12. Magazine deconstruction

I originally wanted to look at a R&B magazine as that is the genre I am going to do however I found it ridiculously hard to get hold of one and I am running out of time so I have had to settle for a Rock magazine- "KERRANG!". At the end of a day a magazine is a magazine and they all have the same conventions so I thought this might help me even more as I can take what I like from this and what I don't like without a biased opinion.


Title
 The title of the magazine?- "Kerrang!"
Why is it called that? - It is the onomatopoeic sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.
What are the significant words?- As it is a one worded title this is only the significant word which is catchy and becomes a recognisable brand name for the magazine. They even feel confident enough in there brand name that they have covered up half of it with the main image. This shows how well known the magazine is as the general public still know that they are picking up a "Kerrang!" magazine without seeing the title. It is as if they have developed there own genre of magazine that is typical of"Kerrang!" Another significance about the title is the exclamation mark, the obvious reason is to emphasise that it is an onomatopoeia, and to show its a loud and Leary magazine they takes no nonsense.
What connotations do they have?-  Definitely has a rocky connotation, although the font colour is surprising bright yellow and not the obvious judgement of black, red or grey. Yellow, in my opinion connotes sun, summer, fun and childhood, this is of a huge contrast to what you would typically think a rock magazine would use. However the sub heading is also in yellow and saids ""Young guns" so I think that the colour yellow has been used to connote the youth of today. There are big cracks through the bold font to show its a little rough around the edges, and this connotes the no fuss no nonsense heavy metal lifestyle of a rock star.


Readership 
What type of reader is it targeting?- On wikipedea it saids its target audience is aged 16-25 which is around the student bench mark and the themes and price of the magazines also show its age range. Most of the images and articles are about new and upcoming bands or insiders on popular bands, this gives a fresh vibe again that shows the Target Audience would be youth orientated. Also the images of the rockstars are all 30 years under this also shows that "Kerrang!"are trying to aim towards a younger audience. Also I feel they are targeting neither sex as they have made the magazine very unisex for example there is about 6 pages of posters that you can cut out and stick on your bedroom wall and there is the same number of pictures of males to females. However I feel the genre of rock music is more male oriented due to its violence and sexual nature although more and more females are becoming fans and so therefore would read this magazine.
How does the reader 'interact' with the magazine?- As the magazine is mainly aimed at students it shows past gigs that have been a huge success making them want to come and see one. They have a crossword, various adverts, a competition to win a T-shirt and an "life of agony", an agony aunt page all these would involve the reader. Also as this is an Valentines issue there is a page all about the best tips and tricks in the bedroom and how to woo the girl you have always fancied. The magazines informal and friendly tone will make the reader feel relaxed making them able to read it in there own pleasure.


The Cover

Analyse the images on the front cover; what types of facial expressions, body language, clothing...?- The main image is of the band "Young guns" and that involves 5 band members all dressed in T-shirts and standing in a diagonal line with the closest band member to the camera and fading down to the right of the page. The closest and most prominent band member is wearing a red T-shirt whilst all the others wear white, the red could be used to promote the "Valentines Issue" heading as it can connote the colour of love and passion. All 5 men look pleasant and masculine as a heading states that they are "Rock 'N' Roll Romantics". To the left of the front cover there is three images of the three main inside exclusives. The one image that draws my eye is the image of "Slipknot" as he has a horror movie esq mask on and is pulling a face of pain this is a shocking image that immediately draws attention making the reader want to find out more.


An example of a double page spread!