Analysis of a Front Cover

 

Analysis

Target Audience - The target audience for the Kerrang magazine would be the people aged between 16 and 30, because they are the people who enjoy the latest rock/heavy metal bands which the magazine advertise, and are not affected by the use of explicit material etc, in this type of music and the information in the Kerrang magazine itself. For example: Green Day, who are promoted as the main article on the front cover, relates to the 16 - 30 audience as they are a band that fits into their generation and age group. The magazines target audience would also appeal to the niche audience, because it concerns topics and themes that are relevant to people who listen to and are interested by rock music and its background. They would have to be individually minded and independent of thought and musically experienced, just like the magazine and the rock stars etc. that Kerrang promote in their magazines.

Mast Head - The main title is presented at the top left, as people begin to read from that side. The font is large and bright, with a luminous yellow colour so it will be extremely visible and attractive to the people in sight of the magazine. The letters that spell out Kerrang are jagged, with scratches on them to represent rock and violence etc. The word Kerrang also ends with an exclamation mark, which gives the impression that it is shouting at the reader, attracting them to buy the magazine. The Kerrang title is overlapped by the head of the lead singer of Green Day, explaining to the reader that the magazine is well-known as the title does not need to be entirely visible, as people already know what it is. This will also attract many different audiences, as Green Day itself is a highly popular rock band. This will catch people's eyes from a shop window/shelf as the artist is displayed largely on the front cover, along with the brand name. Both Kerrang and Green Day mixed together on one cover will attract audiences alike, as they are both well-known and relate to each other.

Price - The price on the magazine cover is centred on the barcode, however it is presented extremely small. This is because the company are a popular brand and will not want to attract the reader to the price if it is too high. It might not meet the expectations of the buyer, which may put them off purchasing the magazine and would result in Kerrang losing out on a lot of the magazines main/key audiences.

Feature Article Photograph - Kerrang immediately clarify to the reader that Green Day are the main article/topic of the magazine, this is because they have their own large advertisement (photograph) as the front cover, which stands out the most above the rest of the illustrations and information on the page. The feature article photograph consists of the lead singer from Green Day, and Kerrang promote them by covering the front cover with a large image of him, who is focused as the main protagonist of the front cover because he dominates the whole page, and will be the first thing the reader notices on it. He is also looking directly at the audience, this is known as the 'direct mode of address', as it draws the audience in because it is almost as if the artist is addressing you personally. The photograph will attract multiple teenage girls/boys to the magazine, as Green Day are known to be highly popular amongst the younger generation with their latest songs and image. This will have the teenage audience engaged, as a well-known band is the main article and may want to purchase the magazine to read on about the latest gossip involving Green Day, which is also an advantage to Kerrang with the help of them being a well-known band internationally. This will especially attract the teenage girl sector as he could be, for example: An idol, or teenage celebrity crush, so with him being the main photograph on the magazine could make a strong impact on girls and also major fans, who may find him an attractive/very famous man, etc. The Kerrang magazine itself contains many rock bands and material which are designed to attract a lot more men rather than women, so by promoting young, attractive and famous celebrities as their front covers also explains to the reader that their main audience isn't based on just one particular gender, as they know how to please both, and ultimately tells the reader that the magazine is not gender-biased.

Main Cover Line - The main cover line is the text that reads 'GREEN DAY', which consists of only two words but will attract the audience almost instantly. This is because Green Day is one of the most influential and famous rock bands of our generation, so Kerrang would know that this would make a big impact on their fans and sales. The words 'GREEN DAY' are the overview of what the magazine will contain the most because it is the main article, so the audience are informed on what to expect throughout the majority of the magazine. The two words stand out the most, even above the Kerrang title itself, to outline the bands importance to the magazine. It is presented in a bright, red colour on a white background. This will attract people's eyes instantly as the colours contrast well together, and the lead singer of Green Day is holding up the sign in a flamboyant way. It will engage with men especially, as they're known to be heavily attracted to the colour 'red' which is presented a highly bright, coloured red, written in a crayon style, which can also describe to the reader that Green Day are lively and ebullient, by using creative, exuberant fonts and colours to advertise them.

Cover Line - An example of a cover line is the text below the 'GREEN DAY' main cover line, which reads "answer your questions" and "Bille, Joe, Mike and Tret, on musicals, make-up, punch-ups, riots and more!" This is extra information which is added, so that the reader can grasp a sense of what the main article will involve and contain. It also interacts with the reader by giving them an option to do something by using the word 'your', which can attract audiences as they can get involved in activities which are included within the magazine. The font for this cover line is slightly smaller in size compared the main cover line because it is not as important, and is presented in a dull, black colour. However, the font is this size specifically so that more information can be given to the reader.

Plug - An example of a Plug would be the quote in the middle of the right-hand side, that reads "What are Paramore shocked at?" which is the selling point of the magazine. This is because the quote concludes with a question mark, which will engage the reader and persuade them to purchase the magazine to find out more about that certain topic, so it is almost as if the magazine has done this on purpose. It also helps to be even more engaging when the plug includes famous bands such as 'Paramore', as people may want to catch up on the latest news on celebrities. Below the plug is a small image, however it does not explain the full topic so the reader would have to look inside to find out more, which will persuade the reader to purchase the magazine at an even higher extent. The picture underneath the Paramore quote consists of a famous star in a 'Celebrity Scandal', with an arrow pointing toward the hazard. To actually find out what it is, the reader would (again) have to purchase the magazine, concluding as the overall selling point.

Puffs - The front cover uses Puffs by using attractive and powerful words, such as: 'Ultimate', 'Rock' and 'Phenomenon'. This will attract the audience, as they make it sound as if Kerrang is as dominant as the words and information that is used, which will persuade the reader to buy the magazine.

Strapline - The strapline is at the very bottom of the magazine cover and explains more about the brand to promote it, by adding on extra information. For example: 'PLUS: THE CULT.' This is to explain to the reader that the magazine offers more than just one main storyline, and includes other articles that are involved around different, famous celebrities etc. For this issue of Kerrang, the Strapline would be beneficial to the readers who dislike Green Day who are promoted as the main article, because the reader is informed that there are many more storylines and activities that he/she can appreciate.