magazine analysis

1. Kerrang! Magazine
Analysis of the front cover, contents page and a double
page spread article

2. Masthead: The masthead of this magazine is placed
across the top of the page and is written in bold, bright
yellow text against a bold red background. The
harshness of these coloursmakes the masthead very
noticeable. Also, the title of the magazine is “Kerrang!”
which mimics the sound of a guitar being strummed.
This suggests that this magazine is targeted at an
audience that enjoy the sub-genre of rock as electric
guitars are a connotation of rock music.
In addition, the masthead is partly covered by the
main image. This means that the audience cannot fully
see the name of the magazine, but they are still able to
depict what the word says. This suggests that this
magazine is now branded and therefore the target
audience, and even people who the magazine is not
aimed at, will recognize the name of the magazine or
simply the font it is written in.
Strapline: A strapline has been included across the top of the front cover which states that there are free posters included in this issue. The offer
suggests that the target audience for this magazine is young adults between the age of 15-25 as posters are seen as quite an adolescent thing to have,
and would therefore appeal to this age group. Also, this feature says that there is a “Green Day Poster Special”. The adjective “special" suggests that this
is a rare offer and it is unlikely to happen again soon and won’t be seen anywhere else. This has been done to attract the target audience as if they like
the band featured in this strapline, they may want to purchase this issue of the magazine to see the unique features.
Main Image: The main image of the front page features a
popular band in the rock sub-genre. This further suggests
that the magazine is aimed at an audience who particularly
enjoy rock music.
Furthermore, two shots have been used in the main image
here as the lead singer is shown through a medium long shot
while the rest of the band are shown in the background
through an extreme long shot. This has been done to
exaggerate the frontman as it is likely that the audience will
recognise the lead singer more than the rest of the band,
and therefore may take interest in the magazine if they are
familiar with the artist displayed in the centre of the page.
Main Coverline: The main coverline on the front
cover of this issue of the magazine is anchorage text
to the main image as it states the name of the band,
“Of Mice & Men”, who are shown in the main
image.
Additionally, a caption has been used with the main
coverline to briefly discus the reason behind this
interview. The phrase “2014’s breakthrough band”
anchors the main image as the frontman of the
band is holding a hammer and an effect has been
added to the photograph to make it look as if he is
breaking through the page. As the caption states the
band are new to 2014, it implies that the band
appeal to young adults and confirms that the
magazine is aimed at the younger generation
between the ages of 15-25. This can be seen by how
the magazine have included this band on the cover
to attract that age group as they wouldn’t put an
older band, so to speak, on the cover that the target
audience would not have heard of or have an
interest in.
Three words have been included with the main
coverline which say “prison” “illness” and “death”. It
could be suggested that these words have been
used to hint at some of the points that will be
covered in the cover story of this issue. This is likely
to then interest the reader as it is only giving a brief
insight and if the target audience are purchasing this
magazine, it is likely that they like this band and will
be interested in information that they may not yet
know about the band i.e. the more personal details
like illnesses.
Puff: A puff has been used on the front cover of the magazine which is offering the readers a chance to win a letter
from the artist included in the main image. The text is in the same font as the coverlines and is coloured in red and
black against a white circle which also has a black border; these colours have been used to make this feature stand
out to the audience. The choice of language also has a big effect on the audience as by the way the word “WIN!” is
larger than the rest of the rest, the audience will be excited by what they could potentially be getting. Direct address
has also been used here as the word “personal” makes the reader think that this has been done especially for them.
Additionally, as the puff is offering a prize which relates to the artist featured in the main image, this is likely to appeal
to the target audience as they should have some interest in this band and are very likely to want to gain something
“personal" from them if they are a fan.
Coverlines and Sub-Images: Below the main coverline, there are
two other coverlines which are briefly explaining featured contents
in this issue. The text here is written in smaller font than the main
coverline to show the target audience that they are not the main
article. It could be suggested that these few contents have been
chosen to be included on the front cover as they are stories about
popular artists related to this magazine; people may buy the issue
to read about these artists instead or aswell as the main cover
band.
They each have a small image of the artists that the coverline is
about and these photos have been edited in photoshop so they
have no background, and are now slightly overlapping some of the
main image.
Price: The magazine costs £2.20 which suggests that
Kerrang! is aimed at a working class audience as it is at a
price that is acceptable for the lower working class to afford.

3. Contents Banner: The banner is displayed in black and white which creates a simple theme for the reader and
therefore it will not distract the readers attention away from any of the important contents. It is positioned in the top
right hand corner of the page which is one of the first things that the reader will see so they will know what page they
are looking at.
Page Numbers: The page numbers are written in the
same size text as the contents but in red text which
makes it more noticeable. However, when there is
an image to show a content, the page numbers are
written in larger text and are placed in the corner of
the images. This helps the target audience to see
where they can find this featured content easier as
the page number will be one of the first things that
they see.
Section Headings: The contents have
been divided up into specific topics that
they all fit into. This is useful to the
target audience of 15-25 year olds as it
is likely that they are not going to be
interested in all of the contents as this
age group stereotypically have a shot
attention span. Also, this makes the
page look more neat and organized as it
is set out in columns.
Editors’ Note: This feature discusses the cover
band in a brief manner but helps the readers to get
an insight into what the editor thinks of the band.
Also in the editors note, the editor addresses the
readers directly and in an informal way which is
likely to appeal to the 15-25 year old audience.
This can be seen through the quotes “you lot!” and
“hello, readers”. These are friendly phrases and
will most likely make the readers enjoy reading the
magazine as it is not too formal.
Images: Three images have been included on the
contents page to represent some of the contents. This is
a good feature as it is a more interesting way to show
what is in this issue of the magazine instead of the
typical way of just through text. The target audience of
young adults will be attracted to these images because
they are interesting and hint at the contents of the
articles in a more fun and exciting way.
Through these images, it can be suggested that the
magazine is aimed predominately at young adults of
both genders, yet mostly males, and of a white ethnicity.
The ethnicities of the target audience is seen through
how the images include mostly artists of a white
ethnicity, and therefore an audience of the same
ethnicity will be able to relate to the artists more than
people of a different ethnicity. Also, we can see that the
magazine is mostly aimed at young males as the
activities shown, like skateboarding, are typically
connotations associated with young males.
Captions: The contents and images on this page each have a small caption to go with them which gives a small insight into what the
article is about. Language such as “woah”, “he’s dead clever, like” and “amiright” are colloquial so are likely to make the reader feel
more relaxed. This also confirms the target audience as the words and style of writing here resembles some of the spoken language
that the majority of 15-25 year olds use nowadays, so they will feel as if they are having a conversation with their friends and not so
much like reading a magazine.
Layout: The rule of thirds has been used on this page
which makes the page look more organised. The
contents have been divided up into three columns and
there is a small, even gap between each of the boxes
which adds a neat look to the page. The biggest news
story in this issue has been positioned in the top left
and centre boxes in the rule of thirds to show it’s
importance as this space is in the direct eye-line of the
reader and will be one of the first things that they see.
Also, there is a simple colour scheme on this page
where there are only a few colours used (black, white,
yellow and red). This makes the page look organised
and professional as there are is not too much going on
and the colours are not too distracting, which is what
the target audience of 15-25 year olds are most likely
looking for.
This small addition to the contents page helps the readers
to get to know the team who works in creating the
magazine on a more personal level. There are mentions of
some of the team members first names i.e. Eleanor, which
makes it seem like the target audience already know the
team on a personal level as there is no description or who
she actually is or what part she plays.
Also, there are some mentions of popular artists in this
magazine which the target audience are likely to have an
interest in. A few images have also been included which
have been taken by the team themselves to give the
audience a look behind the scenes. These photos also link
to what is said in the note which again makes the reader
feel comfortable as the majority of the younger
generation share photos of their actions with their friends
and the magazine seems to be doing this too.

4. Title: The title of this article is “Hammer Of The Odds”. This is anchorage text to the main image as the
frontman of the band is holding a hammer in the photo. The text is written in very large text and in bold,
yellow font against a black background. This makes the title stand out as the harshness of the font and
colours connects to the words used as a “hammer” is a robust object. Furthermore, the title gives an insight
into the article as it implies that the band have had to fight to get to where they are now; it sounds as if “the
odds” where not in their favour and they had to smash through people’s expectations of them.
Grab Quote: A grab quote
has been used on this
double-page spread which
is hinting at the content of
the article. The quote
itself has been used to
excite the reader about
how the artist s going to
go about taking “over the
world”, as it is likely that
they are going to want to
read on to find out how.
Furthermore, the target
audience may want to see
how they are going to
reach their goals in hope
that this will be useful to
them to adapt to solve
some of their problems.
Text: There is text in the top left hand corner of the page which states the name of the band
that the article is about. As this interview is with the cover band and is therefore the main
article of this issue, it is likely that the readers will be looking for this article and if they are
flicking through the magazine, they will see this text in the corner and turn to this page. This
is a useful feature as the target audience of 15-25 year olds are not likely to read through all
of the contents to find the article they want, so this will make it easier for them to find this
interview as they will recognise the name of the band.
Main Image: The main image of this article is of the cover band. In contrast to the front cover’s main image, where a medium long shot and an extreme long shot was used, the band are all
shown here through a long shot. This shows that all of the band are going to be interviewed here and are equal, whereas the front man was used as a marketing technique on the front
cover. Also, the band are all stood in a fighting stance and the mise-en-scene shows a member holding a hammer, which again links the main image to the title. The title of the article
suggests that the band have had to fight to get the success they have now, so the way they are standing in this photograph confirms that this is what the interview is about. Therefore, this
will interest the target audience as they will want to read the article to find out how the band have got to this position. Furthermore, the target audience of 15-25 year olds are likely to have
gone through or are currently struggling on their school work or figuring out their career. Due to this, it is likely that some of the readers will be able to relate to the bands situation in some
way, as they be going through some similar struggles, so they will want to see how the band got through this for some advice; bands are often inspirational to young adults of this age.
Sub-Heading and text: The
sub-heading is giving a brief
overview into the reasoning
behind this interview - the
band are now very
successful, but they
struggled to get there.
Suspension marks have be
used to the end the
summary of the article to
create a sense of tension
for the reader. This leaves
the rest of the content to
the imagination of the
audience, and how this
punctuation mark follows
the short discussion of the
struggles the band had to
go through will make the
reader want to continue
reading. Additionally, the
word “smash” is written in
italics which exaggerates
the meaning of the article
of how the band fought to
get to where they are now.
The text on this page is the
start of the story which is
setting the scene and
introducing the band
before the interview starts.
Tom Bryant, the writer of
this piece, uses informal
language as he talks about
the band which has been
done to make the reader
feel more relaxed and as if
they are there with them.