New= Kerrang! - Front Cover Analysis

Kerrang! is a UK-based Magazine devoted to rock music,currently,publishedby Hamburg based Bauer Media Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the new wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. Kerrang! attracts an audience of 17-24 year olds.

In most magazines, the masthead is usually behind the artists suggesting that the artist has power, however in this front cover, we can see that the masthead is in front of the artist which may suggest that they want the artist to be behind the masthead just like how he would be under water. The masthead is at the top of the magazine because on magazine shelves, only the top of the magazine is seen which means seeing the masthead would make the audience pick up the magazine immediately. 

The image on this front cover is a mid-shot of Mikey Chapman who is the lead singer of the rock band named Mallory Knox. The fact that it is a mid-shot allows the audience to see his tattoos and his body language. He is looking up to the audience which gives the front cover a goofy vibe and makes him seem intimidating. Also, his hands are opened up almost as if he is acting to hold something which makes the cover line more noticeable. On the image, we can see water dripping off his face,hands and body as if he just came out of shower. This relates to the main cover line which is 'wash away your sins' because he seems like he just washed away his sins which increases curiosity in the audience as we want to find out the sins he washed away.

The main cover line on this front cover is 'Rock Confessions' along with 'Wash away your sins". This cover line is right in the middle of the front cover and it is very eye-catching because of the unique font style which I will discuss later on in this analysis. Also, another factor which makes the main cover line stand out is the fact that it is in between Mikey Chapman's hands as it makes the cover line seem special and mysterious.

The skyline on this front cover is at the top of the magazine where it says 'Guns N' Roses' - "Their untold story by everyone who was there". Guns N' Roses is a very famous American Hard Rock band and as Kerrang! is a rock magazine, many people would be satisfied by the skyline as they would want to pick up the magazine to read more. Also, the fact that skyline is the most visible part of the magazine in the shelves makes the audience become even more likely to pick up the magazine because Guns N' Roses is a famous band and many people are their fans which means they would want to buy the magazine to learn about their 'untold story'.

There is 1 puff/flash on this front cover which is a puff that includes 4 of the 6 posters that are in the magazine. The puff is relatively big which means people have enough visual space to look at the posters that are in the magazine. Also, they may have only included 4 magazines because those bands/singers may be more famous than the other 2 bands/singers. This would mean people that are fans of those specific bands will be more likely to pick up the magazine as they would want to stick the poster on their walls or keep them.

The barcode, issue number/date, website link and the price is at the bottom right of the front cover which means it is the last thing the audience will see as we read from left to right. On most magazine front covers, the price is at the bottom right because they want the price to be the last thing the audience sees so they wont be turned away as it may be expensive. They would want the audience to read the front cover and see it because they see the price as they would be more likely to pick up the magazine.

The colour scheme on this front cover is red,yellow and b&w. There are only two visually bright colours which are red and yellow which complement eachother. The colours red and yellow are only used in specific places where they want the specific writings to stand out. The colour yellow is used in the puff to make the puff stand out so people would be more likely to see the posters. The colour red is used in many places including the word "win" which makes that word stand out out of the whole sentence. Black is used on the main cover line which is bold which also makes the colour stands out as it contrasts from his skin colour.

There are 2 types of fonts used including one of the same font in italic which technically makes it 3. However, it only look like two fonts are used which makes the front cover visually exciting and not crowded. The main eye-catching font on this front cover is the 'Rock Confessions' writing as it is very big in size and has a unique gothic font.