Magazine Analysis: Kerrang!
Title:
The magazines title is Kerrang!
It is named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar. The slogan of Kerrang! is “life is loud”. This could be a representation of the genre of music that the magazine is representing. The title has a very messy look, and appeals to its readers, giving the magazine a very formal approach. The title is typically set to back, behind the image of the artist/band. This draws the attention away from the title, and instead to the artist/band the magazine is starring.
Other Images:
There are 9 other images on the front page. All of these are there to indicate what is in the magazine. The 4 images in the bottom right of the page are all equally sized, to show they are all equally important, but they are a lot smaller than the main image, as this is so they do not draw away any attention to the main image on the front cover of ‘Fall Out Boy’. All of the pictures on the front cover are taken in a professional studio, rather than being action shots.
House Style:
From looking at the front cover, you can tell there is a distinctive house style. The four colours used on the cover are; orange, red, white and black. The distinct two themes are a red box with white text or an orange box with black text. This will be apparent throughout the magazine, which shows the formality and professionalism of the magazine
Kerrang is a UK based music magazine, devoted to rock music. It is currently published by Bauer Media Group, a European based media group.
A standard issue of Kerrang costs £2.20, and special editions of the magazine can cost around £6. Special editions usually come with added extras, such as CD’s.
Kerrang is published weekly, and is put in stores on a Wednesday. This is why the magazine is not very thick, and is made of paper, rather than a more durable material that the monthly magazines are made from. This is why the cost of the magazine is so low.
A magazine's circulation is the number of copies it usually distributes for each issue. It is one of the main factors used to determine how much money they will charge businesses to advertise in the magazine. Kerrang’s combined total average circulation is 33,024.
Main Image:
The image is of the band ‘Fall Out Boy’.
The image shows the band smiling, which appeals to the reader as smiling represents happiness, meaning the reader will feel as if the magazine is positive, rather than a negative view. The direction of gaze is straight at the reader, making eye contact.This would appeal to the reader as the magazine is directed at them, rather than the attention being elsewhere. Their body language is showing that the image is posed, but this shows that they are the main feature of the magazine. The band are all wearing similar clothes, all of which are the same colour. This shows the band is co-ordinated, but is also easier for the magazine editor to use on a front cover, as they are using orange text.
Cover Lines:
The heading of this magazine is shown in the picture on the right. This draws readers in with the first two words, “World Exclusive”. These two words tell the reader than the only place to see the information is in this exact magazine. This would mainly appeal to ‘Fall Out Boy’ fans, or fans of the rock genre. The way ‘Fall Out Boy’ is written is informal. The font has a dirt effect, added which implies messiness. This is to appeal to the type of readers, which rock fans are stereotyped as. The words “Fall Out Boy” are a lot bigger than the rest of the sentence. This is to draw attention to this. The first thing you see when you look at this is these three words, and this is done to be the main focus of the magazine. The rest of the cover lines are smaller, to show they are not as important as the “World Exclusive” content.
Similarity:
The cover of Kerrang is different to any other music magazine cover. The cover of Kerrang can look quite messy with the fonts and effects used, such as the paint splattered background or the dirty effect on ‘Fall Out Boy’. All other music magazines are a lot more formal and ‘cleaner’. However, they have a lot more written on their cover, whereas this is rather empty. This has more pictures on the cover, whereas the others have mainly text. It is because they are aimed at different audiences. This is aimed at pop punk/rock fans, who are better known for being ‘messy/informal’. The informality is Kerrang magazines unique selling point.