3. THE FRONT COVER
The front cover is very busy and has a main cover image and multiple other images around it.
The main cover image takes up the majority of the page and it covers up a part of the
masthead. The main colours on the front cover are yellow, red and blue which are all bright
colours and stand out from music magazines that often use lighter colours such as NME. This
also represents the music in Kerrang as it is quite loud and ‘in your face’. White is also used
frequently on the cover as it stands out easily from the rest of the colour scheme and draws the
audiences attention to those pieces of information.
It is instantly noticeable what the main story is about as there is a big picture of Frank Iero, the
guitarist from My Chemical Romance, and writing in a big and bold font saying his name.
There is a bar along the top and bottom of the front cover which stand out from the main
cover image and present the other stories within the magazine. Red text is used for the band
names on the top and bottom of the magazine, ‘Avenged Sevenfold’ and ‘Nekrogoblikon’. This
emphasises the two names and targets the magazine towards fans of these bands as they will
see it on the shelf and be drawn in.
4. MAIN COVER IMAGE
The front cover of Kerrang features a main cover image that takes up the
majority of the page. In this issue the model is Frank Iero, the ex-guitarist for
recently split band ‘My Chemical Romance’. In the image he is dressed in a
casual style wearing jeans, a plain t-shirt and a military jacket. This shows the
laid back nature of the magazine and presents how extravagant clothing is not
something associated with rock music. He is positioned with his hands in his
pockets and a slightly slouched posture, showing his relaxed state and
suggesting that the interview with him will not be serious and will be written in
more of a chatty, laid back style. His tattoos are on show and link to the
stereotype of rock music being associated with tattoos and other forms of
body modification. The model is staring straight ahead, offering direct address
for the audience and making them feel as though he is looking at them. His
facial expression is quite neutral and shows how Kerrang present musicians as
being relaxed and laid back.
5. OTHER IMAGES
There are 8 separate, smaller images on the front cover magazine that all link to
bands that are featured within the issue. 6 of the small images present the artists
that are in the poster section of the magazine and preview the smaller images of
these posters. This will attract readers as if they see the name and image of their
favourite band then they may purchase the magazine for the free poster to put up
on their wall. The pictures are framed in a white border which makes them stand
out from the red background of the main cover image and each small image is
accompanied by a caption that informs the audience of the name of the band.
Another image is featured at the top of the cover and it is an image of the band
‘Avenged Sevenfold’ who are discussed within the bar at the top of the page. This
image is also bordered with a white frame and the red tint on the image enables it
to blend in with the colour scheme at the top of the page of red, black and yellow.
The other image featured on the page is a small goblin in the bottom left hand
corner. This goblin is the mascot of the band ‘Nekrogoblikon’ and so it is easily
recognisable for fans of the band and is likely to attract readers from these fans.
6. MASTHEAD
The masthead of Kerrang magazine is slightly covered by the main cover
image, as the magazine is identifiable through other aspects other than the
title. The font used is broken up and quite battered which links to the
stereotypes that fans of rock music are quite scruffy and don’t really care
about their appearance. The capital letters makes the mast head stand out and
enable the audience to easily view what magazine it is. The white of the text
also contrasts from the red back ground of the image and makes it easy for
the consumer to see what magazine it is. The exclamation mark suggests that
the word is quite loud and links to the idea that rock and metal music are
noisy and ‘in your face’ music genres.
7. FONTS
All of the text on the front cover is written in capitals which makes it easy to
read and emphasis points for the audience. The more important pieces of
information are written in a bigger font and the biggest font is used to show
the main story in the magazine. The front cover uses one font across all the
text, excluding the font used in the masthead. The varying colours give the
magazine a bright feel and enable it to stand out from other similar music
magazines such as Rocksound and Metal Hammer.
8. WORDS/LANGUAGE
The form of writing in Kerrang magazine is very similar to the way in which
it’s audience speaks. This is so the magazine can communicate with it’s
consumers in a way that they are comfortable with and that will give them a
sense of belonging. Phrases such as ‘rock vs. the bullies’ suggest that the
audience of Kerrang are still at school and are possibly bullied, showing that
they have an understanding of their readers and their lives. Words such as
‘amazing’, ‘world exclusive’, ‘essential’ and ‘win!’ help to encourage sales as
consumers will be drawn to these words and want to read more. The front
cover makes it instantly clear that it is a rock music magazine through the use
of band and artist names such as ‘Frank Iero’, ‘Avenged Sevenfold’ and My
Chemical Romance’.
