Magazine cover analysis 1 of 3

1. Masthead- the masthead
of this magazine has
clearly been created to fit
the genre. It is written in a
very large, capital and
bold font which makes it
stand out on the cover.
The masthead also
appears to have a
smashed effect covering
it; this gives it a rebellious
look which reflects the
genre of the magazine.
Genre and target audience- I would say the genre
of this magazine is punk rock and will be targeted
at anyone that listens to that type of music. The
target audience would be for young people
between the ages of 14 and 25 because it is easy
to read and put together. The colours on the cover
also suggest that this magazine is aimed at
younger people as they are very bright which
tends to be what attracts people of that age
group. The bands that are on the cover of this
magazine are also mainly listened to and enjoyed
by people of a young age. Although the main
image is this magazine looks very rebellious and
dark, the surrounding style and colours makes it
feel a lot more friendly as colours such as blue,
pink and yellow have been used, this makes the
image seem a lot less threatening as it would be if
the colours were darker. This is another aspect
that highlights it is aimed at a younger audience.
Main image- The image on the
cover of this magazine is of a
member of a band named Bring
Me the Horizon. He is situated in
the middle of the cover which
makes the layout equally balanced.
The male artist is also using direct
address by looking straight at the
camera; this has been done to
entice the reader into the
magazine which could result in a
potential buyer. The main focus
point of the magazine tells us a lot
about the genre due to the
appearance of the person. He is
wearing a black vest which is
clearly a very revealing choice of
outfit; this has been chosen to
show off the amount of tattoos he
has. The many tattoos are
important when concerning genre
as they give a sense of
rebelliousness. The member of the
band also looks as if he is singing
to the reader or trying to reach out
to them using his music as the
microphone is a clear central prop.
Strong fallow area- the
strong fallow area includes
information that there are
10 free posters included
inside; this would make
people want to read the
magazine as they are aware
there are free things inside.
Weak fallow area- the weak
fallow area also includes an
advertisement of the
posters that are inside. The
‘10’ has purposely been
enlarged so the attention of
potential readers will be put
upon that, this will allow
them to be informed that
posters are included. Next
to this piece of information,
various images have been
added to show what types
of posters readers will find.
The artists in these
photographs clearly fit the
genre of this magazine and
engage a wider audience.
Cover lines- the cover lines on this
issue mainly include the other
musical artists that are going to be
included in this magazine. The
words ‘METALLICA’ ‘MADINA
LAKE’ and ‘KVELERTAK’ are written
in bold to give more of an insight
on who else is expected to be seen
in this magazine. This has been
done so that potential buyers get
more of an idea on who else is
going to be included in the
magazine. The words have been
written in pink bold capitals so
that they grasp attention and
stand out.
Model credit-
The model credit on this magazine is
‘BRING ME THE HORIZEN INSIDE
THEIR BIGGEST EVER UK TOUR!’ this
gives potential readers an insight on
what is going to be discussed in the
issue. Audiences could be interested
in reading about their tour; this is
also promotion for the band.
Design principals - The primary optical area
of this cover includes the logo of the
magazine along with an image of the main
focus of the issue. This is to catch the
attention of potential buyers when looking
for a magazine in the shop as they can
immediately get a sense of what the issue is
going to consist of. It immediately tells us
what the main focus of the magazine is.
‘THE UK’S BIGGEST GIG GUIDE’ also catches
attention which is beneficial for the
magazine as people are interested in gigs.
House style- kerrang magazine is
generally set out this way for every
issue; this highlights the fact that
the target audience is people of a
young age. The masthead of the
magazine is also partly covered
which shows how popular the
magazine is as the title of it is not
important because everyone
already knows what it is .