The document analyzes the design elements of the front cover, double page spread, and contents page of a Kerrang! magazine issue. For the front cover, it summarizes that the black and white color scheme and overlapping band photo are intended to represent the magazine's genres and attract readers interested in the featured band. For the double page spread, it notes the continued use of black, white and red colors and a large, lively band photo to engage readers. And for the contents page, it outlines the use of photos over text, varied shots and a gray/yellow color scheme to quickly guide readers to find articles of interest.

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…’ has 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.
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.
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.

2. 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.
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.
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.
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.

3. 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.
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.