Analysis of Kerrang Magazine Cover - All Time Low

‘Kerrang!’ has a niche audience which is mainly rock/metal. This audience will listen to the music produced by the artists that have been featured on the front cover. On this cover, the main image can clearly be established through its size in comparison with the three smaller images which have been placed at the bottom of the cover. The typography of the masthead has an effect which appears as smashed or cracked, this font/effect is associated with the audience that will buy this magazine and therefore conforms to the conventional characteristics of this genre. Also, surrounding text on the cover has been given an effect that makes it look like it's been written on a chalk board, the text, 'Get Ready...' is an example of this. It gives a rough look to the writing which is also associated with the group of people who are expected to read this issue. Stereotypically, this audience can be known as 'moshers', 'rockers' and a variety of other names which have been formulated by society. 

The way the images have been organized on the cover shows that the members of the band have been partially covered with different text from the articles advertised. The colour scheme is neutral with the main colours being blue, yellow and white. The colour yellow has been used to highlight the name of the featured band, All Time Low. This allows the name to stand out and draw the attention the of the magazines desired audience. The yellow has then been used for some of the article titles which are included inside, this colour has not been used on any other large text, this suggests that the magazine producers do not want to compromise any of the attention that could be drawn away from the bands name, it shows us this is what they want the consumers to see first. Consequently, the magazine was named 'Kerrang!' because the onomatopoeic word is derived from the sound that is made when playing a 'distorted' electric guitar, again connoting the style of music the magazine is trying to portray. 

In addition, referring to my point earlier, the main images size has been edited for it to be spread across the entire cover. If a consumer isn't familiar with the band featured then the main cover line is anchorage, audiences will be able to make the connection between the cover line and the main image due to the cover lines characteristics, i.e the size, colour and placement. Furthermore, the mise-en-scene of the cover consists of the band members who have been dressed in ordinary clothes. The fact that none of the members are dressed in out of the ordinary clothes suggests that the image is trying to depict a relaxed, fun feel. Their facial expressions further conform the the overall relaxed/fun feel to their image as they aren't exaggerating their smiles as this can come across 'fake' and 'proper' which is not the magazines intentions, instead they have gone for laid back expressions. The member who has their mouth open seems to be the lead singer as he is defined by the rule of thirds from the rest of the band. 

Subsequently, the alliteration 'Guitar God' has been used within the banner to create more attention. A pull quote has been used, "We're back on track!", as it creates more anticipation for the reader and makes them want to further read the material. The use of the blue on the text reading 'Stage Shots' stands out against the rest of the page and the other text which can suggest the different context as this referring to posters included inside. It is also emphasized by the use of a small border effect around the corners of the writing. 

The rest of the images are positioned below the main image and on the lower section of the front cover, this allows no attention to be stolen away from the featured band. The sizing of these images are considerably smaller as well for the same reason. The 'Stage Shots Poster Special' text anchors the two pictures in the left hand corner to let the buyers know what the posters are going to be of. The use of the word 'Special' connotes that they are showing something one-of-a-kind that hasn't been shown before. Again, the genre of the music is emphasized from these images as they are action shots and show the artists in mid-performance wearing 'slobby' informal attire and show that they have long hair - another connotation related to the target audience.