Kerrang!

A deconstruction of Kerrang! magazine contents pages, front covers and double page spreads.

1. Kerrang! Music Magazine Analysis The Brief: I need to familiarise myself with the codes and conventions used in music magazines. In particular I am going to look at Kerrang! For my case study. Here is my analysis of Kerrang! Magazine. In order to determine the codes and conventions I have analysed front covers, contents pages and double page spreads.

2. Including a Pug – this is enticement for the reader. It will also lead the reader into thinking they are getting more than what they wanted, meaning they will buy it again. Mid shot image of Marilyn Manson – The cover star. The image is presented using non-verbal communication which is a directly addressing the audience. He is also a representation of the metal/rock genre as is he dressed in black and dark makeup which is how the genre is stereotypically presented. Box-outs are used for words like ‘plus’ and ‘starring’ and appear to be paint splattered behind it which again is a representation of the genre of magazine. House theme of red, white, yellow and black. These colours are used throughout the magazine and help to establish the brand that has a huge reputation. Masthead – Bold and black to stand out from the white background. It is also half covered by the splash image as it is a well known brand and so therefor, relies on that for people to recognise the magazine without seeing the full masthead. Convergence - ‘download’ – suggesting that the magazine has an online platform and that the audience can go and download extras, in this case the ‘ultimate guide’. List of what’s included in the magazine (red carpet line up)– enables the audience to see a wider range of what is in the magazine which is then another selling point as it will entice the audience to buy the magazine. Bar code/price/issue number: main codes and conventions that belong on the magazine front cover and the issue number also shows the magazine has been going for a long period of time.

3. Mast head – The masthead is again covered by the main splash image. Kerrang! can do this as they are such an established brand and can rely on the fact that people know the brand and sop therefore can recognise the magazine by only seeing half of the masthead. Mid shot – the splash image is a mid shot. The mid-shot is always a star that is related to the main cover line, in this instance it is the lead member of Green Day. The splash image uses non-verbal communication to address the audience, this would drawn the readers attention and would entice the reader to buy it top find out the story. Box-outs are used for the pug this time to make them stand out and again entice the reader to buy the magazine. By the repetition of a pug on every cover the reader will keep buying the magazine as they will think they are getting more for their money. Box-outs are also used for the tag lines such as; ‘Exclusive’ and ‘The king blues in a sewer ’ to make them more appealing to the audience and make them more eye-catching. These would be one of the first things that the audience are drawn to on the magazine. Cover lines – they are about the latest news and gossip stories from the world of rock/funk music which as the audience will be interested in the genre of music they will be inclined to buy the magazine and read it to find out more about the particular topic/story. Here I have cropped a magazine front cover to just the main body so I can determine what kerrang ! use as their main ‘template’ for their front covers. The typography is bold and white which makes it stand out against the black background – it is also the same typography used on most of the magazine front covers. House colours of black, white, yellow and blue. These are the house colours used for all Kerrang! magazines which helps to sell it and help the recognition of the magazine to be reinforced.

4. So to summarise the codes and conventions of a Kerrang! front cover… Masthead covered by the splash image Splash image – image that is directly related to the main cover line. The image usually uses non-verbal communication. Pugs- Giveaways (free posters in this instance) Cover line – directly related to the genre of the magazine -- rock/pop. House theme; Red, white, yellow and black Box-outs to make tag lines stand out Tag lines – related to rock music rock music industry Typography – bold and appealing to the audience Convergence Use of images for cover lines Bar codes/price/issue date

5. Contents tittle – Bold and at the top left hand of the side. Yellow colour continuing the house theme. Continuing the issue number/date from the front cover to the contents page. Page numbers are frequent on the page to help the reader get to what they want to read quickly. Editors message which gives the reader a further insight into the production of the magazine. A variety of images from different sections of the magazine as this gives the audience an insight of what’s to come. It also gives the audience snapshots of double page spreads that are in the magazine which then give the audience a variety of visual pointers. Continues the theme of rock music through its use of images and the presentation of looking rough and distorted. House theme of black, white and yellow continued from the front cover onto the contents page. This will be continued throughout the whole magazine, continuing the house theme of the whole magazine brand. Cover lines that are repeated from the front cover are present here. The contents is set out in a organised way and under subheadings of what each article content best matches such as ‘news’ and ‘swag’ with the articles/content listed underneath, This allows the reader to have a brief overview of what is featured in the magazine and they can read what they are most interested in. Advertising the other ways or receiving the magazine i.e. it being delivered. This is another way of the institution selling the magazine.

6. Contents tittle – Bold and at the top hand of the side. The white colour is used as it continues the house theme pf the magazine Continuing the issue number/date from the front cover to the contents page as this is information that the audience need to know. Editors message which gives the reader a further insight into the production of the magazine which adds more of a personal feeling to the magazine – this would then entice the audience to buy the magazine again. House theme of black, white and yellow continued from the front cover onto the contents page. This will be continued throughout the whole magazine, continuing the house theme of the whole magazine brand that has been used in most issues issued from the institution. Cover lines that are repeated from the front cover are present here. The actual contents is set out under subheadings so it is easy and clear for the reader to see the overview of what is in the magazine. The stories/articles also include very brief explanations of what each one is about, which is a code and convention of contents pages as they keep information hidden which makes the reader read on to find out what they are about. Further information on the production of the magazine which would engage the readers interest as it is giving them more of an insight into a magazine they enjoy and choose to read. Images of the artists/bands featured in the magazine with the page numbers so the audience can find the articles related to them. Images are also used of the editor which creates more of a personal feeling for the reader,

7. So to summarise the codes and conventions of a Kerrang! contents page… Title – ‘Contents’ in bold and the colour of the house theme. Clear, organised layout of contents in the magazine Pugs- Giveaways (free posters in this instance) Convergence House theme; Red, white, yellow and black Issue date/number Possible use of pug Typography – Bold and constantly the same. Use of images of featured artists/bands Editors message A-list ‘rock’ stars are always heavily featured Title – ‘Contents’ in bold and the colour of the house theme. House theme; Red, white, yellow and black Possible use of pug

8. Main long-shot image of what the featured article in the double page spread is about. In this case it is about ‘teen spirit’ which opens the target audience up to a younger teen audience which would entice them to read on as the image suggests and real sense of happiness. Use of quotes from the article which are boxed out to make them stand out. These are quotes normally the most interesting from the article and entice the audience to read on as they are usually fun , quirky and informal. The title of the page ‘Teen Spirit’ is bold and a large font to make it out stand out from the rest of the page. This is presented like this to grab the readers attention so when they are looking through the magazine they will see this more and be inclined to read it. Use of smaller images that are relevant to the article also keep the reader interested. The article is separated into different sections that may be of interest to the audience. Giving a brief summary of what the article is about and will allow the reader to decide to read on or not. The house theme is continued with the colours of red, white and black to reinforce the established theme throughout the magazine. Includes who the author and the photographer is of the article which helps to promote them as well through the magazine.

9. The main image is a mid shot of the featured star of the article. It uses non-verbal commu nication to directly grab the readers attention as it will entice them to look further on in the article. The image portrays the ‘rock’ theme as the star looks rebellious and is dressed in the stereotypical leather clothing that is related to the rock music genre. Quotations from the text are used as they are usually something interesting and witty that would entice the reader as that is something they would appeal to them as the audience especially for this article is older female teens. The title of the page ‘Wild Chil d ’ is bold and enlarged to make it out stand out from the rest of the page. It is presented in this way to grab the readers attention so when they are looking through the magazine they will see this more and be inclined to read it. A brief summary of the article allows the reader to gain a brie f overview of what it is about and this allows them to decide whether to read it or not. The house theme is altered slightly to black, white and pink, however, it has still continued to use two colours which contribute to make up the house theme (black and white) to ensure it is reinforced throughout the magazine. The use of pink, which is stereotypically associated to females, suggests this article is aimed at females which opens the magazine up to a wider target audience as it is including something for everyone. Words/phrases that are important to the article and in bold and are larger than the main body of the article to ensure they stand out to th e reader.

10. So to summarise the codes and conventions of a Kerrang! double page spread… The title of the page – Bold and use of colours from the house theme Main image – either a long/mid shot of the artist/band the article is about. Uses the hous e theme colours Quotations from the article in bold The article separated into different sections Thumbnails of images related to the article Uses the hous e theme colours Use of non-verbal communication Brief summary under the title of the page about what the article is about..