broken heart hit parade’.
These can trigger engagement
between the reader and the
magazine and encourage
readership of the magazine if
readers are interested in
competitions etc.
The colour palette choices make aspects of the magazine very eye catching and stands out to audiences - the cover
lines are in yellow boxes creating a contrast between the dark purple and black and the background and easily
standing out against the main images of the artists. There is clear brand identity as the masthead is the same in
every edition and the same yellow is used from cover to cover.

3. The colour palette links to the
front cover as it is mainly
black, white yellow and has
aspects of red in the main
image. The colour palette
continues the house style
throughout making the
magazine easily recognised.
The black colour links to the
emo style of the magazine and
the motif of the skulls.
The main image is outside a
concert which falls in the genre
that the magazine conveys - a
rock emo genre. The image
shows Metalllica WorldWired
Tour 2016 with fans posing
outside. There is also the words
‘Sold Out’ suggesting that the
band is very successful and
emphasises the bands
success. There is an article on
Metallica Live on page 46.
This contents page does not follow the typical convention
of having a smaller masthead of the Kerrang! logo at the top
of the page
The typography of the text on
the contents page mirrors the
text seen on the front cover
and also throughout the
magazine reinforcing the
house style and brand
identity of Kerrrang!
The target audience of
Kerrang! magazine would be
mostly males aged between 15-
34. They would be interested in
this kind of genre -
emo/rock/alternative and may
range between the ABC1
demographic as well as
students situated in the E
demographic. They may have
a high disposable income - the
main image shows fans at a
sold out concert suggesting
tickets may be quite expensive .
The layout of the contents
page is very generic as there is
one main image with a band of
text on the side with the
coverlines - there is also a
smaller picture of the front
cover in the contents which is
another convention of music
magazine contents pages.
There is a incentive of
posters in the coverlines
which are featured inside the
magazine for free and act as
a way to entice readers and
encourage regular readership
There are subheadings under each section of the coverlines to split up the different aspects of the magazines - these are
very eye-catching as the typography has been put behind a yellow block of colour.

4. The yellow and black
colour palette is then
reinforced again in a
double page spread -
the first page shows a
black background with
yellow and white
typography whereas
the second page shows
a white background
with black and yellow
typography. This
contrast is very eye
catching for audiences
The text is arranged
in columns which
follows the codes and
conventions of a
double page spread -
normally three
columns on each
page. As this is an
interview there is a
mini subheading for
the question to split
up the text making it
easier for audiences
to interpret. There is
also anchorage text
under the photo on
the first page to
explain the title of
the article.
There are bubbles (puffs) for text
on the second page with ‘tweets’
from celebrities in the genre which
enforces a social media and
online presence for the magazine
which is essential in the changing
music industry.
There is small Kerrang! masthead/logo
at the bottom of each page as well as
the page number. At the top of each
page there is an issue number (this
issue was issue 1641) as well as the
date the issue was released (this issue
was October 15 2016)
The language used is
of colloquial nature and
is used to appeal to the
target audience -
language such as ‘No
Way!?’ is used as a
persuasive technique
to encourage readers to
read the article to see
what shocking news
there is. There is also
alliteration used such
as ‘Ozzy’s Oops’ which
again is used to
encourage reading of
articles by audiences.
By using language
techniques, Kerrang!
are more likely to have
audiences reading their
published text/articles.
The text that stands out
is the white typography
against the black such
as - ‘Ready to Take-Off!
which is abut a bands
world tour.
There are many images used as anchorage for
the content on the double page spread - this
helps audiences understand the text better and
also makes the page look more aesthetically
pleasing compared to blocks and blocks of
solid text - by breaking it makes the page
easier to read
There is the same pattern along the side of each of
the pages which is also the same for other articles
and contents page. The yellow and black striped
pattern is used as tape to show a hazard so this
suggests the convention of caution and fits with
the more grungy emo genre.