Textual Analysis: Kerrang! Magazine Front Cover

The purpose of the front cover of this magazine is to reflect the type of music it represents. 'Kerrang!' is a magazine dedicated to rock music which is why the main model of the magazine is doing that specific hand gesture which is the symbolic symbol of rock music, it is symbolic because it is culturally learnt. The consumer would know that this would be a rock magazine by looking at the models hand gestures, The models also have a number of tattoos which gives the consumer a connotation that the models are rough and tough. The fact that models with tattoos are used may mean that the target audience of this magazine are people of the C2, D and E socioeconomic model rather than people of the A, B and C1 socioeconomic model as people of C2, D and E are more likely to have tattoos then people of A, B and C1. The main models short beard also connotates that the model is quite rough  however this benefits the magazine and rock music is stereotypically listened by rough and tough people. The main model is also screaming on the front cover which reflects the loudness of the rock music genre.

The structure of the magazine is quite busy as there is little space created by the use of larger typography. All of the typography used on the front cover is written in capital letters and this connotates to the reader that the text screams at them, much like the facial expression of the model. The typography is also all written in a bold font which gives the similar connotation that the text is screaming similar to the type of music it is representing. The name of the magazine "Kerrang!" is faded at the top and looks as if it been roughened up which connotates fear to the consumer and again reflects the roughness of rock music. The terminology is similar to the typography in the way that it screams to the reader and reflects the loudness of the rock music genre by the overuse of exclamation marks "taking over america!" "make your own supergroup!" "kerrang!" "pop-punk posters!" Rough terminology is also used "they're off their faces" which you would expect on a rock music magazine but not on a girly pop magazine. Writing in small sentences also helps create emphasis and tension to make the reader feel uneasy "they're new. they're metal.".

The colour scheme of the magazine is quite interesting because it is contrasting. It uses a lot of the colour pink which is a symbolic sign of feminism and love whereas this is not what rock music is about at all. The colour pink may have been included to make the other elements of the magazine seem more rough and tough. As well as pink there is a lot of the colour blue which may have been added to balance out the pink as well as let the reader know that the magazine is not gender specific and open up to a wider audience as pink is also a symbolic sign of females and blue is a symbolic sign of males. The main colours used (pink, blue and yellow) on the front cover are all very loud colours and this can also connotate screaming to the consumer which reflects the rock music genre.