Kerrang Magazine - Deconstruction #3

This here is my third deconstruction of a Rock magazine. For this deconstruction, I have decided to look at Kerrang magazine. I will be deconstructing the front cover, contents page and a double page spread from the magazine. I will be talking using the terminology of all the different parts in the magazine, explaining them and talking about where and how they have been used in this magazine.

Front Cover

This here is the front cover of Kerrang magazine. It features Rise Against as the main image and the main-sell line. The masthead of this cover is in bold big lettering to fill the top of the page. The lettering is in white, this contrasts with the brown/grey background imagery. The logo of Kerrang has a very distinct logo with their shattered lettering signature font. This has the connotations of damage and violence, this very much matches the Rock/Metal genre of music this magazine features. The logo has a rough look to it, this again matches the genre but it also appeals to the mainly male target audience. The masthead is covered by the main image and also a sub-image, this gives the idea that the magazine is well-established.

The essential of this is placed in the bottom right corner of the page, with the barcode also. The essential information is the date, price and the volume/issue number. On this magazine, the date of the magazine is April 02 2011. This tells me that the magazine is fairly modern and will have modern features, I will be able to try and use these features when I make my own magazine cover. It is important that the magazine is modern because I don't want to use dated features on my magazine cover as this won't appeal to a younger audience. The price of this magazine is £2.20, this is because the target audience is teenagers who don't have much disposable income to spend on magazines. This price is very reasonable for a magazine. The issue number is 1357, this again tells us that this magazine is very well established and has been around and popular for a long time. The barcode is very important and it is essential for the buyer.

The main image is a picture is a mid close-up of the lead singer of Rise Against. The image is pretty normal, he isn't in an exaggerate pose and he isn't pulling a face, he is actually very serious. The focus in the image is of his face as the rest of the photo has been blurred out a little. By making the image over the top of the masthead, it makes the image look like it is coming out of the cover, this then jumps out at people passing by. This is then supported by the angle the photo is taken at and also by the blurring of the body, this adds a sense of depth to the image.

The main sell line of the magazine is simply 'RISE AGAINST', this is directly linked to the main image and it is advertising the band. The text is in bold capital letters and spread the width of the magazine, this stands out to the reader and catches attention. The lettering has the same colour as the background and also the same texture, this helps it to blend in with the image but the white outline contrasts with this and makes the text stand out. The text 'RISE AGAINST' doesn't really say what the article is and it keeps mystery. However, you do get the idea that it will be a cover story on the band. The sell-line is also slightly slanted and is placed in the center of the page, this makes it look informal and a little messy, relating to the younger audience well. By making the sell-line in the centre, the eye sees it at the first glance. The sub head talks more about the sell-line, the words 'PUNK'S MOST POLITICAL BAND GO GLOBAL!' get the mind going. It is a very bold statement and it catches your attention. The use of capital letters and exclamation marks make the sub-head exciting and they make the sub-head appeal to a young audience.

There are a few cover lines on the front cover, all to the sides of the magazine, they are at different angles and all the text makes the cover look cluttered and informal, relating more to the target audience. The cover line 'over 1000 gigs listed' appeals a lot to the target audience. The target audience of this magazine is predominantly young males who like going to see live music at gigs. Therefore, by adding this cover-line it directly appeals to the audience of the magazine and makes them want to buy the magazine more to see the gigs inside.

The colours used in the cover reflect well on the genre of music and also the target audience. The main image depicts a neutral and dull variety of colour. The black used in the cover lines and the dark colours in the photography relate to the genre of Rock. When you think of rock, you don't think of bright vibrant colours, stereotypically you think of blacks and dark colours. However some brighter colours are used to still relate and appeal to the young audience. However, they are still darker versions of bright colours. For example, instead of using bright yellow and blue on the cover, they used a darker blue and a more orange yellow. The use of blue also suggests that the cover is aimed at men because of the connotations that come with the colour.

There is a lot of puff on this cover, for example, there is an advertisement to win a signed football shirt and an advertisement for 5 posters that are in the magazine. Because their target audience is young teens, they have a lot of free things in their magazine, this makes the buyer think they are getting more for their money. The fact that they are offering the chance to win a football shows they know who their main audience and they are relating to them.

The mode of address of this magazine cover is direct. I know this because of how the subject in the photo is looking. The man is looking directly into the camera, and looking straight at the buyer, this includes the audience and it grabs their attention. However, the text doesn't use words, like 'we' or 'us', that include the reader.

Contents Page

The masthead has been positioned in the center of the page, this different to the normal positioning. Normally, the masthead would be positioned right at the top of the page. This is so it is the first thing the reader sees when they look at the page. Right next to the masthead, the words 'This Week' are placed, this gives a brief introduction to the list of content. It also tells the reader that the magazine is released weekly. This is good as if it is a new reader, it tells them that the magazine comes out weekly, this tells them when to buy the magazine without them having to look it up. The issue number and date are positioned at the top of the page below the title in the running head.

The contents page is lain out in a very specific way. The page is split into two halves, the top and the bottom. The top half has a big feature of one of the stories in the magazine and the bottom half shows off the rest of the magazine with a message from the deputy editor. The top half shows one large image with 4 smaller images overlapping each other. The images are all in different ways, this looks a little clutter and fits the style of the cover and also appeals to the audience. There is little text and they use 2 different styles of text, this suggests variety in the magazine and makes it fun and less serious. The feature they show is a Kurt Cobain tribute poster special. They use the same font used in the Nirvana logo, they use this as it what he is known for and it is a way of giving remembrance. The bottom half features bold bright text to stand out and be eye-catching and some more imagery.

The contents are out into different sections based on the different running heads used throughout. The black and yellow subheadings used contrast against each other and stand out. The yellow is very bold and bright but the black keeps it dark and suiting of the genre and audience. The bold text stands out and matches the masthead, this shows continuity in the magazine and it is also recognisable. There isn't much text on the contents page, this is because the target audience is young and they don't want to read loads of text, they are more interested in the images used. The use of page numbers next to the page numbers makes the contents page understandable and it also adds order to the page, this is important for a contents page. The form of address is direct, there is a message from the deputy editor that is directly addressing the readers and the fans. It uses words like 'we', which is a big clue into the form of address. By addressing the readers directly, they are including them in the magazine and it gets them engaged in the magazine.

The magazine uses questions and alliteration in the texts, this keeps it interesting and fun to read, it keeps the attention of the reader, especially when it's a younger, less mature target audience.

Double-Page Spread

The double page spread features a live show from 'Funeral for a Friend'. The double page spread features an image of the band performing, this is spread across the entire page and acts as a background. There are more images on the left page, this is good as the more photos, the more the reader will like the page. They stand out and they catch the attention of the reader. The images have a caption so the reader understands what is happening in the photos. The caption is inside a black box, this helps the text from blending into the images as they are dark in places. The text is white, this contrasts with the black and, again, helps the text to stand out.

The magazine knows that their target audience are interested in going to gigs and listening to different rock bands live, so they have added different features in the magazine of different bands. They show what people think of their act and the magazine also talk about what they thought of their live show. The images used are directly related to the article, this shows they are relative and that they aren't out of place, this is important for the page to have.

The article uses pull quotes from audience members of the live show, this is relative as the reader will want to know if the band are worth seeing, that is what they are most likely wanting out of the article. By putting in these pull quotes, it makes the reader feel satisfied from the article and it gives them what they want. By putting several pull quotes and reviews from a variety of people, this gives a better review of the band and it gives the reader more to go off.

The title of the article is simply 'FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND', this gets straight to the point and lets the reader know what the article is about straight away. This is followed with the kicker 'welsh wonders continue to get their groove back in brum', this is the introduction to the article and it grabs the attention straight away. It uses the alliteration 'welsh wonders' to start off the article and from the very start, the article shows variety and a good range of vocabulary, this makes the reader continue to read. The article only has one column, this is because of the layout of the double page spread and also because there isn't much text so it isn't necessary to split up the text into more columns. There isn't much text because the target audience is young and they don't want to read a long article, this is different to the article length you would find in a magazine aimed at an older, more mature audience where there would be up to 3 or more pages for an article.

The double page spread is full of dark and bright colours. All of the images are taken in a dark venue but are also bright because of the colourful stage lights and also the camera flash. The images are very high quality which makes them look very professional and well done. The stage lights are red blue and green, this has been translated onto the text colours that have been used. The white font used really stands out against the dark background. They have used red and green text in the article and the page information, this helps to connect the images to the article and it makes the article fit into the page. The matching colour scheme also makes the double page spread look professional and appealing.