Case study part 2: Front cover

'Kerrang!' (11.10.14)


2)Analysing the front cover of a magazine

     The main image on the cover is of Ozzy Osbourne. It's part of the cover story called 'Welcome to the Madhouse'. The image is placed right in the middle of the cover and takes up the whole page, immediately attracting attention and symbolizing it's importance. It's a very powerful and energetic image, encouraging rockers (who are the target audience) to buy the magazine.

 

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The title 'Kerrang!' is very attractive to the target audience because it's just one word. It's short, energetic and sharp. The use of capitalization and the exclamation mark at the end emphasise the energy and further attract readers.

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The cover lines are mainly band names such as 'Asking Alexandria' and 'Black Veil Brides'. This is simple and to the point and showing that it's not a very "flowery" magazine. It gives readers what they want in a way that's quick and easy for them to read. It also attracts people who see their favorite band's name on the cover and immediately become interested in the magazine.

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The language used on the cover is informal and colloquial, just like in the rest of the magazine. There are words like 'awesome', 'f**k' and 'kick-ass'. This attracts the target audience because it's the language they are used to and it makes them feel comfortable with the magazine. There is also informal language like 'would you lick their Pringles?'. This is relaxed and humoristic and makes it seem as though the writer is talking to a friend, thus attracting readers.

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The average price of a magazine is £3.00 but 'Kerrang!' is below average at only £2.20. This reflects the target audience as they are teenagers and don't have a lot of money to spend on a magazine. £2.20 is a reasonable price for them to pay for a magazine.

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Planning: I'm going to try to include a lot of photos and cover lines on my cover as different things attract different people and it makes it seem more interesting and energetic. It could also make people think that there's a lot to gain from the magazine making it worth the money. The price of my magazine will be around the same as that of Kerrang! as my target audience are teenagers who don't have a lot of money to spend on magazines.

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