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What you get on front covers
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Masthead
Kicker
Cover Line
Secondary Lead
Plug
Graphic Feature or Puff
Selling Line or Banner
Tagline
Feature Article Photo
Anchorage
Flash
Menu Strip
Bar Code
Date Line
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Headline
Caption7.
Web-links?
Ears?
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Masthead
Kicker
Cover Line
Secondary Lead
Plug
Graphic Feature or Puff
Selling Line or Banner
Tagline
Feature Article Photo
Anchorage
Flash
Menu Strip
Bar Code
Date Line
11.
Headline
Caption7.
Web-links?
Ears?
The masthead looks like it has been smashed and is broken which could mean that the music that is being covered is going to be soooooo loud but also that it is going to be aggressive and brake things. In the feature article photo the band (My Chemical Romance) look quite serious and like they mean business, which fits in with the anchorage which says that they are returning and mean business.
I think that the head line is the most important because it stands out and tells the viewer exactly what the magazine will be about, which will attract the audience and the fans of the featured band. I think that the style of the writing is loud and in ya face.
The way that the page is split up provides the conclusion of My Chemical Romance being the most important band for this issue of kerrang! Because they have the most space on the cover. The colours used for the headline are very bright and stand out but stay in convention as kerrang mostly use red, yellow, black and white.
Kickers and cover lines give you a bit more insight on what's actually in the magazine but the cover I have used don’t have these because it is a special.
The things that are missing from the conventions list are kickers, taglines and coversine's I don’t think it matters much on this particular magazine because it works well without. The only problem is that there isn't any insight into the magazine at first glance which could put people off.
How front covers are conceived and laid out
Direct mode of address can appear ‘in yer face’, serious, warm…
Indirect mode of address can be mysterious, lively, sombre…
Creates a wacky, fun image, sharing an identity with the reader that offers the ‘independence’ of indie music.
Enigma – what are they getting up to now?
COLOUR – For kerrang the colour scheme used is red, yellow, black and white. This is for roughly every kerrang magazines but sometimes they do pull a different colour through e.g. light blue. There is a pattern to the colour that is pulled through which is that tit is normally in the head line. The colour doesn’t really have its own meaning as it changes around often.
FONTS – There are roughly 4 different fonts on a typical kerrang magazines. Different fonts are used for different things but I cant see a pattern.
STYLE – The feel that is created is quite rebellious and aggressive but in a casual way. The cover image contributes to this as they mostly look confrontational. The photographic techniques that are used on the cover photo are a direct mode of address which makes them seem confrontational. The covers photo is a long shot and the way the band have posed gives use some of there personality and there fans will recognise their style because they make it personalised, its like their own theme / style. There enigma prompts the reader to ask is there a new album soon? Is there a new tour?
USE OF SPACE – Rule of thirds has been use to line up the head line and space it out and frame the main band members face. The use of space is quite typical for a kerrang magazine as the masthead is in the top third like always. The headline sitting at the bottom of the middle third and all the space is filled up as kerrang always have a quiet busy.
CONCLUDE – I think that it is designed this way so that it makes it easier for the viewer to understand and look at. It also has a similar design each week so that the loyal fans of kerrang can recognise it and it also becomes familiar to people and people that might not read the magazine will recognise it. The magazine mostly sticks to the typical conventions.
