Monday, 18 January 2010

Textual analysis of front cover (1 of 2)

Cover image- On the front cover of this addition of "KERRANG!" magazine there are big, clear images of popular rock bands like: Blink 182, Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance and Bullet For My Valentine. Images like these would appeal to the buyer as the bands mentioned are successful in their particualr genre which therefore means more fans support them and more people look out for them.

Price label- This magazine clearly shows its price alongside the cover lines as to suggest that its not affraid of how much it costs and in some way portrays how the magazine thinks its a reasonable price. Being a weekly magazine "Kerrang!" may in the long run cost more money overall to buy than a single issue monthly magazine like "Q", but the question of value is always goin to be asked and obviously the readers of "Kerrang!" feel as if they are getting more value for their spending. Despite the fact that their magazine may cost more to purchase in total, them buying the magazine frequently suggests its popularity.

Cover lines- The variety of stories on the front cover suggests how much there is to talk about on the rock scene and with concern to the bands mentioned this suggests their popularity as they appear on the front cover of a national magazine. A different font is used every other word to single out each band.

Colours- On first sight of the magazine you are clearly struck by the use of red and gold. Individually these colours suggest: wealth, fame, money, fire and passion. I feel that these colours are effective because they stand out to the reader but added with their meanings they suggest the great popularity of all the bands mentioned.

Graphics- The main graphic used by the makers (Bauer media group) of Kerrang magazine is the use of stickers. Using this device suggests that the magazine is over-loaded with information therefore they have had to adorn stickers to supply the reader with all the info possible. The adding of stickers also expresses the magazines value for more money as you are getting more information than is possible to fit inside. So the reader go's away buying this publication believing that they have got a bargain and with the mass of info inside they are almost certainly right.

Headline/banner- The headline on this edition is "50 ALBUMS YOU MUST HERE IN 2010" This would entice the reader because not only does it reccomend buying the albums but it also draws in the reader as to whether any of their favourote bands are mentioned. I believe that this kind of one-off special would be successful as it would consist of more featured bands and artists. This clearly appeals to the consumer as everyone wants to see and read about the biggest and best bands in the world.

Strap line- "KERRANG! RELENTLESS ENERGY TOUR: WIN! TICKETS TO EVERY SHOW!" Because its only the strap line its not designed to absorb the audience straight away but it is position intelligently at the top of the page because it still manages to finally grap attention. Although the text is small the font used is black writing with a yellow text box; this combination of colours is effective because the colours compliment each other nicely which means that, to a certain degree, they stand out. Obviously the magazine wants you to read this strapline because it is advertising the chance to win in their competition.

Masthead- The Masthead is "KERRANG". This word is an onomatopoeia, the effect of this for the audience is that the word sounds exactly as you say it. This leads to the name of the magazine being catch, therefore easy to remember. The font of the masthead is also interesting as the letters appear to be brakeing, this suggests that the music in this magazine is rock/metal because it's designed to be played loud and one of the effects of extremely loud music is the cracking of surfaces.

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