Textual Analysis - Front Cover 1

Textual analysis - Front Covers

1. Kerrang Magazine (Last Year)

The masthead shows the magazine name ‘Kerrang’ in black punk letters that looks a bit like smashed glass. The dateline is next to the bar code probably to help not distract people from the brash cover. The main image is a groovy picture of the guys from ‘Kids in Glass Houses’ with everyone holding their instruments and paint splotches of colour everywhere. Model credit is in front of the band with the reason why they are on the front anyway. The coverlines are quite small compared to the main story and image; this shows that people can see them a bit more clearly. The main coverline is big and brash, showing band the cover photo’s name with why they’re there plus an extra paint splodge saying the rhyme “Winning hearts and taking over the charts”. The cracked K in the left third shows that it is “Kerrang” magazine. The barcode is standard but shows the date and issue number too. The cover is multi-coloured but a bit dark. The people in the cover are from a popular new rock band and they are quite well known so the iconic rebellious look works well. The target audience is for teenagers who follow rock music etc. The clothing is very rebellious and anti-establishment and they’re holding their instrument which emphasizes the genre of rock. There is a white background which makes it look like they’re in a studio, this also re-enforces the idea of rock. The language used is quite informal, using words like “awesome”. The cover image is a medium-shot of the whole band, with the lead singer at the front. The picture is in the middle and centralised to bring more effect. Overall, the style is very independent and shows its own target audience and genre which gives a great effect.