Kerrang Front Cover Analysis

Publisher - Bauer

Editor in Chief - Phil Alexander

Genre - Rock

Issue Number - 4224

The masthead, "KERRANG!" is said to mean the name given to the strumming on an electrical guitar, also the noise made when performing this action on the guitar. This creates an onomatopoeic relationship between the mast head and the genre of music. The font makes the word appear smashed which is ideological of rock bands as we see them smashing their guitars and breaking equipment. The colours black and white are stereotypical colours of this genre. Rock musicians tend to wear black nail varnish, thick black eyeliner, black clothing and pale white faces which are all also associated with goths. This is representing a specific stereotype and fashion trend which appeals to a wider audience gaining more interest. The white font colour creates a strong contrast against the background making it noticeable to the reader.

The main image links with the banner line, "UNDER THE SKIN OF MATT HEAFY". This gives anchorage to the image because the main image, using medium close up,  is showing him being tattooed which reflects the idea of being "under the skin". We are not only, as readers, reading about himself and his  possible secrets behind the famous thrash metal band TRIVIUM, but we are being physically exposed to the visual tattooing image. This is ideological as the image is creating a lifestyle that reader's aspire to be apart of (aspirational). He is not directly looking at the reader but just to the right

The institution have continued the colour scheme of the masthead through apart of the  banner line but instead of having a black background they have used a shadow around the text. This ensures that the emphasis stays more to the masthead but creates an eye catching effect with the banner line giving  anchorage to the main image. They have used yellow in "under the skin" to create a connection with the main image again. The yellow in the tattoo, which is under the skin of Matt Heafy, is made more clear with this idea making the over all visual quality of the front cover more aesthetically pleasing. The black Japanese symbol through the center of the banner line hints the ethnicity of the artist but keeps it subtle due to excessive amounts of black in the house style. The boldness and size of the band name "TRIVIUM" makes the audience aware instantly that he is apart of it.

The magazine, like Q, is breaking the conventions by not advertising cover lines but has used promotional plugs instead of. These are offering free poster's inside the magazine which encourages the reader to buy the magazine, even if it is just for the free posters. They have been outlined in green which has been picked out of the tattoo again relating the main image also. The anchorage across the centre of the two images is in bold yellow font, again linking with the tattoo colour, exclaiming to the audience with exclamation mark. The green background is continuing the house style throughout.

The average audience age for KERRANG would be 18-25 year olds. The price of only £2.20 makes it affordable for students and the ideological lifestyle fits this age. You have to be 18 to have tattoos so it would be pointless targeting any age group below this. Also, at that age, people are going out drinking and having fun socialising, maybe even making mischief which is what KERRANG's image is all about.

The bar code is found in the bottom right hand corner as when magazines are stacked, this part is hidden behind others. It would waste advertising space to be portrayed in the left third. There is only a weekly edition. The website address is also found under the bar code, http://www.kerrang.com/.

The bottom banner strip advertises bands of the same genre that are wrote about inside the magazine. The yellow writing is continued in the "plus!" which is in bold font to attract the reader's attention. The red background, associated with warning and danger, helps to achieve this by grabbing the reader's focus. This is mirrored in the top banner strip but using a red background and white writing which flows with the masthead colour scheme.

Summary of Analysis

From analysing this magazine i have learned how to link colour schemes effectively with the main image and how to accumulate clever and interesting puns which correlate and create ambiguity with the main image. I have also learned the appropriate use of banner strips and plugs. Finally i have learnt how to use onomatopoeia to create an interesting mast head for my magazine.