The document analyzes the front cover, contents page, and a double page spread from Kerrang Magazine. The summaries highlight key design elements: 1) The front cover uses a cracked font for the masthead and cover lines to connote heaviness of rock. The Green Day image and other elements reflect the style of rock music. 2) The contents page also uses a cracked masthead and main image reflecting rock style. It is organized into sections for different content types. 3) The double page spread has a unique heading style matching the profiled band My Chemical Romance. Bright colors in the image reflect their music genre. The article discusses their attempt to reinvent their style.

1. TASK 2
Kerrang Magazine Analysis
Austen Mahon

2. Front Cover
Masthead Main cover line
The masthead of Kerrang magazine is located at The main cover line “Green Day”, is written in
the top, and goes across the entirety of the a cracked, decayed and destroyed font, very
width. It’s written in a cracked and destroyed similar to the masthead. This, like the
font, which connotes the heaviness of rock, as it masthead, connotes the heaviness of rock.
is cracked. Above and below this main cover line, there
are small compliments to it, which are written
Cover image small banners. These small banners are
The cover image is of Billie Joe Armstrong, the layered very un-uniformed on the page, which
lead singer of Green Day, in a medium shot, can represent the ‘free’ and ‘carefree’ nature
holding a guitar. The mise en scene of the that music can express. The rock side of the
guitar, the messiness of his hair, the darkness of magazine can also reflect into this, as rock is
his eyes and the dark colour of his clothes, very ‘heavy’, and the banners are slanted
reflects the style of rock music, as, because of the ‘heaviness’.
stereotypically, these sort of things are linked
with people who listen to this type of music. Other image
On the bottom right, there is another image,
Cover lines contained in a box with a cover line. The image
The coverlines are contained within different shows a very horrific band, which reflects to
coloured boxes, with large titles for each one: the more extreme side of rock, as Kerrang
“WTF?!” and “New Albums”. These stand out to caters to many different forms of rock.
the audience.
Rule of thirds
This front cover uses a ‘J’ shape in its layout. As the first
thing the audience looks at when they pick up a
magazine is the top right hand corner, this is a natural
path for the eyes to follow.

3. Contents Page
Heading Masthead
The font used for the heading is very similar to The main masthead, which is located on the
that of the masthead and main cover line of the front cover, is present here on the contents
front cover. It uses a very cracked and distorted page. It uses the exact same style as the one
font, which, once again, reflects the attitude from the front cover, and retains the ‘house
that is commonly associated with rock. style’ of this magazine.
Issue number and date Contents
The contents is organised into 9 sections, each
Main Image with a blocked out title: Feedback, News,
The main image which is of Slash, is placed Win!, Live Reviews, Posters, Features, Album
across the top half of the page. It is a medium- Reviews, Gig Guide and K! Quiz. Each of these
close shot. As for the mise en scene, the black sectioned are blocked out, to create a sense of
clothes, glasses, hair, hat and background all uniformity. Finally, the main image has a
reflect and connote the stereotypical person caption, reading “38 – Slash”. This is the page
who would listen to the type of music Slash number for the article linked with this image.
creates.
Subscription offer
Editors photo and message
This contents page has a subscription offer, to
This contents page include a photograph of the
the audience, in the bottom right hand corner.
editor, and some information, written by him,
There is also an image of a person anchored to
about this particular issue of the magazine.
it.

4. Double Page Spread
Heading and style of DPS Image
The heading “We were The image, which is of My
rebelling against who we were” Chemical Romance, is a
is placed in the top left hand medium shot, and is of the
corner. It uses a completely band gathered, with 2 looking
different style to the rest of the at the camera, and the other 2
magazine, and doesn’t follow looking off camera. They are
the house style. This style is dressed in very bright clothes,
shown throughout this double which contrast each other. The
page spread, and allows the blue contrasts the yellow, and
article to be ‘independent’ to they contrast the red hair. The
speak, from the rest of the red hair also matches the
magazine. It follows the style of heading from the upper left
My Chemical Romance, the hand corner. These colours
artist, and allows the article to reflect the type of music, that
be more ‘them’. My Chemical Romance are
famous for.
Copy
The copy of this article is white Background
text, on a solid, black The background is a single, solid
background. There are no drop colour.
caps. The text is organised into More information Contents of article
two columns of equal width. At the end of the article, there is an The article is about My Chemical Romance, and how they are trying to
enticement to the audience to buy the ‘reinvent’ themselves, and change there style. The article is from the
next issue. This ‘advert’ uses the same perspective of the lead singer, Gerard, and how he didn’t feel happy with
style shown in the title: italic, bold text. their music, and him telling it to his band members. They all agreed. It talks
There is also a bright, red puff. This is very about how he has been doing a lot of experimentation to find a new style.
eye-catching, and also reflects the hair of The article is very chatty, and is written in a semi-formal way: it sticks to a
the lead in the image. formal structure, but the content is sort of informal.

5. Institution
• Kerrang Magazine is published by the Bauer
Media Group, a media company from Hamburg,
Germany. The company was founded in 1875.
They also publish Q Magazine, a competitor to
Kerrang Magazine. Bauer Media Groups also
publish lifestyle magazines, ‘Bella’, ‘Take a Break’
and ‘that's life!’, and TV listing magazines
‘TVChoice’ and ‘Total TVGuide’. Kerrang magazine
was first published on 6 June 1981. Since then,
the Kerrang brand has expanded. In 2004 Kerrang
Radio was launched, and in 2005, Kerrang TV was
launched.

6. Audience
• The target audience for Kerrang Magazine is
18-25 year old males who are interested in the
rock, heavy metal, punk and indie music
genre. This has been portrayed on the
magazine through the use of colours which
have been used. There are a variety of dark
colours used such as black, this reflects the
gothic field.