Kerrang is a magazine devoted to rock music. It is produced by a company called Bauer Media Group and according to their website, they agree that the target audience of the magazine is 16-25 year olds who are fans of rock music however throughout years that have just passed, this age has declined and there is now a majority of 14-18 year olds reading Kerrang. Kerrang is a weekly magazine and each issue costs £2.20. The circulation data is as follows.
Front Cover
The title of the magazine I am studying is Kerrang. Apparently, the magazine was named after an onomatopoeic word for the sound an electric guitar makes when played with a power chord. The title of 'Kerrang' is written with an edgy font which is white the it looks as if lines of it has been scratched out and are the same colour as the background which is blue.
The font is all in capitals, takes up about one-seventh of the page so it is quite large but definitely stands out. It is clear and can be easily read and understood. Kerrang does not have a strapline. I do not feel there is a need for one either and this is because the title KERRANG stands out enough on its own. It is a short word of only two syllables yet it is effective.The main image features a studio shot of two rockstars that has been cut out and photoshopped onto a blue polka dot background. The two people on the front hint that the magazine is a rock magazine as they are covered in tatoos and jewellery which is describing the indie scenester group described on UK tribes. Thave have dark hair and eye makeup on so you can tell they are quite "scene" however stereotypical that may sound. It certainly is good in giving the idea of who that magazine is aimed at though which is obviously rock music fans.
The two people on the front are spraying grafiti and it has been made to look as if they are grafiting a coverline onto the front page. Both of the rock stars on the front have a different expressions. The one on the left is creating an enthusastic face that looks as if he is screaming or shouting whilst the model on the left has more of a serious concerntration look.
The clothes that the models are wearing are not easily identifiable as their clothing is covered up with coverlines however i think that the one on the left is wearing a vest which is exposing his many tattoos and that the one on the right is going for a more conserved look by wearing a black shirt. There are quite a few other images on the front page. At the bottom or the footer of the page, There is one image of a bang called All Time Low that feature as attractive to girls. It then says that there are posters inside. This may give this particular issue a unique selling point as girls that are fans of All Time Low may buy the magazine just so they can have the posters. There is also another picture at the footer of the page of 'Evanescence and Halestrom' which may feature and attract boys into buying the magazine. At the header of the front cover, there are more pictures and advertisments for the magazine. Such as 'You Me At Six' posters which is a popular band liked by many girls. Again, this may grab people in to buy the magazine. There is also a picture to go with one of the coverlines. That feautres a rock star who has died. The cover line reads: "MITCH LUCKER RIP, rock star plays tribute to suicide silence's lost superstar".
The front strapline promotes the Lostprophets and Bring the Horizon tour as they are now teaming up to "paint the town rock". It is presented as the "Warped Tour" which is highlighted by the bright yellow spraypaint design which is being held by the artists. The font is consistant throughout on the front cover but the font colour changes between black, yellow and white. There is often a box around the text in a different colour to make it stand out more as well as to provide much more colour contrast across the spread itself e.g.) white text on red background. It is all in capital letters to make it seem more bold - which is also seen in the magazine title itself "KERRANG".
Inside
There are 63 pages including advertisements. The advertisements vary from fashion (e.g. grindstore), music events including the Deftones new album available at HMV and also new technology products like the latest Nikon Camera. This suggests that the target audience are obviously music lovers as not only have they already bought the magazine itself (which is a clear indication itself) but this is then extended by the various gigs advertised throughout. The majority of the advertisements are music related which is expected.
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