Analysis of Kerrang's Front cover, contents page and double page spread

Kerrang’s masthead looks very messy and has a busy layout which most magazines that are aimed at the younger generation tries to make their magazine look like because teenagers like a more busy layout because the find simple ones “boring” and “plain”. There are splashes of bright paint all over the front cover and the key image which can signify fun and youth this is important because the younger generation are more attracted to magazines that have bright colours and have many images. This suggests the magazine is aimed at teenagers and due to ETK (Extra textual knowledge) we know that are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff and are very popular with teenagers who are into rock music. However it is not classic rock which usually has a much more neat and tidy look in magazines, this magazine has a very messy look which has the cover lines all over the sides and also has used loads different bright colours used all over the place. This indicates to me that the age range this magazine is trying to attract is 13-20. The magazine has a lot of pictures of different rock stars however they’re all quite young which will attract young rock fans and not older fans who are into classic rock.

The price of the magazine is really cheap which also suggests that it is aimed at the younger audience. This is because the younger audience have less to spend because they don’t work or work part time. The magazine also offers freebies which teenagers like a lot. The price may also have been used as audience appeal because the younger generation don’t have as much allowance as well as the busy layout which may suggest to the audience that the magazine is packed with interesting things due to the bright colours and different fonts.
Contents Page

The layout of this contents page is very busy and has a lot of images; however it does not look messy and is well lay out. The images are all roughly the same sized and not randomly placed anywhere. Although one of the images is larger than the others maybe because the artist is more popular with the audience or/and more important. The main colour of the text is black but they have also used yellow to make some of the text stand out more to the audience maybe because it is more important or will make the reader read on.  They also have a message from the editor at the top to may be have a personal connection with the reader and make them familiar with the people who work for the magazine. The target audience are probably people who like rock and are probably quite young because of the people in the images. Also the colours used represent youthfulness and energy.

Double page spread

Kerrang’s double page spread looks as if it is aimed at teenagers; this is because of the extremely large copy which has letters in the middle of the word capital as well as the first letter. It makes the text look very messy and it isn’t straight which adds to the messy effect. They also have a very big picture of Lily Allen in which she looks very young (around 18-19), they may have done this on purpose to attract audience at that age range. The article itself is written in normal columns with a clear and readable font unlike the large copy on top. The background may have purposely made white so Lilly Allen’s red top and pitch black hair could stand out, this makes her look very noticeable as well the large copy which has contrasted black and white, in the copy Lily Allen’s name is in red, they may have done this so it attracts the audience and to show how important she is. This gives her status and makes her look like a powerful teenager which will attract young audience.