This is my second cover analysis. By analysing more than one magazine it gives me a better idea of the codes of conventions for music magazines.
The name Kerrang! is onomatopoeic named after the sound of plucking a string on a guitar.
The masthead is positioned in the top third of the magazine, which is typical of magazines due to the way they arranged in newsstands. The masthead is coloured red, matching the strapline at the bottom of the page. We can very clearly see the colours of the housestylenwhich are black, red, white and yellow. These colours appeal to the target audience and they are fairly gender neutral meaning that they will appeal to everyone. The main cover line stretches across the middle of the cover, drawing the readers attention to it. The featured band's name is displayed in large capital letters over a red strip making it very easy to read. Above it there is a pull quote, used to entice readers to buy the magazine, "everyday I was coughing up blood." This would encourage someone to buy the magazine to find out more about the story. The cover line "Jared Leto's most revealing interview ever" makes the magazine seem more interesting to the reader as the magazine has an exclusive feature that they can't read anywhere else. These coverlines also give the magazine a gossipy feel which would attract new readers.
On the left there is a puff stating "6 awesome posters" with 3 small images of the posters depicting popular artists in this genre. This is used to entice readers as the target audience would still be at the age of decorating their room with posters. All of the coverlines have a coloured background so they are easy to read and clear.
At the top there is a black skyline including lines about 2 artists inside. One is about another popular band of this genre and the other states "Kerrang Awards voting inside." Not only does this plug their own awards ceremony but it lets the reader know that if they buy this magazine they are able to vote. At the bottom there is a red strapline and it plugs three more artists. Overall there are 15 artists plugged on the front cover. This is effective as it represents a wide range of people and fans on the front cover to attract a range of readers. At the bottom there are two pictures outlined in white which makes them stand out on the background. This plugs two more bands, widening their reach in terms of potential readers.
The fonts used on the cover are very basic and clear making them easy to read. All text is written in capital letters making the tone seem urgent and exciting used to interest the reader. The colours used are gender neutral, hinting that this magazine is read by everyone. In terms of pictures, females aren't represented although this is expected of a rock magazine as the genre itself is male dominated. However, this also indicates that the majority of readers are male.
The main image is of 30 Seconds to Mars' front man Jared Leto. The image is taken at eye level with Jared looking directly into the camera, giving a sense of equality between him and the reader and creating a neutral, welcoming atmosphere which would encourage the reader to buy the magazine.
The barcode is found at the bottom right. Included in it is the issue number, date, price and website. This is effective as the reader can very easily find this information if they want to. It also adds to the professionalism of the cover as a whole.
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