Analysis of magazine advert in Rock genre

The page is composed of a bold colour scheme. The predominant colours are black, white, red and yellow. Black is a colour traditionally associated with the rock genre and is used effectively on this page, particularly in the black, leather, fingerless gloves on his hand. The title of the band, My Chemical Romance, is in white with a black background. It is in a large, simple font and is in capitals, which makes it stand out from the page and grabs the audience’s attention. It is in a similar font and colour to the title of the magazine – Kerrang – forming a link between the two. The masthead – Kerrang – is in a scratched and cracked font. It is not neat and perfect and this style would appeal to people who enjoy the rock genre. The fonts overall are quite aggressive and intense and add to the overall effect of the page, making it stand out and “in your face”. The headline - Danger Days – is in white font on a red background. Red is a colour that traditionally signifies danger and so draws our attention to the word danger. It is followed by the phrase – the inside story – which gives a sense of intrigue and encourages the reader to pursue the story inside the magazine.

The text is large and dominant on the page, drawing the reader to the titles and encouraging them to go on and read into the magazine. This would encourage sales of the magazine.

The red of the headline is emphasised by the red colour of the singer’s hair – a colour of excitement, rebellion and danger.

The two yellow oval shapes are drawn in a rather random, chaotic fashion which fits the image of the rock genre. They make the beginning of the title and the shot of the hand of the singer stand out. The singer has a black leather glove on his hand, and has his hand shaped into a gun. This fits with the traditional hard image of a rock band and would fit with the image of Kerrang as a rock magazine. Guns and weapons are traditionally associated with the rock genre.

The main picture is a mid-shot picture of the singer. The record company promoting the singer would want to use the article to promote the singer and bring him to the forefront of the audience’s attention. The magazine would want to show that they are featuring such a well-known artist in order to sell copies of their magazine. The shot is an eye-level shot. This encourages the audience to connect with the singer and become personally involved with him. As the image of the singer is so large, we realise that this is the main article of the magazine. This shows that the band is famous and well-known in the rock genre.

His hair is tousled and unkempt, quite long and over his face. Again this is a traditional image of a rock star. The red colour gives a sense of rebellion that we would associate with a rock star. This is further accentuated by the blue leather jacket. Again this is clothing which you would associate with the rock genre where leather is extensively used in clothing. The leather and the studs on the jacket are associated with the rebellion of the rock genre.

The image of the singer is dark on a very brightly lit white background. This serves to give a real contrast and makes the singer stand out.

Overall there is a great deal happening on this page – it is very busy – which makes us believe there is a lot happening inside the magazine. 

This magazine advert will help me when i am creating my own advert as I will be able to use some of the designs and styles in my own advert. It also allows me to see what is typically used in a magazine advert for a punk/rock band and so will allow me to follow these codes and conventions.