Kerrang cover analysis

Kerrang cover analysis

• 1.
  Salford City College EcclesCentre AS Media Studies Foundation Portfolio Masthead: The masthead is in a cracked, sans serif typeface which looks as if it has been hit and smashed. This establishes a rock or metal genre as it is destructive and heavy like the music. It fills the entire top of the page which draws attention to it as it is large and in white font against a black background. Comment on how the design of the magazine cover attracts the target audience:The cover attracts fans of rock music as that is the main genre that the magazine covers. The typefaces and poses of the models suggest this as they are striking and reference danger. Typefaces: bold, sans serif typefaces are used to imply the urgency and danger that surrounds rock music. The masthead font has also been edited so that it looks broken or smashed as if it has been hit. This reinforces the danger. Main image: The main image is of the featured band. Their heads cover some of the masthead which signifies that they are important and the focal article in the magazine. They are all looking into the camera and directly addressing the audience. They are also posing threateningly which reinforces the genre of rock music. Photography Lighting: The main models are lit from the front so that the intimidating facial expressions can be clearly seen by the audience. They are also looking into the camera to directly address the audience and persuade them to buy the magazine. The smaller image of Haley Williams in the terminal area is lit from the bottom to make her seem dominant and intimidating which is suggestive of the rock genre. Model credit: The typeface of the model credit is that of the name of the band which enables fans of them to recognise it immediately and therefore be persuaded to buy it to read about their favourite band. It is also in red font with a white shadow which makes it stand out against the black background. It also states ‘Rock’s biggest band’ which promotes them and therefore draws in an audience of rock music fans. Design Principles Used?The masthead is located across both the primary optical area and the strong fallow area. This is the first place that the reader’s eye is drawn to when they pick up a magazine.The heads of the models are also across the top of the magazine which draws attention to them. Coverlines: The majority of the coverlines are situated at the bottom of the page. This is unusual as the Guttenberg principle states that the bottom of the page is the last place that people will look at when buying a magazine. This works well though as it makes the masthead more dominant and fills the bottom of the page to frame the models better. Other coverlines are situated in different areas of the page in bubbles which makes them stand out as they are bold and isolated. Main cover line: The main coverline is included in the model credit. It is located in the centre of the page which enables it to attract a lot of attention as it is bold and in the centre. It also tells its audience that Metallica will be the featured article in the magazine as they are both the cover model and the main coverline. Colour:Reds and yellows are used as they symbolise danger and warning. This establishes the rock genre as danger and warning are stereotypical feelings given off by this genre. White is also used to stand out against the dark grey and black backgrounds and to draw attention to the masthead and model credit. House Style: The house style is bold, bright, sans serif font on a very dark background. This makes font stand out and attract attention. The colours used are bold, reds and yellows which symbolise danger which is stereotypical of the rock genre. The models used in most of the images seem to be screaming which is also stereotypical of rock music and danger. The terminal and weak fallow areas are filled with coverlines and free merchandise that is inside the magazine. This is unusual as these areas are normally empty as they are the last place that the reader will look at when reading the magazine. However, it does frame the cover models well as they are surrounded by text rather than having an empty space below them.