Research of Kerrang! Magaine

Kerrang!

Kerrang! covers a large range of media. It owns a TV station, radio station and even hosts its own music festivals, however Kerrang! magazine only covers the music side of the media.

About the magazine:

·         Kerrang! targets its audience who prefer the genre of rock and heavy metal, therefore making it a strong competitor with the music magazine I intend to create.

·         Its name is onomatopoeic as it refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.

·         The magazine is currently being edited by Nichola Browne and is published Bauer Media Group:

o   Bauer also own Q Magazine (which has been previously mentioned) and Mojo.

·         The magazine is released weekly on a Wednesday.

Codes and Conventions

Front cover:

·         Images – In Kerrang! they have used a well know lead singer for their main image which has been used as the magazines background. They have also situated other images of other members of well known bands around the main image.

·         Mast Head – The mast head is situated right across the top of the magazine, it is bold and stands out from all the other text on the page attracting the customer to the magazine.

·         Colour Scheme – The magazines main colours they use in almost every magazine are black and white, however they tend to vary their colours by using red, yellow, blue and even green on there magazines as well.

·         Text and its Layout

o    They have used small chunks of text around the front cover so they don’t over power the pictures.

o   The large text is to do with the main picture, the text is the largest seen on the cover (apart from the masthead) and is red in order to stand out but also stick with its colour scheme.
o   They have put quotes and insights to the magazine around the page all situated on top of or under there matching picture.

o   The magazine also includes a “plus!” section telling the audience what other bands and artists are included inside in case they are not a fan of Jared Leto.

·         Barcode – The barcode on Kerrang! tends to be situated on the bottom right corner of the magazine, however some issues have placed it else where on the page, like on the left at the top, underneath the mast head.

Contents page:

·         Images – There are many images on the contents page, all of different shapes and sizes.

o   At the top left they have an image of the editor of Kerrang!

o   Layered around the rest of the page are images of bands, singers, fans and there is also an image of the new muse album cover.

o   All the images have something to do with the inside of the magazine with either the artists performing, having a group photo or just having fun, which invites the reader to read on.

o   All the images also have page numbers on them to show the reader what page there on.

o   Al the bottom right there is also images of previous issues to encourage the reader to subscribe.

·         Colour Scheme – The contents have stuck to the colour scheme of white and black as on the front page. But this content also has the extra colour of yellow which is used a lot on the page.

·         Text and its Layout

o   The contents title is bold and eye catching. Underneath it Kerrang! has a quote from a reader with there name and age, this involves the reader more into the magazine.

o   At the top there is some writing from the editor of the magazine which has been sectioned off from the rest of the page. The writing is black and small, therefore showing that it’s not the most important piece of writing on the page.

o   The writing which tells the reader what’s to be found in the magazine is to the right. This magazine has decided to put the pages into sections of “News”, “Live Reviews”, “Gig Guide” and so on.  Using these catchy sections seems more modern and interesting, therefore encouraging the audience to read on.

o   There are also statements in bright yellow with black writing telling the reader about competitions and an “8 page review”. As its so bright it catches the audiences eye and encourages them to read it.

Double page spread:

·         Images – The main image on this page is of paramore’s lead singer performing in concert, it is used as the background and is very large, therefore attracting the audiences eye. There are also other images from the performance around the left side of the page, scattered around as if they were stuck onto a cork board. I also like the idea of having images of people who aren’t famous, but in fact fans from the night.

·         Logo – The Kerrang! logo is not on this double page spread, however there is instead a box in the top left hand corner that indicated the K’s rating scheme, five K’s being the best and one K the worst.

·         Colour Scheme – The colour scheme sticks to the colours of red, white and black just like the front cover, as well as an extra colour (green) to add more attraction to this page.

·         Text and its Layout

o   The main title is in white and is the largest and boldest writing on the page. Underneath is it has the second band the concert featured in green and is in smaller writing so it doesn’t draw too much attention away from the main targeted band. It also has the date and place the concert was held as well as K’s special five K (star) rating.

o   The main text on the first page, there is a statement which is highlighted green with white writing to intrigue the audience. Below this the writing is spilt into two columns with what looks like an extended drop cap of the first two words which is used to indicate where the reader is to start reading.

o   This double page also features a section were they have put what the fans have though of the night. The writing is to the far right and is in small white writing, each fans comment is under there own picture.

·         Features - It has extensive review and interview sections, featuring: new music releases, reissues, music complications, live concert reviews album reviews.

o   It uses a star rating system from one to five K’s.

·         It also contains weekly photos and posters for reader to have.

Research of Q Magazine

Q magazine covers a wide range of media, from music, to television and radio. However as I am only making a music magazine I will only be looking at the music sections.

About the magazine:

·         The magazines music genre includes pop, rock and indie, therefore making it a possible competitor in the print industry.

·         The magazine is edited by Paul Rees and Published by Bauer Media Group.

o   Bauer Media also publish Kerrang! & Mojo.

·         Q Magazine is released monthly.

·         Often promotions and gifts are given away with the magazine such as cover-mounted CD's or books

Codes and Conventions

Front cover:       

·       Image- the image on the front of the magazine is used as the background, they use well known artists that are easily recognised and give the reader eye contact.

·         Masthead- Top left corner on every magazine, always red with a white Q (sticking with the magazines colour code), always in the background so it’s not the main feature on the front cover.
·         Colour scheme- The magazine usually sticks to the colours of red, white, black and grey/silver. However some issues have the colour gold instead of grey/silver.
   

·         Text and its Layout- The artists name is in a large bold text that’s centralised over is situated the bottom of the artists, all the other text is laid out around the main image and sticks to the colour scheme, they have other artists names mentioned as some of the audience may not like Kasabian which is ensuring they target more potential customers. They also have a quote from an interview inside therefore attracting the audience to read on.

·         Barcode- Normally Q place their barcode on the bottom right of the magazine, however like the magazine shown, they sometimes place it on the bottom left or even under the masthead as I have seen while researching.

Contents page:

·         Images – There are many images on the contents page, all of different shapes and sizes.

o       At the top right they have placed an image of the next issue of Q magazine.

o       All the images on the contents have something to do with the magazines content inside and are numbered to what pages they are on.

o       The images are all of well known celebrities and have them all smiling or performing in order to further attract the audience.



·       Logo – The logo is situated in the same place that the mast head is on the front page but it is smaller and the red is extended across the top to hold the title.

·      Colour Scheme – The contents have stuck to the colour scheme of red, white and black as on the front page.

·         Text and its Layout

o       On some of the images there is text as it is a smaller version of what’s inside the magazine.

o       At the bottom there is “The Q Review” which has been sectioned off from the rest of the page. The writing which shows what’s inside the magazine is red which is the only writing on the contents page which is read, luring the audience to read it.

o       The writing which tells the reader what’s to be found in the magazine is to the right. Instead of saying what’s on every page it tells the reader what on selected pages, leaving the other pages a mystery until the magazines opened.

o       The number and name of the page is a bold black and has a red underlining, underneath the red line is quotes of what is on each page.

Double page spread:

·         Image – Each image has Brandon Flowers in a studio to match the title of the article. The image is also used as the background. The images are large therefore making them more important to the audience as opposed to if they were small.

·         Logo – The magazines logo has been places at the top of the page but as it is over the image, the red is slightly transparent.

·         Colour Scheme – The double page sticks to the house style that each Q magazine sticks to, mostly the colours red, white and black.

·         Text and its Layout

o   The main text is laid out at the bottom of the page in columns. The first page has four columns and uses a drop cap to begin with. The second page has three columns.

o   The title is centred on the first page and the artist name stands out from the other text. The text colour sticks to the house style and underneath the main title it states where the interview took place and what album and songs the interview is about.

o   The quote stands out from the main text due to its size and colour.  There’s also a red thick line above it that also attracts the audience’s attention.

·         Features - It has an extensive review section, featuring: new music releases, reissues, music complications, live concert reviews and radio reviews.

o   It uses a star rating system from one to five stars.

o   The rating an album receives in Q is often added to the print and television advertising in the UK and Ireland.

·         Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular and new musical artists.

·         The magazine is well known for compiling lists ranging from “The 100 Greatest Albums” to the “100 Greatest Rock Lists” and “50 Bands to See Before You Die”

Preliminary Exercise

Here I have finally finished my preliminary exercise. I was sure to include everything needed which was:

• Produce a new school/college magazine and mock up of the layout of the contents page.
• Feature a photograph of a student in a medium close-up.
• Add appropriately laid out text.
• Create a masthead.

I did not only stick to the basic outlines required, but i tried to apply the magazine conventions for front covers such as:

• Positioning the masthead at the top of the magazine - I have created a top centred masthead and if i was to create the next issue, the masthead will look exactly the same.
• I have stuck to using three main colours throughout the task so the magazine isn't too busy and is easy on the eye.
• I have added an issue number along with the date to make it more professional.
• I have added text stating what can be read inside, leaving the reader wanting to read more.
• I have also added the school logo to make the magazine noticeable and well known to the school students.

As for the contents layout i left space for images to make it more appealing and left a section for the pages that are mentioned on the front page.

I feel i have managed to create an acceptable school magazine which covers all tasks and includes most of the magazine conventions. I also feel it is aimed at the right target audience (Queensbury sixth form students) and is appealing to them.