Textual analysis of Kerrang magazine

Textual analysis of Kerrang magazine

I am going to be analysing the cover of Kerrang magazine. There are many things to look at when analysing a magazine cover firstly the Layout, the colour, the target audience and the main image.

Firstly the layout of this magazine is very busy; there is lots of cover lines surrounding the main image as well as lots of smaller images, each with their own caption or cover line. The main image also has text incorporated into it; this is because it relates to the image itself. The cover also includes lots of colours which also add to the busy affect which this cover produces.

Although the there is only 5 main colours on the page it appears as though there is a lot more because of all the images and the way the text is all around the page. The colours denote the genre of music that this music is about, the genre is rock. The red and the black are very often used by rock bands and artists. The yellow has been chosen because it contrasts with the other colours making the magazine stand out.

The model and the other images that include artists and band are all rock artists and will mainly appeal to a younger audience; this is the main target audience for this magazine. Most of the bands on the front cover include younger people; however there are older bands and band members on there too. This could encourage people of an older age to purchase this magazine as well. The use of colours and the way they contrast on the page is a good indication of the target audience for this magazine. 

The dark and light colours together suggest that this is magazine is for fans of Rock and Alternative Rock, as well as being roughly in their teenage years. The magazine offers 7 posters which are normally associated with teenagers and the sorts of things they put on their wall, this is another indicator of the target audience of this magazine.

The mast head of a magazine is normally the largest and most obvious part of a magazine cover. However this magazine covers part of the mast head with the main image, this could be off putting for non regular buyers of this magazine as they may not be able to see the title of the magazine. The mast head is also surrounded by cover lines, meaning that once again the importance of the title of the magazine is undermined by the sub main cover lines. The cover lines often include two colours this is to highlight the most important part about each article, this is important as the magazine is busy and the reader would not be able to figure this out at a glance if they were not in different colours. 

The magazine uses a lot of rhetorical questions on the cover because they make the audience think about the article for example, ‘What are Paramore shocked at?’ The audience where not thinking this until they were asked the question which encourages them to want to read the article. The cover also uses exclamation marks, these are used to emphasize the importance of this cover line, as well as showing excitement about the article or offer.

I would say the overall style of the Kerrang magazine is very busy and is aimed at teenagers and Rock fans for its target audience. But I do also feel that the older bands could attract an older audience. I think as a whole the magazine cover works well and is very good at communicating its genre and general intentions.