Textual analysis 1 - Kerrang!

Textual analysis part 1

‘Kerrang!’ is a one of the world’s biggest selling weekly rock magazines. This magazine appeals to both males and females aged approximately 16-24 years old. It is clear on the front cover of this magazine that it is aimed more towards a young audience because of the fonts and layout.

In this ‘Kerrang!’ magazine issue, the largest text is the masthead. The masthead has been placed at the top of the page and as it is large, it is what first catches people’s attention. This is important for the reader as they can identify the magazine easily.

There are many cover lines placed around the edges of the magazine, some in boxes and others over the main image. When a cover line is placed in a box it will put emphasis on the fact that it is a separate story, making things clearer for the reader. The cover lines have been strategically placed around the face and upper torso of the model in the main image. This means that you can still see who the magazine will be talking to/about but also what else it has to offer. These cover lines consist of prizes you could win, quotes from celebrities and small bits of information taken from what is fully explained within the magazine. All of these cover lines make the reader want to find out more. They do this by using phrases such as ‘see more inside’ to create intrigue.

The colours are generally quite dark but there is some text, in yellow, which breaks out and lifts the atmosphere of the issue. They do not over complicate the colour pallet of this front cover as they have stuck to using four colours: red, black, yellow and white. Even the main image has been left rather plain, although the picture is not taken in black and white; there are no colours that stand out. The reason for the main image not being as bold as you may find on other music magazines is because the model is shirtless, showing off the writing on his body, rather than wearing any clothing that may express his own personality. Instead, the originality of writing on his body shows that he is a quirky person, giving this magazine issue an interesting quality.

The background of this front cover is a brick wall, painted white. This could be replicating how urban Young Gun’s music is as he has been placed in an urban and relaxed location. This back drop is very normal which may be a reflection on the way that the music spoken about in this magazine is – very down to earth.

The amount of text on this page could be described as being busy as there is quite a lot of it. The text is not only printed for the purpose of a cover line but there is also writing on the model, Young Gun’s lead vocalist; Gustav Wood’s torso. This writing is lyrics to one of the band’s songs which yet again puts emphasis on the fact that ‘Kerrang!’ is a music magazine.

The main image is not the only picture that is featured on the front cover of this magazine however. There are small inserts of other celebrities/singers spaced around the edge of the paper. Only men have images featured on the front cover, they all belong to a rock band. For example, there is a small picture of Billie Joe Armstrong alongside text about him going into rehab. As this is clearly a rough time for him (which we can identify in the text, saying he’s receiving support) the image shows a blank expression on his face; he clearly has a lot on his plate. This small part of the cover is another element of information letting us know about the target audience as it says Billie Joe is receiving support from the Rock World.

Finally at the very top of the page there is a strip of information and pictures that lets the reader know that this particular issue has 7 posters inside. This snippet of information will make the reader be even more tempted to purchase the magazine as they will be getting more for their money!