Media evaluation

EvaluationCaroline Doig

IntroductionFor this project I chose to produce a local newspaper which would include producing the front page and the inside page of the newspaper, two web pages and a poster advertising the newspaper. I chose to produce a tabloid paper rather than a broadsheet as I think a tabloid newspaper appeals to a wider audience and there is possibly a gap in the market for a new local newspaper. When producing the newspaper I focused on 3 main areas, these being; the target audience, the layout and the product and the way it would come across to the public.

The audience for my newspaper is around 20+ this is because it’s a tabloid newspaper which has a younger target audience as it includes local news as well as celebrity news etc. Whereas if I had chose to produce a broadsheet the target audience would have been slightly higher, as broadsheets are more official and political. The selling price for my newspaper will be 35p, I think this is a reasonable price for a tabloid paper and people will be willing to pay this. From researching into other tabloid papers such as, the news and the sun I found that they also sell there papers at a similar price therefore, I am happy with the price I have chosen to sell my product at.As my paper is local it will mainly focus on news around that particular area however, I will also include some national/celebrity news to make it more fitting to the tabloid genre. The main difference between my paper and a regular tabloid newspaper will be that my paper will have less advertisements and focus more on the news and articles which is why the public would buy the newspaper.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My media product uses the conventions in the following ways

Layout: The layout of my newspaper is set out in a similar way as to what a regular tabloid paper would be. I used the usual conventions of a newspaper such as, the articles and mastheads however, I didn’t want my paper to be identical in layout to regular newspapers therefore I chose not to keep every convention the same as other papers, obviously still keeping the main conventions such as, columns, date, masthead etc.

Website MastheadDate

Price

Main headline

Main photoCaption to

photo

Articles in columns

Advertisements


Colour: When creating my newspaper it was important for me to think about the appearance and how other people would view it. I needed the paper to look representable and include factors that would make my newspaper stand out from others on sale. Also, so the brand of the newspaper will become more regonisable to the public. For these reasons, I had to consider the colour of the paper carefully, sticking to one main colour to keep it looking professional and uncluttered.

I chose to use a light red colour to represent my paper, because it’s a bright, appealing colour which will draw peoples attention to the newspaper.


Brand: I chose to add a logo to my paper to show brand identity, it is

a good factor to have as it gives individuality to your newspaper.By doing this, people will start to recognise the logo as an individualproduct.I chose to create a brand identity and used two things that showed

my trademark. Font

Colour

From these examples, the front cover, inside page, 2 web pages and the poster clearly show the features that will show people my trademark of the paper.


Journalistic style: From researching into other newspaper, I found that most papers use the same format while writing their articles. This being, who? What? When and where? They also usually add quotes from the interviewer or the victim in an attempt to make the audience understand the story more.

Introduction; who, what, where and when?

Quote

My article

‘The New’s’ article


Adverts: All local newspapers have a lot of adverts throughout the paper. Like these papers, mine will also include a range of adverts. Papers make money from including advertisements in the paper, therefore the information you portray to the audience is an important factor. Whilst researching I found that some of the adverts included in the papers were quite low quality, this is because it would have been produced by local newspapers with small budgets, whereas the national newspapers have a much bigger budget which would result in them producing higher quality advertisements. Because my paper will be locally produced


Realism: At the start of the project I had to think about what I was doing in

terms of the stories and adverts that I would be including in my paper, to make

sure that they followed the conventions of a local newspaper. I also had to keep

it realistic therefore, there would be no point in including an article on a well

known celebrity as it’s obvious I wouldn’t personally be able to get a picture of

that person & the story that would link with the picture would be fairly

unlikely as I wasn’t constructing a national newspaper.

A more realistic and hand made adverts, which suits the local newspaper factors more.

Too professional looking, the examiner wouldn’t believe that I had made something of this quality.


Expanded media platform: My newspaper also follows the 21st centuryrequirement of producing a website to go alongside the newspaper. While researching it was clear to me that many people nowadays don’t like to be limited with only one way to view things also, a lot of people prefer a web based version as a way of easy access. For example, if people are out and can’t get hold of thepaper version, they are able to look it up on the website or if there is no immediate access to a computer many people nowadays have internet on there phone and would be able to get to the website from that therefore, making it easier for the readers to access the newspaper. I used Iweb to produce the two web pages…

(Since producing the web pages, ‘the news’ website have changed there web layout however, my page still follows similar guidelines.)

Masthead/logo

Links to other pages on the website.

Main Headlines

Links to the stories

Images


Same format kept on each page.

Adverts

Search engine

View of the paper

Headlines

Search bar

How does your product develop conventions?

My media product develops conventions in the following ways:

Website: Many newspaper websites have a fairly simple yet professional looking

site. I tried to keep the simplicity factor by using minimal colours and not

over cluttering the page with images and news stories therefore, making it look

fairly professional and appealing to look at. I have included a ‘your say’ tab

which will allow the readers to give feedback and add comments about the

Web layout/design or even the stories included in the paper.

Direct link to my blog

Your say sections

News alerts

Regular updates

My media product develops conventions in the following ways:

Changes within the newspaper design: Throughout this project there were always changes to be made to improve the design and layout of the paper along the way. This is what would happen in the real newspaper industry, the editors will always be making small but effective changes to the paper, to make it stand out and look more professional in some way. I did this with my poster design and also on a few of my advertisements.

Using well known images on some advertisements as well as my own.

How does your product challenge conventions?

My media product challenges conventions in the following ways

Fonts: “Times new roman” is the font used by the newspaper industry, I felt thatchanging the font would challenge the normal conventions. By choosing a clear font that is easy to read and used regularly in the graphic & newspaper industries would allow my paper to show a different appearance and layout. I chose to use ‘Helvetica’ as the final font for my paper. Although, it is bigger than ‘times new roman,’ I feel that it is easier to read and looks more professional.

Today The News is helping to launch a Passion for Portsmouth campaign to celebrate the city and its many attractions. We want people to forget for a moment some of the doom and gloom around the world and to start thinking about the great things right on our doorsteps.

‘Times New Roman.’I instantly went against choosing times new roman as my newspaper font. I wanted something different that would challenge the normal conventions of a newspaper therefore, I chose against the font that most newspapers would use. This font also doesn’t seem very readable.




‘Arial rounded MT bold’At first I was considering using this font because it’s a clear and easy to read font however, it is bigger than ‘times new roman’ and ‘Helvetica’ therefore, will take up quite a lot of space which I don’t want.

‘Helvetica’ This font fits the aims of my newspaper the best which is why I chose to use it as my final font. It’s clear, simple and easy to read. It also has a different appearance to other newspapers and looks fairly professional. Making this font, best suited to my aims.


Limited adverts: My newspaper consists of professional looking adverts as well as cheaper & more simple looking advertisements, this will give my newspaper a more individual and unique look. The size and brightness of my paper will make it stand out from other local newspapers as the adverts will appear clearer and brighter which should gain the attention of the readers also, having less adverts will create a more even layout throughout the paper rather than all being cluttered next to each other.

- My paper will balance out evenly the amount of professional and cheaper looking advertisements however, there will be slightly more simple & cheaper looking adverts. Overall, my paper wont include that many adverts as a whole however, including a few professional and high quality looking adverts spread evenly throughout the paper will give the paper a nicer appearance but show the readers that my paper doesn’t waste too much time advertising other companies, it concentrates more on supplying news which is what a paper should do. Producing less adverts will also be more beneficial for the financial side of the paper, I will save money from producing less adverts which will mean I can include more news rather than cluttering the page up with several advertisements. These features will mean that the financial disposition of my newspaper wont be in jeopardy in the future.

I felt that I could challenge the regular conventions by adding less adverts and more news to my paper which is what local newspaper should include more of. While researching into other newspapers, such as ‘the news’ I found that around 70% of the page is taken up with adverts, leaving less than 50% on actual news events & stories. Although adverts are an important element to include as it provides income, producing around 40% of adverts would still be beneficial to the newspaper as well as allowing them to include more news.

Minimal advertisements, but filled with information


Poster: Every product whether it be a newspaper or a film needs some sort of advertising. Some do it through television and radio etc. However I chose to challenge and develop the regular conventions by creating a poster to advertise my new local newspaper. When creating my poster, I had to keep it simple and snappy, using mainly images and minimal words to advertise it in a successful way. I had to plan out what my poster should look like beforehand as I wasn’t 100% sure what a poster advertising a new local newspaper should look like and the factors it should include. Whilst researching I wasn’t able to find any examples of posters advertising newspapers therefore I came to the conclusion that there wasn’t any or if so they didn’t prove to be very popular. I took these facts into consideration whilst producing my poster so I could attempt to make mine stand out and prove successful.


Images I used on my final poster design:

Own photographs,took in the photography studio.

Black and white photographs can create more of an effect.


I decided on this design as my final. It looks simple but effective at the same time. I used imagery that I took during photography, I think using these photographs gives it a more professional feel rather than just using simple photo’s that I took without any thought or consideration. I kept the words to a minimal as I think that if I had wrote in large paragraphs or block writing it would of cluttered up the page and made it look unprofessional and messy. I kept to the natural white background as I think using one block colour or even a filter wouldn’t of improved the effect in any way. I included two screen grabs to show what you would receive or expect to get if you subscribed to the local newspaper. Finally, I kept the trademark colour I was using throughout my paper which was red. Overall, I am fairly pleased with the outcome, it looks like a fairly simple design but would look effective and easy to read to the public.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary text?

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary text?

The combination of my main product as a whole and the ancillary text all fit together and develop and challenge the conventions of many aspects that are contained in a local newspaper, even down to the small details that make up the newspaper such as, dates, prices, subscriptions, adverts and images. The layout of my newspaper has a sense of realism, it’s similar to a real local newspaper. Considering I created the newspaper using only Photoshop I would say that my newspaper outcome looks fairly professional and I am pleased with the outcomes I have produced overall. My paper doesn’t look like it has been made on low budget programs such as “Microsoft Publisher” or “Paint” proving that my product has been well thought out and put together and could be, with a few improvements to the front page, be a product that would look realistic in the newspaper industry.

• Followed brand identity: I created themes and used imagery of my own that showed and demonstrated my individuality. • Layouts, fonts & colour schemes: I picked out one main colour to use throughout my papers layout, I used simple and easy to read fonts which all helped in creating a unique appearance. • Poster Design: I created a simple yet effective looking poster, which explains clearly the message it is trying to get across, using professional looking imagery to make it stand out against the rest. • Stories and Images: All the stories that were contained in the newspaper were my own that I thought up and then used my own photography to suitably match the articles.

What have you learned from your audience

feedback?

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

• Professionalism: I have learnt that to produce a successful and realistic looking product, it helps to sit down and plan out what you are aiming to produce. Completing research into the subject as well as asking other students for feedback on ideas will help structure your newspaper in the hope that it will be compared or look similar to the real thing.

• Different: I have learnt that my product has many similar conventions to a regular local paper but also includes small unique touches which help to make your newspaper appear different, this making it stand out and different from the rest.

• Articles: I have learnt through research that people want a paper with more information and pictures relating to that article rather than adverts cluttering up the page therefore, I cut down dramatically on the amount of adverts I included concentrating mainly on the stories.

• Layout: I have learnt that a less cluttered looking newspaper will seem more appealing to an audience than one cluttered with adverts and pictures. Also, a simple and easy to read font.

• Adverts: I have learnt that people want less advertisements and more articles to read therefore, challenging and going against the normal conventions of a local newspaper.


• Web pages:• Simplicity: I have learnt that creating a simple and effective layout

appears to be more successful than making the page too over cluttered. It’s and easy to read and accessible web page.

• Style: The two web pages follow the same layout techniques as my newspaper, keeping the same colouring and headings in the same place, giving a clear definition to my newspaper/website, making it easy to recognise.

• Articles: I kept to the same conventions as a regular newspaper website would use, minus the amount of adverts used. The information is clear with suitable images to match.

• Adverts: I have learnt through research that people want less adverts and more information/images therefore, I kept the amount of adverts down by only creating one or two for my web pages.

• Searching: To make it easy for the public to navigate around the website, I have included a search bar which will take them directly to where they want to go.


• Poster feedback:• Imagery: The imagery is my own, it looks professional and different

which will help it stand out from other local newspapers. Simple colouring and font, minimal words which all help in making my paper look unique & individual.

• Appearance: The colouring and wording is fairly simple, the photo’s are big, making them the main focus of the poster. It is a simple and effective design without looking to over powering.

• Understandable: It’s a clear and understandable poster, which gets the message across in a efficient way.

• Eye Catching: The imagery on the poster makes it eye grabbing. This is what my aim was and I think this has been successful due to the layout of the poster.

• Unique: Posters are very rarely if ever created to advertise a newspaper therefore, it is a good attempt to represent a new local newspaper, making it stand out to the public. It’s something different.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?


In Design:

I used In Design as my main program throughout the production of my newspaper. I used it to create the front cover, inside page and the newspaper poster. The Web pages were created using a different program.

Photo Shop:

I also used Photo Shop from time to time, to help me when I was creating my adverts. I find this program much easier to use for that sort of stuff.


Microsoft Power point:

• I used Microsoft Power point to produce all my written coursework, making it easier to present to people.

Here are some screen shots as examples of the work I have produced using this program.It helped me to organize my work in a more successful way.


Digital SlR

I used a digital SlR to produce all of my photo’s. I used this in the photography studio, to produce effective and professional looking images to include in my newspaper. I either took them using a Nikon D40 or D50.

As I also do photography I had easy access to the studio as well as the equipment that I needed to use. These are a couple of examples to show the type of photo’s I took.


E blogger: I used this to upload all the research and information I produced before the newspaper production began. Using a blog allowed me to be more organized with my time and work management as I knew it was all in a secure place which I could later add to.

What I have learnt and conclusion.

What I have learnt and conclusion

• From this media project I have learnt new techniques and skills, I have also gained confidence in producing my own work to a successful extent that I can be pleased with. The brief was to create a local newspaper, two web pages and a poster to advertise it to a good degree. I was told to use my own photographs and information to make the paper seem more realistic and appealing to the real newspaper industry. In some ways this project was challenging as I had to use soft ware I wasn’t fully confident with. However, taking this into consideration, I would say that my outcomes are up to a presentable and professional level.

• It was fairly easy for me to take my photographs once I got the original idea out of the way. I connected my two lessons which were media and photography, which allowed me to use the photography studio and equipment to take well thought out and professional looking photographs, making the newspaper look more effective and realistic to an audience.

• I put most of my effort into creating the newspaper and poster as I felt that they were the most important factors to advertise the newspaper. I challenged the conventions of a regular local newspaper by using less adverts and more imagery, creating a good balance between the two.

• Without the imagery I used, I think my paper would look less professional and not look up to a good enough standard to be classed as a local newspaper however, with the imagery, skills and techniques that I learnt along the way, I believe that my local newspaper is up to a good standard and looks fairly realistic although I could of made some noticeable changes to the front cover of the newspaper. Overall, I am pleased with the newspaper outcomes and imagery I have produced.

Media evaluation

News & Politics

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