Kerrang!

MAGAZINE CASE STUDY

FRONT COVER

Kerrang magazine is a rock magazine, therefore it is no surprise that their front covers are always bustling with information/photos etc. The magazine cover’s main advertising feature is the “Rock 100” which is centered and written in an appropriate and impactual font. This highlights the importance of the feature. Instead of merely featuring one key artist or band on their front cover, Kerrang have used multiple rock icons from Paramore to Fall Out Boy, each of which has their own fans now more likely to pick up the magazine it shops. The colour scheme is bright, mainly reds/yellows and whites to make the magazine seem more active and interesting. The masthead is hidden behind the big picture, however this is not a problem as Kerrang is a recognizable brand with and easily identifiable font that furthers the onomatopoeia of the brand name, “Kerrang”. There are many puffs and callouts included from “Win” to “20 new interviews”, all of which leave something to be guessed as whilst at the same time promoting interest.

Kerrang’s contents page manages to keep up the magazine’s energy whilst still being informative. The use of an action shot at the top of the page incurs motion and activity. The “Rock 100” feature is prioritized once more here, this time having a box of a different colour to advertise it. More important or more prominent articles are accentuated with a photo and a larger page number to promote interest and there is also a mini feature article. The colour scheme remains relatively similar of mainly reds/whites and yellows and is balance accordingly so it isn’t hard on the eyes or difficult to read through. The article titles are accompanied by a brief sentence or two explaining the purpose of the feature but don’t go into too much detail so as not to ruin the read before it is read, some titles are not even provided with a sell line as it is not needed. This is often not the case with magazine’s of other genres.

CONTENTS PAGE

One thing possible with magazines dedicated to rock culture is the ability to provide a suitable atmosphere with their photos. In this case, the atmosphere provided of the band standing in front of a raring crowd fully stretching over the two full pages provides something almost surreal. The colour scheme in this page is red, white and blue, which are undeniably patriotic colours which may serve significance to the fact that the mast head relates to conquering. Using impactual vocabulary like “conquered” or “battle” is more likely to draw the eye of the reader as they are more persuasive and violent. The band stood together as the centre-piece wave their hands in the air as something reminiscent of victory, again directly relatable to the patriotism in the colours and the masthead significance.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

When a magazine builds a reputation and becomes well known there are more chances for synergising with other companies for higher profit and higher readership. Kerrang here are hosting an awards ceremony with “Relentless” an energy drink company. These two cancel the other out, rock concerts are highly energetic places where energy drinks will be common so it applies very much to one large audience instead of merely two. The colour scheme changes here to yellows/purples and greens, a colour palette one could apply to something toxic which makes sense paired with the zombie imagery. The typography in this double page spread is very comical, something you’d probably see in a marvel comic or a beano. Therefore the mix up of fonts inspires new interest with each change. A new colour scheme and new font is often key to telling the direction of the article and not just for the purpose of aestheticism.

SYNERGY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Rock is an extremely diverse genre of music with numerous subgenres and definitions, Kerrang is a magazine that can apply to all of them. In this page they advertise the bands/artists attending a festival but ensure the way they do it is recognizable. Instead of just listing those attending they dedicate a page to the logos of each band or artist. They clearly advertise the date, when it takes place and those attending along with the funders in the bottom corner and leaving space for the concert’s logo. The colour scheme here is darker but still has reds/whites and yellows as font colour choices.

FESTIVALS

Magazine pages where reader participation is encouraged and needed are often great ways to enhance brand loyalty as well as offering chances to improve the magazine however possible. Here this page is full of activity from a comic strip to concert feedback to an opportunity to win something, a chart and social media interactions from the readers. All of which make for a fun and interesting read as there is so much to offer but more to the point, Kerrang being such a prominent rock culture magazine they have the ability to offer so much more than many others because they have readership and they have opportunities presented to them. The page layout is grouped so each feature is easily located and separated from fill boxes of different colours to large mastheads, this makes navigating the page a lot easier for readers.

INTERACTIVE/FEEDBACK PAGES

Magazines will always feature large amounts of text as there is so much to fit in, making it informative but probably less than interesting especially if it is a feature the reader isn’t particularly interested in. Therefore layout is incredibly important. Being visual in presentation can break up text and make it easier to read, using colours is a good way to sort the content and photos draw the eye. For example, in this page we see the “Rock 100” countdown continuing along the bottom with a photo to accompany each placement but no text needed to affirm the place. There is also the use of coloured text boxes and charts with speech bubbles that make reading all the more interesting. The articles in Kerrang never seem to be all that long so there is more room to visual without leaving out important information.

LAYOUT

Photos have to have impact, especially in rock, otherwise the reader may be put off reading no matter how good the article is. Here we have an article spread over a photo that stretches across the two pages. The icon of the photo, Izzy Hale, is stood on the table in an energetic pose with appropriate mise en scene surrounded by flames which both regard the masthead and the atmosphere of the photo. There is direct address as she is looking in the way of the camera and also through the bolded call out that addresses the impact of her fans on her career.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

The colour scheme for this article is purple and white, different from the main scheme which shows that this feature is apart from the main focus, proven by the fact that it’s an interview. The interview is broken up into smaller parts of having the information regarding each band member on scraps of paper, making it visual and easier to read by not being one big block of text. Also, each band member gets a specific focus and interview, so there is no bias regarding favored members or members with more presence.

ARTICLES