Kerrang! Magazine Covers (Weeklies)

Another weekly magazine we analysed in lessons this week was Kerrang! costing £2.20 appealing to people who are interested in the rock music genre. The title Kerrang! can connote a variety of things, the word itself could relate to the sound of an instrument such as a guitar. The word is onomatopoeic and the exclamation mark used reinforces it to make a loud and aggressive sound which could initially relate to the genre of music being presented. There are many inducements on the front cover which attract the publication's target audience, it mentions many free posters of a variety of musicians which could draw the readers attention. Also "The Kerrang! Tour: Access All Areas" would attract the reader as they'd feel they are getting all the exclusive information on various bands, initially making them feel like a V.I.P and they are getting the latest gossip on the tour which draws them into purchasing the magazine. There is a coverline "Trivium new line up revealed" which would attract the reader as it's a popular rock music band and fans would be interested to read more about them.

The main image used on the cover is of Rou and Itch who are musicians in the bands Enter Shikari and The King Blues, this tells us that the target audience of the magazine would take interest into the two band members as they could be seen as extremely important in the music industry. The picture of Rou is slightly bigger compared to Itch, which could indicate that Enter Shikari are a more popular band to Kerrang! readers compared to The King Blues. As the image of Rou is bigger could indicate that he's more recognisable and he is pointing directly towards the audience which could attract them and draw their attention to know what the main story entails. There are also secondary images used on the publication which include Oli Sykes on the bottom of the left third holding a valentines heart with another image of a woman next to him, this could show that magazine is targetted towards both genders. There is also another image placed in the top left corner of two young men, giving of the impression that it's a rock magazine due to the expressions on both of their faces. The smaller image on the cover could give off the impression of mischief which is mainly caused by younger people portraying that Kerrang! is targetted to a younger audience.

The most important headline for this issue of Kerrang! is placed in the middle of the cover, this is an ideal place to put significant text as it's the first place the reader will look and the fact that it's printed bigger compared to the other texts on the cover would draw the reader's attention. The headline on the cover is located below the main image showing that the the main story is about the bands the two men are apart of. The other main text is placed in the left third of the cover, the competitions to "Win" would attract the reader as this inducement will enable them to feel they are gaining more for their money. As important text like this is placed in the left third it makes it easier for the reader to recognise it easily, the way it's placed in a shop will automatically draw their attention and would primarily entice the target audience.

The main colours used on the cover of the magazine are white, black, bright pink and bright blue. The use of the black and white would show neutrality between both male and female. There is a contrast between the colours as white represents purity, whereas the colour black could represent a sense of anger and could show the hardcore side of rock music. Black could have predominantly been used to associate with the type of clothing rock fans wear, which is mainly black. The use of the two bright colours being pink and blue could would show that the publication is targetted towards both genders, as the content would have a variety of stories to attract both male and female readers.

The use of font is mainly the same which shows that it's very consistent, the text used on the cover looks as if it is broken or scratched giving off the impression that it is linked with the type of music genre in the magazine. The font could relate with the music genre because a majority of the readers who listen to rock could be seen as being rough around the edges or maybe even being different for listening to the genre of music. Also the font could show that people listening to this type music would live a wild side making the publication have a younger audience.

By looking at the Kerrang! magazine I assume that the content is going to be about all the popular bands who play rock music and that the content is going to be very informative as it is very busy on the front of the cover. The bold masthead portrays it is a modern and loud publication and that it's targetted towards both genders by the use of both bright pink and blue colours. I assume that the news published is up to date as it's a weekly magazine, showing that they are always aware with the current news. It also has the price of the magazine in dollars showing that it is sold nationally having a much wider circulation as well as readership.

The use of language, images and fonts link to the genre of the magazine as the use of the exclamation mark portrays that the content is quite informal, it's almost as if the language used is addressing the reader as a friend. It also uses rude language showing the genre of music to be some what careless and against the norm, the fact that a majority of the stars in the magazine wouldn't speak formally it portrays the magazine itself to be colloquial. The fonts used have a crocked, rough edging which would link with the person who likes rock music as it shows them to be care free and wild. The images also link with the genre because it shows members of bands and even soloists showing that it's clear who the magazine is targetted to and the type of music the musicians play.

Kerrang! successfully attract their target audience in a variety of ways, the use of different rock bands such as Enter Shikari and people like Oli Sykes will automatically attract readers as they'd want to know any new information on these people as they lead a rock lifestyle. As the cover gives off the first initial expression of the entire content the publishers have taken into account what could gain the readers attention to buying the magazine; the fact that they've shown that the magazine is targetted towards both readers by the use of bright blue and pink colours is a good selling point as it isn't a gender specific publication as they provide information to attract both a male and female audience. The fact that it isn't gender specific creates an idea that the magazine is suitable for anyone who has an interest into rock and even indie music.