Magazine Analysis 2 Kerrang! Magazine

1. Magazine Analysis 2
This analysis will be based on
Kerrang! Magazine.

2. The Title/Masthead Analysis
Why is the title called ‘Kerrang’ and what does this connote?
‘Kerrang’ has made its own definition of a UK based magazine devoted solely to
rock music. Onomatopoeia has been used in the title as it almost sounds like a rock
sound effect and is quite harsh sounding. This links in with the genre of the
magazine and the house style for it is a based on heavy metal/rock music.
The masthead/title analysis
The masthead of the magazine has been written in bold white capital letters which
make it stand out amidst the blue magazine background which is linking to
the house style. There is an exclamation mark at the end of the title, linking into
the mode of address as it makes the reader feel better acquainted with the
magazine yet also adding emphasis to the word. The capital letters, the exclamation
mark, the crackles around the title and the lines cutting through it all emphasise the
violence and aggression in which is associated with the genre of the magazine.
Furthermore, the middle of the title has been cut off by the main image however this
has occurred in many of the other Kerrang magazines and could be the brand
identity of the company.

3. The Strapline Analysis
The strapline is about the main image Gerard Way, ‘Gerard Goes
Solo!’ This has been slanted and the background of the text is a black
lined pattern, which separates the strapline from the cover lines yet
does not take over the text. This strapline is also a banner as well as
circulation as it goes across the whole width of the front cover and is
an anchoring text for the main image. ‘Gerard’ has been issued in bright
yellow whereas the rest of the text is in white, either way it stands out
against the dark patterned background. The reason for using a brighter
colour on his name is that people would instantly be interested in what
the topic is by reading the name. The graphic of the text has been
crackled and broken which gives it a rough appearance and continues
on the theme of violence. The exclamation mark and the capital letters
add excitement to the text.

4. What is the main image?
A medium shot has been used to portray the main image who is
Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. He is a celebrity that
the target audience are likely to be fond of and also fans of the exband My Chemical Romance or Gerard Way are likely to purchase
the magazine because of him being on the front cover. Gerard
Way has been made to stand out and look attractive; this would
intrigue the female readers thus leading them into purchasing the
magazine. His body language and facial expression is very relaxed
and connotes a laid back attitude that also conveys mystery.
Although he is wearing sun glasses which add to the mysterious
look, the audience can slightly see his eyes that are making direct
eye contact with them which makes them feel selected. Most of
his body has been covered up by cover lines however he is
wearing a camouflage green jacket; this again does not contrast
with the magazine background and also fits in with the house
style. A large banner which is also the headline. has been used
across the centre of magazine page, this particularly draws
attention to the main image because it mentions Gerards
name. Kerrang magazine has a niche audience as it is mainly
towards anyone who listens to rock genres, because the magazine
contains many different rock bands and solo artists. Due to some
research, the mean age of Kerrang! Magazine purchasers are 22.
There is no set target audience for male and females. The younger
members of the audience are more likely to purchase the
magazine, which gives the company a big advantage because of
technology as most of the marketing is based around this.

5. What other images appear on the
cover and why?
There are smaller images of other rock singers/bands. There are
single artists and different members from different bands scattered
over the magazine. One has been located at the top left corner
whilst another is at the bottom left. There are 6 different
artists/bands at the bottom of the page and there is one on the right
hand side. The small images are linked in with a cover line. The
bands of which the two members on the top and bottom left corner
are from have been highlighted in a bright red whilst the other text is
in black. Both colours stand out against the yellow text background
however the red is more captivating. This reveals a bit about
the target audience of the magazine, as it appeals to both
genders. A lot of colloquial language has been used when
addressing the audience and use of punctuation such as, capital
letters, exclamation marks, underlining and dashes emphasise the
text, intriguing the reader and building a closer relationship with
them. The 6 artists/bands (Fall Out Boy, Of Mice and Men, Issues,
Metallica, Alter Bridge and Panic! At The Disco all which fit under
the rock genre) at the bottom. There are pictures of a poster of
them and circulation of their band name/artist name has been
written in bold capital black letters with a white background. The
posters would entice the reader because it contains free
merchandise that would help sell the magazine and the readers

6. What content is promoted by the
cover lines?
The album of A Day To Remember is situated at the top of the magazine
and it mentions ‘The album that almost destroyed them – the true story’
this is an exclusive where the reader would believe the story is only
available in this particular magazine. The fact the ‘true’ has been
underlined would make the reader believe it IS the ‘true’ story. The
circulation of the main image would interest the reader on Gerard Ways
new found solo career. As there is a quote beside him ‘I thought the end
of My Chemical Romance was the end of my story…’ with the key words
highlighted ‘My Chemical Romance’ in yellow where as the rest of the
words are in white. This gives the reader knowledge of who the main
image is. The word ‘thought’ and the ellipses at the end of the quote
adds interest to the story where in fact it is a lure. The reason for this is
because a small section of the story has been printed on the front cover
but the ellipses show that this is carried on in the magazine.

7. Explain the connotations of
typefaces, graphics and colours.
All of the magazine has been written in bold capital
letters which connote a loud atmosphere. The key
words in a cover line have been written in bright
yellow which stands out to the reader as well as from
the rest of the text that has been written in white.
There are crackles in the typefaces and the texts
have been written in block capitals with the typeface
san-serif as this links in with the house style and
the continuous theme of violence. The main font
colours on the front cover are red, black white and
yellow which all stand out amidst the murky blue
background. They are all striking to the eye which
draws the target audience towards the magazine in
order to gain more purchases. The colours are all
bright and visible making it attractive to the reader.
One of the cover lines were written in speech marks
with ellipses at the end, this emphasises a quote
from the main image and the ellipses draw
suspicion.

8. What sort of language/language
features/language devices can you
identify? How does the cover talk to
the audience?
The language is colloquial and in some
cases personal, directed towards the reader ‘As You’ve
Never Seen Them Before’. It adds closeness between the
magazine and the audience in which they gain likability as
a company. The frequent use of punctuation adds
emotion to the text. Speech marks have been used to
portray a quote from the main image and the ellipses at
the end of the quote builds interest to the story. The capital
letters and the exclamation marks at the end make the
words boom in the reader’s mind and hence link to the
house style of aggression.

9. Does the cover look similar to other magazines?
If so why? What is it’s unique selling point?
Yes it has similar layout to other magazines such as, Q and
NME however the colour schemes are different. The unique
selling point of the magazine would be the fact that it states
in the corner ‘Win a £500 guitar’ this is related to music fans
and also is a chance for the audience to gain something.
Is there anything else distinctive about this
cover/format?
The size of the typeface has been made pretty large so that
it is clear and easy for the target audience to see and also
stands out. All of the spaces have been filled up with cover
lines and the colours used on the front liven up the cover.

10. The Inside
How many pages are there?
63 pages are on the inside of the magazine, which
conveys that it is a weekly magazine.
How many pages of adverts?
15, this is about less than a quarter of the magazine.
Categorise the products advertised into types
Gaming, Tour Dates, Concert Tickets, Kerrang!
(Subscriptions & Social Networking), Albums and
Small Ads.
Make a list of the features/article topics in the
magazine
News, Feedback, Features (from bands), Shots,
Lives, Albums, Gig Guide and The Ultimate Rockstar
Test.

11. How many double page spreads
are they? What are they about?
7 double page spreads.
- American High (You Me At Six have pulled off the biggest U.S tour of their
lives)
- Is crowdfunding exploiting fans?
- Cruising Into The Sunset (Nikki Sixx tells Kerrang! Why Motley Crue are
eyeing retirement and won’t be ever coming back)
- One In A Million (Its been seven months since My Chemical Romance
disbanded --- Gerard Way starts on his own this month--)
-The Curious Case of James Veck-Gilodi (Life is good for James VeckGildofi right now. Deaf Havana have released a top 10 album. They’ve
supported the boss. Oh, and they’re playing their biggest headline tour yet.
So, why is he still so grumpy? Mark Sutherland found out..)
- A Fight To Remember (It’s been one hell of a tough year for A Day To
Remember. After a long battle with their old label in court, they’ve finally
released their brilliant new album, Common Courtesy. As for the songs
you’re all enjoying so much? Well, they very nearly didn’t see the light of
day, as Jeremy Mckinnon tells Ian Winwood…)

12. Are there any advertorials where it is not clear if
something is an article or an advert or a mixture of
both?
‘See/Hear the official Kerrang! Rock chart’ this was
advertised on the bottom of The official Kerrang! Rock
Chart.
‘Win 5 albums of your choice!’ this was under 'letter of the
week' in their feedback feature.
How does the magazine achieve a unified ‘house
style’? Why is this house style appropriate to the
target audience? What assumptions does it imply
about the Target audience?
There is a rough yet quirky edge to the magazine which
intrigues the target audience of rock fans that are both
genders aged 16 - 25. All of the textual language has been
written in block capitals which makes the words sound
louder in the reader’s head. Colloquial language is used in
the magazine, as this gains a closer bond with the reader
which links in with the target audience. The colour
scheme is a noticeable; it consists of red, white, blue,
yellow and black. The colours are all bright and vibrant this
does not emasculate them nor look too feminine, they stand
out to the audience hence attracting them to the magazine.
The main image has been used to attract more readers into
purchasing the magazine. The fury and power of the
rock genre is emphasised through the crackles in
the mast and cover line text.