Unlike other magazine front covers I have analysed Kerrang! not only has a feature article photograph (Sleeping with Sirens), it also has three other smaller images of other artists featuring in the magazine to try to persuade the reader to buy it. This could suggest that Kerrang! is not as serious as the other rock magazines and the artist they have featuring in the feature article photograph are not as well known as the other artists used on other magazines. By having other pictures on the front cover it makes the magazine look busy and loud, which ties in with the sound theme of this particular edition of Kerrang!.
The main theme of this edition of Kerrang! focuses on sound. One of the members from the band on the feature article photograph is holding a megaphone, not only does this give connotations of loud sounds it also ties in with their band name “Sleeping With Sirens” which creates comedy as well as irony. This shows that the band is fun and laid back which would appeal to a younger target audience. Following on from this the background contains yellow circles that contrast from the red base colour; this illustrates sound waves produced from the mega phone and again ties in with the theme of sound. Furthermore the masthead contains an exclamation mark to represent it being shouted out, as well as puffs such as “REVEALED!” and cover lines such as “HERE TO WAKE UP YOUR TOWN!” that contain exclamation marks to support the title and engage the reader. This punctuation used portrays that the band member is shouting them out from the mega phone, which is supported by his facial expression; this mise-en-scene gives the impression that he is shouting and also ties in with the rock genre. The facial expression of the other band members show that they are fun and entertaining as they are pulling faces, this shows that they are not as serious as the other rock bands and gives that edition of Kerrang! a comic tone.
The main focus point of the magazine is the member of” Sleeping With Sirens” who is holding a mega phone, this is not only because he is the only member who is holding a prop, his picture is also close up compared to his other band members. This portrays that he is more important than the others as they are standing behind him and due to the fact that he is leaning forward it gives the magazine an three dimensional illusion, which makes the idea that he is shouting out the plugs, puffs and cover lines more realistic. All the members of the band however are standing in front of the masthead to show their more important and it could also suggest that Kerrang! is a popular and well known brand not to have to show the entire masthead and make it the main focus point.
Overall the magazine is very busy and loud due to the bright colours used also and has a chatty mode of address from the many plugs and puffs used to grab the reader’s attention. The magazine also has a care free attitude which is shown through the cover line “HERE TO WAKE UP YOUR TOWN!” as it is a jaunty angle which gives it a laid back feel. Following on from this the plugs and puffs are scattered around the page on both flush left and right, which would draw in a younger audience as it makes it come across as loud and fun, it also mirrors the readers carefree attitude.
This loud and busy atmosphere created on the page is also shown through the typography. It uses a range of different fonts and font sizes for different plugs, puffs and cover lines. The colours used for the text are mostly yellow, black and red. However “GREEN DAY” is the only text that is in a different colour; green. This ties in with the name of the band just like the megaphone does with Sleeping With Sirens and it also stands out from the page so people are aware that you can get a poster of the popular band so more people are likely to buy it. The text “Sleeping With Sirens” has a yellow border around it where the megaphone is, this links in with the sound waves used on the background and looks as if they have been shouted out due to the boarder having a shadow effect. However the letters that are not near the megaphone do not have the yellow border around them and gives the effect of the sound moving on through the words. The cover line “HERE TO WAKE UP YOUR TOWN!” has also used the shadow effect to make it stand out from the busy page and has the same connotations as the text of “Sleeping With Sirens”.
Due to the emphatic and busy look of this edition of Kerrang! , I would assume that the target audience is for younger people who are care free and laid back. This is shown through the choice of colours, typography and house style used; the house style comes across as friendly and personal, the cover line “HERE TO WAKE UP YOUR TOWN!” supports this idea.
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