1. Front Cover Analysis
Title: The contrasting black and white
colour scheme utilized on the title has
been selected as it is reflective of the
music genres (punk, metal and emo)
covered by the magazine as well as being
bold, eye-catching instantly recognizable.
The photo purposely overlaps the title in
order to foreground the band; this
ensures that the magazine title does not
detract from the main article, as it is
likely that people who do not usually
read Kerrang! will buy the magazine due
to an interest in Biffy Clyro.
Colour Scheme: The black and white
colour scheme present on this
magazine cover has been selected as it
is synonymous with the style of music
that it covers, as well as its target
audience (14/15 year olds). In
choosing this colour scheme the
magazine is conforming to the
conventions of the genre, meeting the
readers’ expectations and making them
feel comfortable whilst reading it as
they know it was made for them.
Photography: In terms of photography
a medium shot of the band posing has
been used. This shot has been chosen
as it creates a sense creates intimacy
with the group, making the article seem
more appealing to the reader. As the
band is posing for a photo shoot it is
pragmatically implied that the group
has a good relationship with the
magazine as they are willing to pose
for them. The smaller photos located at
the bottom of the page are also all
medium shots or medium close ups.
Text/picture ratio: As this is a front
cover it relies heavily on pictures to
catch the readers’ attention and to
entice them to by the magazine. The
text present consists of bold, snappy
miner sentences, these aid the reader
in gaining an understanding of the
contents of the magazine quickly,
thus making them want to by it. A
short pull quote ‘unfold the puzzle of
life…’ ahs been utilized to give the
reader an insight as to the contents
of the magazine; influencing their
decision to buy a copy.
Fonts: The same bold, white text has
been used for all of the band names;
unlike the mast head they are not
distressed in any way, this is in order
to maintain clarity. In terms of font
size the main heading has the largest
font, as it is the most important idea
presented on the front cover. The pull
quote to go along with it is the same
font only smaller, this way it does not
detract from the main heading. The
distressed font style of the mast head
is a convention of the genre of music
of which the magazine covers.
Overall: The stark contrast of the
black and white colours to the
aggressive red help follow the
conventions of the broad genre of
rock and create an eye-catching
design. The photography makes the
magazine seem more appealing to
the reader, particularly to the target
market (14 year olds). The fonts
work in collaboration with the
images; overlapping them and
adding extra information without
taking away emphases. The whole
cover has been designed to parallel
the genres that it covers.

2. Double Page Spread Analysis
Colour Scheme: similar to
the front cover this double
page spread exemplifies a
colour scheme consisting of
black, white and red; colours
that appeal to the target
market of Kerrang!, that also
parallel the style of music of
the band the article is talking
about. In recognizing the stark
contrast between white and
black, the editor has made the
text in the main article stand
out against the dark
background, making it easy to
read and continuing the bold
style of which the magazine
tends to adopt.
Photography: A medium
close up of the band
performing live has been used
to cover both pages of the
double page spread, giving
the entire design a lively
appearance. In using a live
photo the magazine moves
away from clichéd poses,
often prevalent in more
mainstream pop magazines
and instead adopts a more
natural, photojournalistic
approach that readers will
appreciate. As well as this the
choice of a live photo makes
the article feel more intimate
for the reader.
Writing style: The article focuses on a
gig played by the band, and is written
in a fairly informal style that the
magazines typical reader (14 year olds)
would find engaging. Quotes from the
band work well in collaboration with
the intimate style of the DPS created
by the large mid-shot of the band.
Colloquial language such as ‘fizzles’
and ‘gig’ help to maintain an informal
register that would be entertaining for
the reader, as well as reflecting the
demographic of the band.
Fonts: The font for the main body of the article is a
plain, clear sans serif style which is easy to read and
reduces the reading time necessary; something
which 14 year olds will appreciate as, stereotypically
they will not want to spent large amounts of time
reading. The main heading uses a powerful, bold
font that has been chosen in order to catch the
readers’ eye while they are skimming through the
magazine looking for an article that interests them.
The broken style used on the heading ‘Rated: Lives’
conforms to the manic style of music of which the
article is discussing as well as maintaining
conventions of the genre.
Text/picture ratio: Because
the editor has chosen to
include an article which in
itself is fairly short as this
accommodates the demands
of the reader, a large photo
which covers both pages of
the DPS has been
implemented. This works in
accordance with the lively
style which the magazine
tends to include. A large
heading, overlapping the
image has been used so that
the reader can quickly gain an
insight as to the subject of the
article.
Overall: The colour
scheme of dark black, bold
white and aggressive red
works in well accordance
with the demographic of the
magazine and the music
genres that it covers. The
photography creates a
lively, vivid aura in order to
engage the reader, and the
informal style of image
used helps to create
intimacy. This informality
is continued through the
phatic writing style that
mirrors the band being
covered. The font used in
the main article is fairly
plain in order to maintain
some level of sophistication
and coherence as well as
being easy to read.
However the main
emphasis of the DPS is
placed on the large photo
that dominates both pages.

3. Contents page analysis
Text/picture ratio: this contents page
has a very busy layout where the
pictures occupy far more space than the
text. Emphases has been placed on the
image of ‘you me at six’ as this is the
main article and as such has a much
larger photo than the other stories. Each
image has pull quote that gives the
reader a vague idea as to what to expect
from the article, this entices the reader
towards them. The heading ‘contents’
has been enlarged and as such, fore
grounded this is so that the reader
instantly knows what they are looking
at. The idea behind this page is that the
reader can quickly find the article they
are interested in which is why it consists
predominantly of photos.
Writing style: This page mostly consists
of quotations and pull quotes that give
the reader an idea of what to expect from
each article. Despite mainly consisting of
miner sentences this contents page
manages to establish an informal register
that is likely to appeal to the teenagers
this magazine targets as well as reducing
the time necessary to choose an article to
read.
Font: For the most part a fairly plain
sans serif font has been used as it is
easy to read and establishes a sense of
sophistication. Emboldened headings
have been used so that the reader can
quickly decipher the pictures. The
heading ‘contents’ uses a yellow font to
make it stand out above the other text
present, an idea that is continued with
the sub-headings. The quote in the top
right hand corner uses a slightly larger
font size than most of the text of the
page so that it is instantly noticeable.
Colour Scheme: The colour scheme
used in this contents page differs from
the black, white and red that readers
can come to expect from Kerrang!.
Instead a colour scheme of gray and
yellow has been used, gray as the
background colour almost as if it is
creating a blank canvas for the bold
yellow to highlight the important
headings.
Photography: This contents page
contains a mixture of medium to close
up shot of live performances and
poses, giving the page an interesting
varied look. The live photos are in
keeping with the energetic style of the
magazine and the posed photo of ‘you
me at six’ injects an element of humor
into the layout. Both of these factors
make the reader want to read the article
that goes with the image.
Overall: Because the pictures take
up more space than the text the page
has a busy appearance, however it
manages to maintain understandable
through the use of a multitude of
headings that complement the
images. The writing style consists
mainly of short snappy sentences
and quotations that make the reader
want to read the article from which
they are talking about. The use of a
san serif style font ensures that the
text is clear and easy to understand
so that the reader can quickly find
out the page of the article they are
interested in. The colour scheme of
gray and yellow is slightly more
formal than the black, white and red
prevalent in Kerrang!. The mix of
live and posed shots has been used
to make the reader want to read the
article of which they concern.