Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - Link to Final Newspaper

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B27xuUnTsdprX0FsanVIT3UxbTA/view?usp=sharing

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - Drafting/Plan for Newspaper

This is my draft for how I expect my final newspaper pages to look like.

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - Advertisement Research

I have learned through my newspaper research that all newspapers feature image adverts about local businesses and products. I will use a selection of businesses from the Hedingham area, and I will create a series of adverts linking to this.

Advertisements in newspapers tend to be in a rectangular-box form, or in the form of a horizontal / vertical banner, depends on how the newspaper pages are structured out. These will advertise companies in the local area, or advertise events which will be held in these businesses.

If I use adverts that revolve around events, I will choose events that I have included in my website (task). This can help show continuity between my products.

Local businesses:
-Co-Op store (store)
-Hedingham School (secondary school)
-Castle Surgery (doctors surgery)
-Hedingham Castle
-St Nicholas Church

I have produced a video below which shows examples of current newspaper adverts. Looking at these will inspire me for ideas of adverts for me to include in my newspaper.

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - What Stories Will I Use?

Drafting of Ideas
My newspaper will use a series of new articles which I have used in my earlier tasks. Instead of producing articles from current events going on in the area of Hedingham, I have decided to produce a range of fictional stories. This is because little events occur in the area, and the concept of producing fictional stories will help me produce eye-catching, and interesting stories. The idea that I have kept the articles from my website shows continuity.

My four main news articles are the following:
-Hero hailed after saving a dog's life
-Roadworks causing frustration among drivers
-Hedingham Castle to host theater plays
-A local sports team sign a player

Headline: Local Hero Hailed After Saving Dog's Life

"A 42-year-old male has been hailed by local residents after saving the life of a pet dog."

My headline will revolve around the idea that a man has saved the life of a dog, from being hit by a car. This is a fictional story that I thought of. I feel this was a good idea, because the idea that it involves a pet will bring a lot more attention to a story.

Roadworks Causing Frustration Among Drivers:

"Drivers are becoming frustrated over the recent roadworks which are causing traffic queues near a school. Roadworks have been put in place on Station Road, near the junction to Hedingham School."

This story was partly inspired on true events, in which a series of roadworks took place near the local secondary school and college. I felt this was a good idea for a story, because some local residents may have been frustrated by the roadworks which caused higher traffic than usual.

Castle to host Shakespeare play:

"Hedingham Castle are set to welcome back a series of Shakespeare theatre plays. The commitee at the local Castle have decided to host theatre plays, written by historical playwriter William Shakespeare, after being proved successful in previous years."

I wanted to use a story which used a popular tourist attraction from the local area. The idea of using Hedingham Castle in a story appealed to be, because it is an important historical attraction to the local area, and draws in economic benefits to the area. The Castle previously hosted a series of plays in the Castle grounds, and I wanted to include a similar story to this.

United Sign Star Striker

Hedingham United have signed striker Daniel Simple from Manchester City. Simple, 18, graduated from the academy at the Manchester-based club in 2014, but has not been picked by many scouts.

I felt I needed to include a sports-related article, as most local newspapers feature sport news/events within them. This was something I learned from my research into the local newspapers. This is a fictional story I created revolving around a athlete joining a club.

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - Typical Conventions of Local Newspaper pages

After examining local newspaper over the past few months, when creating my previous tasks and performing research during my A2 work, I have been able to find a series of conventions included within local newspapers.

All newspaper front pages will include the masthead. This allows the reader to identify what the newspaper is. The masthead is always located in the top of the newspaper document, along with details about the newspaper issue. These details include the date of release, social media information and a website URL.

In terms of the articles included on front pages, they will follow a similar style to that of a national newspaper - it is written in a similar way by using an introduction, interviews, statistics, and comments. Some journalists may use their own styles of writing, and state their own opinion, which may reflect the opinion of readers.

At the start of an article, a byline is included to allow the author to include their details. This is something repeated throughout all newspapers. Some newspapers write 'written by a reporter' because journalists may wish to remain anonymous, or are not part of staff, so do not have their name included.

Adverts will be included throughout the front and second pages, for local companies. This can help readers identify that the newspaper is aimed at a certain area. An advert for a Brighton bank would not be seen in the Liverpool Echo. However, this advert could be found in The Argus (Brighton).

The second page usually include a contents section to show the reader what will be included in the upcoming newspaper. The contents will usually say about the different sections within the newspaper, such as events, advertisements and the sports section.

The newspaper title will obviously identify where the newspaper is aimed at, but could also show other factors, such as how often the newspaper is released. The East Anglian Daily Times shows that the newspaper is published daily - however, readers could be unsure by how frequent the Halstead Gazette is published.

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 research

Suffolk Free Press

The front page:
The top of the front page includes information of the newspaper issue. This includes the date, price, social media links and the website URL. Below this is the masthead. This could be included to identify the newspaper, and when the issue was released.

The main news story on the front page focuses on a murder. Four columns of the news story are included. The story starts with the author's name and his contact details, to show who wrote the article. To the right of this is a second article with an image of a child at an event, along with a caption of 'Smiles all round'.

The front page also includes references to pages, for individual features on the newspaper - such as reader letters on pages 12 to 13. This section uses the blue and black colour scheme of the masthead.

On the bottom is an advert for a clothing store in Sudbury, Suffolk. This has been included, because the target audience of the newspaper is for residents of Sudbury.

Below the masthead, two headlines are included of articles which are included in the newspaper, with two images.

Page 2:

This second pages begins to show two starting articles, and details of what is set to be included in the newspaper. A contents list shows what is in the newspaper, details of how to get in touch with the newspaper (to place an advert, order a subscription, or order an image). A large advert for a window/door building company takes up a quarter of the page, and a banner advertises a subscription with that newspaper.

The colours used for the headers are blue. Black is used for the newspaper contact details, and for the article included.

This shows that this is heavily focused on introducing the newspaper, and is a theme that recurs throughout previous and future editions of that newspaper. A singular news article is included.

An article takes up the bottom right of the page.

Halstead Gazette

The Front Page:
The top of the front page includes the masthead, two small adverts, and information on the newspaper issue (date, slogan, website URL and price). This introduces the newspaper, and uses the colour scheme of the masthead - dark red and black. However, the adverts use the colour schemes of their companies.

Below this, there is three headlines of articles that will be focused in the newspaper - a school knife incident, a campaign, and a baby who is saved.

A main article is an exclusive article that focuses on the development of where homes will be built. The headline is in a large, bold font that uses two colours - red and black (match the masthead colour scheme). On the right of this is a single column that introduces the article. This article continues inside.

Two more articles occupy the bottom of the front page, which use the colour schemes of their respective companies.

Page 2:
This page also introduces the newspaper, having a contents list, contact links, and information of the editors involved. These three features are in a single column on the far left.

The remainder of the page is dedicated to four different, and contrasting articles. The top article focuses on vandalism at a skate park, the main article focuses on the closure of a business, while the bottom two articles focus on a hospital office closure and a resident told to trim a hedge.

The middle article is the only article on the page that includes a sub-header, and the article author, while the picture includes a caption. This could be because this is a highly important article for readers to understand.

The page header includes the page number (top left), and details of the newspaper issue (issue date, website and newspaper title, in the top right).


East Anglian Daily Times:

The Front Page:

The front page of the EADT starts off with a headline of a news article which is inside the newspaper - something which is not seen on the other two newspapers that I have researched. The headline is written in a dark blue font - a colour which is repeated throughout the newspaper.

This then follows up with the newspaper's masthead, and details of the newspaper issue (website, slogan, price, date, and issue number).

Below this is a large image related to a newspaper headline (story inside the paper) and details of newspaper 'pullout supplements'. These pullout supplements are sections within the newspaper that are dedicated to a certain part of the newspaper - both dedicated to local sport - which can be taken out for a reader to look at separately.

This is followed by an article, beginning with a header, and sub-header. Four columns are dedicated to this article, with details of the author seen at the start. The article concludes, by telling the reader that the news story can be found in full, inside the paper. Both the large image and the headline link to each other.

An advert is seen in the bottom of the newspaper for a local funeral directors service.


Page 2:

This page is much different to the previous newspapers I previously researched.

This entire page (and the following pages) focuses on a singular news article. The article focuses on a cycling event that took place throughout the region, during the time this issue was published. The page includes a single column for the news story, while the remainder of the page includes four large images that related to the story. Captions are included below the photos to comment on what the image shows, and who captured the images.

This news story featured on this page relates to the story on the front page, and continues throughout further pages of the newspaper.


COMPARISON OF PAPERS - Front Page
The structure of these three newspapers are very similar, in that the masthead is at the top, a singular main article is included, and adverts are located in similar positions.

With the main articles, they both included a headline, sub-header, and do not have an image. However, less information is included on the Halstead Gazette, to draw people to read on inside. The Halstead Gazette has a starting paragraph in the article, which is in bold to draw the reader's attention. This is not included on the Free Press. Both articles end on the page, to say the story continues inside.

The headline on the Gazette paper stands out more to me, because the headline uses red and black font - something that is not seen regularly. This is because the article is exclusive to the newspaper, and they want to draw people's attention to this article.

COMPARISON OF PAPERS - Page 2
An obvious difference of the two different papers, is that the Halstead Gazette includes more stories. This could be because the newspaper want to include more articles, to get people to draw more of an interest to this starting page. While both papers include contact details of their respected papers, this is much more clear on the Suffolk Free Press, because they have spaced it out to make it look tidier.
While articles have been included on this page, they are quite short and are not related to the front page.

Halstead Gazette - Fri 24 July 2015. Suffolk Free Press - Thu 23 July 2015. East Anglian Daily Times - Thu 18 June 2015

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - Schedule for Newspaper Construction

To help me organise my work and manage my time, I have drawn myself up a construction timetable, to help me plan out my final task.

Make basic newspaper template	23-27 November
Write my articles and brainstorm advert ideas	30 November to 4 December
Take pictures for articles	7-9 December
Add images and article to template	10-16 December

Newspaper Front Page & Page 2 - Audience Research

Newspaper Website - Evaluation

My final website includes a homepage, an events page, and a contact page. In terms of the website, I feel this is a good representation of how local newspaper websites are presented as. A range of features seen in my website are used in a range of newspaper websites.

All three of the pages I include use a column on the right hand side to what would be links to individual components. I feel this is good, because it gives my website the structure an actual newspaper website would have.

I have also included a live weather widget which allows users to view the weather for the target area of the newspaper. I like this because it is a live website that I have added in using a HTML code. This is on the header, and shown on all the pages. On my Events page, I have included a cinema listings widget, which gives up-to-date information on cinema listings.

With the navigation, I have included links to a range of different pages - even to pages which I have not added content onto. I felt this was a good idea because it helps add structure to the website, and makes it look nicer, compared to having just three buttons in the navigation bar.

The font styles I have used are repeated throughout the pages, to help give the website continuity.

On the website homepage, I have included an interactive map (using a Google Maps API widget). This shows the user where the newspaper is aimed at. I feel this is a good addition to my website, because it is an interactive feature that users can click on, and use.

Newspaper Website - Final Link

http://louisb8.wix.com/hedinghamecho

The final pages that work are Home, Events and Contact.

Newspaper Website - Drafting

This is a 'plan' for my homepage. My remaining two pages (which will be linked to this homepage), will follow a similar structure to this.

Newspaper Website - Ideas

Click on the image to enlarge it.

This image is a spider diagram of ideas for features that I could include on my website for Task 2. I have taken these ideas from my research and comparison posts.

Newspaper Website - Extra Audience Research

Newspaper Website - Original Audience Research

This video includes audience research to see the thoughts of people on newspaper websites.

Newspaper Website - Original Research

In this blog post, I will perform research into newspaper websites in detail, and examine how they are different compared to print newspapers. I will use evidence by looking into several newspaper websites.

Difference between Print & Online version

Articles: Local Newspaper websites include the major news articles from a local area. These news items may have been taken from an earlier edition of the newspaper, or will appear in the upcoming newspaper. This is good because if some people are unable to purchase a print copy of the newspaper, the articles can be found online. However, not all articles in the print copy can be found online. These news articles will follow the format seen in print; a headline, sub-heading, and article. Some online articles say: 'read more in this week's paper', to help promote the newspaper, and allow readers to learn more about an event.

Photograph: On newspaper websites, all news articles have an image associated to the article. This may help readers understand more about the article. However, in the print newspaper, not all articles include images. This may be due to how the newspaper is structured - there may not be enough space for an image, so an image is not included.

Advertising: Newspaper websites usually include adverts to advertise companies. Most of the adverts included are usually in the form of a video, while others are in the form of images. This can be good to get a company to advertise through a newspaper website, because it is another way companies can communicate with their audience.

Articles on a Daily Basis: Newspaper websites are able to write and publish articles on a daily basis. This can be good because it means you get quicker access to news articles aimed at a certain area. These articles can sometimes be published into the paper website, in extended detail, to allow readers of the print copy to find out about the article. Exclusive content about an article may be included in the print copy. This may be to promote the newspaper, to get more people to purchase it.

Videos: Newspaper websites can use the medium of video to help with articles. These could be video interviews, with people affected by an event, or to show an event occur. For example, sport articles are more likely to include interviews with sports players, while an event, such as a fire, may include amateur footage of the fire. While videos cannot be seen in paper print, a transcript, or a written version, of an interview, can be written.

Users Can Sign-Up: Website visitors can sign-up to the newspaper website. This allows users to comment, and get involved in articles. This can be good, because it can allow the audience to get involved in the article. Social media links also allow users to keep up to date on newspaper articles. Also, email updates can be sent to users, to allow people to get more direct access to news articles.

Looking into Newspaper websites

All newspaper websites tend to follow a similar structure throughout the website design.

Halstead Gazette
The Halstead Gazette newspaper website has a series of news article, based on news in the Halstead town and surrounding areas.

The top article features a recently published article focusing on a vehicle crash on a major road in the area. An image of an ambulance is featured, which could show the idea that people have been injured. A sub-heading is included below that introduces the article.

Following this, there are several other newspaper articles seen below it, written in the previous few days. These articles are stories about a recent burglary, upcoming events, another traffic incident, among others.

Alongside this, there is a column, which feat



ures the front page of that week's newspaper issue. Below that, there is a list of the most-read articles, showing what the majority of the website visitors read.  Links are also included in this column, which allows readers to get involved and post their own news articles, which may be included in that week's newspaper.

The header of the website includes a series of links, allowing readers to get information about local businesses and a place to add an advertisement, which might feature in future newspaper issues. Users can also create an account and sign in, here. There is finally a search button.

Below this, there is the newspaper's masthead, and a weather feature next to this.

There is also a banner, near the top of the website, where users can jump to certain articles - these links include 'News', 'Sport', 'Events' and 'Competitions', to name a few.

Liverpool Echo

The Liverpool Echo website has a similar structure to that of the Halstead Gazette.

The top article is focused on a recent crime news article in Liverpool city, with an image of the two prisoners involved. A sub-heading follows to introduce the article. Below this, there is a link to a related article. This is good because it means website visitors can learn more about the event, by looking at previous articles relating to the incident.

Following this, there are two columns of recently-published articles. However, this newspaper is released on a daily basis, because of the larger circulation area, meaning there are more articles to be written about the area.

Two of the articles are 'live' articles, meaning it is regularly updated by a journalist(s) throughout the day. These articles can be good for when an event has just happened, because it means more information can be published throughout the day. These 'live articles' can also be found on national newspapers too, as well as other news websites.

Many of the articles seen on the website are sport related - mainly football - due to the high interest of sports in Liverpool, and the surrounding areas (Merseyside).

A column on the far right is titled 'Live Breaking News', and includes live breaking news incidents throughout the day. This is good because it means visitors can find out live information and news stories. This is currently focused on live traffic news, which will help people travelling.

The top header allows users to visit certain parts of the pages: lives to the most read articles, the events articles (what's on), general news, sport news to particular football teams, among other links.


Plymouth Herald (The Herald)
The Plymouth Herald website uses a similar structure to the above newspaper websites, but the design again is different.

There is a single column dedicated to articles, which users can 'arrange' by the news articles by the date they were released, by the most commented, and by the most active.

These articles are all stories from the Plymouth and surrounding areas. The top article focuses on a traffic incident, and are followed by articles on crime, a fire,  and technology.

A column on the far right includes a list of vouchers for local businesses, including a leisure centre, and beauty salons. This could be good because it means online users can get something exclusive from their online website, instead of the website.


Once again, standard features such as links to other pages can be seen in a row at the top. Readers can find articles by a certain genre of news story (e.g. readers can be linked directly to stories relating to crime, education, business, health, politics, among other thing.

A search bar for users to search for individual news articles, or to find businesses in a certain area. A weather feature showing the day's weather can also be found. Both of these are next to the masthead.

The website uses a red and grey colour scheme throughout the pages on the website.



Suffolk Free Press
The Suffolk Free Press uses a slightly alternate structure to those of the other paper websites.

The main article seen at the top of the newspaper frequently changes every few seconds. Users can interact with this feature and manually change it, to focus on a story they like. They can then click on this story to read it in further detail.

Below this, there are two columns of stories: the stories include a burglary, a weather story, and a vehicle crash.

At the bottom, there is a group of stories associated with sports in the local Suffolk area.

On the far right, a column shows the most popular stories among readers (under the title Trending).

Again, a series of links on the top to take readers to individual pages; these include Latest News, Community, Events, among others.

Again, a search bar, a weather widget, the mast head, and social media links for readers.

Billboards - Final Billboard Posters & Self Evaluation

My final billboard posters are seen below.

This is my horizontal banner. I like this idea (above), because I have used an image of the castle in the Hedingham area. I feel this is a good image to use, because the castle is a major tourist attraction in the local area, and is important in the area historically. I feel the use of the masthead is important within the billboard poster because it helps identify the billboard to show what it is advertising. I could improve this by adding other images of the local area to help my target audience identify who I am targeting with my local newspaper. I could improve this poster by changing the colour of the text in the top left to match the colour scheme of my masthead.

This is my headline billboard poster. I like this idea (above), because I feel this has got a simple layout, which has a small amount of information. Having a small amount of information is good, because it means the person who looks at this poster is not overloaded with information. This poster was popular among my audience feedback videos, due to the colour scheme and bold font, which I fully agree with. I could improve this poster by changing the text colour of the website, from black to blue, to match the information strip on the top. I feel the use of the black and blue is good, because they are colours I have used in my masthead.

Billboards - Audience feedback on Horizontal Banners

Billboard - Drafting and Ideas for Horizontal banner

These are my two ideas for horizontal billboard designs, which tend to be seen on building walls. I like the bottom idea because it has got a bright colourful photograph of the castle, which is an important tourist facility within the Hedingham area.

My first idea is a cartoon-style graphic showing the newspaper masthead, and a slogan to explain the purpose of my local newspaper. I like this idea, because it is bright and colourful, and there is a cartoon graphic to show a part of the area. The masthead also takes up a large proportion of the banner, which makes it stand out. However, this could be improved by using an image of the actual castle, in Hedingham.

My second idea is an image of Hedingham Castle, surrounded by a slogan and the masthead. I like this idea, because there is a bright and large photograph of the actual castle, which makes the newspaper relevant to the target audience. However, the masthead is included in the newspaper, but is quite small, so can be hard to notice. The fact the masthead is on a white background also makes it basic, and does not look visually appealing. 

Billboard - Audience Feedback on ideas

I performed five interviews in an attempt to learn more about people's thoughts on my idea. 

Liam said the blue colour scheme stood out to him, although he liked most of them. Using the newspaper graphic did not appeal to him. He felt the yellow and blue colour scheme would be most attracted to most people. The story would suitable, with him interested in learning more about the 'local hero'. Fixing the font size in one of the designs would make that idea stand out more.

Dan 

Billboard - Drafting and Ideas

These first two billboard advertise the headline in that week's edition of the newspaper. These tend to be displayed outside shops that sell the newspaper. Both of these ideas displays the masthead and the newspaper headline. I like the first idea (left), because the yellow colour used in parts of the design allow this to stand out, and draw the attention of the audience. I have included the website in the design to show another way for readers to interact with my newspaper. However, I like the second idea (right), because there is a slogan that shows that this is a local newspaper for the local community to get involved in. The use of the blue colour allows the colour scheme of the masthead to be incorporated into the design.

These two billboard posters are posters that are set to be used at bus stops. These do not include any headlines or any information from a recent newspaper issue, these are posters that advertise the newspaper in general. I like the left idea, because it includes an image which could grab the attention of the audience. This also includes two banners - one is a slogan to advertise the newspaper's purpose, and the other is to advertise when the newspaper will be released - on Tuesdays. I also like the poster on the right, because it is a simple design that includes a slogan to explain the paper. A banner is seen at the bottom of the right design to display the newspaper's website URL (this will not be my actual website name, however).

Billboards - Audience Research

The headline of a major article, with lots of imagery and colour could be used to attract the audience. Important information (such as price, news stories, release date) would be expected on the newspaper. Others felt the front page of the newspaper will be seen on the billboard.

Billboards - Original Research

What is a billboard poster?

A billboard poster is a form of advertising a product or company, on a large scale. There are displayed across the country, outside shops or displayed on buildings. Billboards are used by newspaper companies to advertise newspapers and headlines, but are also used by movie studios to advertise upcoming films, or to advertise other products. These have been used in the newspaper industry since the early 1900s.

Billboard posters aimed at local newspapers will be displayed in the newspaper circulation area. These usually include a major headline included in that day/week's newspaper, written in a large bold text. These are very basic and include little information, with no colour or imagery included. Local newspapers include the masthead on the top of the billboard, to show what newspaper is being advertised.

For example, the Suffolk Free Press newspaper will have newspaper billboards within Sudbury and surrounding areas. A billboard poster for this would be irreverent in London, because the news within the newspaper would not affect London citizens. This example in the video shows the Manchester Evening News. Billboard posters for this newspaper would be seen in Manchester, but not London.

However, a billboard poster for a national newspaper would be seen all across the UK. Billboard posters for national newspapers, include pictures, making them more colourful and allow them to stand out more. Occasionally, they will display content in that day's newspaper. For example, The Sun will be advertised on a much larger scale compared to local newspapers, because The Sun has a larger demographic audience. These posters are much larger, to stand out more. These are usually seen on buildings in large towns and cities.

Billboards are useful because they provide information on a headline featured within that issue of a newspaper. They allow a target audience of a newspaper to discover about an event which could affect them. Headlines may draw the attention of the target audience, in local newspapers, by saying 'town', 'city', or 'area'. This will draw people in, because the event could affect people, so they want to learn more.

Analysis:

The Press:
The Press newspaper, that is produced in York, has a headline of 'Rescue Drama On York's River Ouse'. The billboard includes the newspaper masthead, on the top and bottom, with the headline written in the centre of the poster. Locals will be drawn to this because the headline mentions 'York', and the 'River Ouse', a river that runs through Yorkshire. The text is in a large bold font, allowing it to stand out. 'Tuesday' is seen below the masthead, which shows when the newspaper was released. This will draw people in because it will show that the paper includes up-to-date information.

Evening Standard:
A similar style can be seen in the London newspaper, the Evening Standard. The headline says 'Banks Rescue: City Reaction'. Again, locals will be drawn it due to the fact it says 'City'. This headline also talks about banks - London is a central hub for finance, so local businessmen could be interested by this. The mastheads are seen top and bottom, like The Press, but this appears to be hand-written. This could be because the paper regularly is released, so the billboard needs to be updated frequently. 'Wednesday' is shown below the masthead to help readers know if the newspaper includes up-to-date news.

Conclusion:
Billboard posters allow newspapers to advertise a headline included in a local newspaper. This could be a form of advertising, to help target their audience, and interest them. Local newspaper billboards are relatively simple in design, with a masthead and headline included.

Mastheads - Findings of Research and Final Idea

I produced a range of designs, and I looked to get feedback from members of my target audience. I performed a questionnaire with 10 people to see what newspaper design they mostly prefer, and I combined this data from my three video interviews

Comments from respondents on newspaper design:
One of the respondents said how he likes both designs B and C, but his final choice was C. This was because he felt because I was producing a local paper that is mainly informative, B was very bright and stood out but it looked like a tabloid. However, idea C looked like it fitted the paper due to its simplistic design.

Two respondents suggested idea D, because they felt the blue colour of the 'Echo' would make it original and creative, seeing as most newspapers use a red colour scheme.

Several respondents, who picked ideas A and B, liked those designs because the red background allows them to stand out.

Idea E was criticized by one respondent, because they felt the drawing of a pencil within the design ruined the design, so they were drawn away from that idea. They chose idea F, because it was a simple design, and they felt it would make it seem like a newspaper to have this.

Final Masthead:
Although both ideas B and D were equally as popular, I will choose IDEA D. This is because I like the idea of using a simple logo that uses a bit of colour to draw readers in. My newspaper will not be a tabloid, and will be highly informative, so I will not use idea B, due to the red-top design style used.

This design, I will pitch to a focus group, and receive their opinions. From here, I can make any final alterations before progressing to producing my main task. 

Name and Masthead Research - Interview with Liam

This is my interview with Liam, who gives me his ideas for a suitable newspaper name and a basic masthead design.

From these interview, I will compile the research together from the interviews, and the questionnaires I did earlier, to choose a final name and design from a masthead.

Name and Masthead Research - Interview with Dylan

This is my interview with Dylan. In the video, he gives me his thoughts on what would be a most suitable title, and design for a masthead.

Name and Masthead Research - Interview with Mason

This is my interview with Mason. In the interview,  Mason gives me his thoughts on what would be a most suitable newspaper title, and a design for a masthead.

Mastheads - Original Ideas and Designs

Mastheads are used to signal the title of the newspaper, as I wrote about previously. Following my questionnaire into my newspaper name, I learned my popular names were Hedingham Echo, and Hedingham Herald. I looked at mastheads into UK newspapers, and drew a series of ideas based on the research I performed.

I will now pitch these ideas to several individuals, and see which name and designs are most popular. I will use this to choose my final newspaper name, and a basic design for a final masthead.

Ideas A and B are based on red-top tabloid newspaper, ideas C and D are based on several local newspapers in my area, while ideas E and F are based on broadsheet and non-red top tabloid newspapers. I have included these different design ideas, because some local newspapers use different styles, compared to others. The Halstead Gazette uses a style similar to Idea C, the Liverpool Echo uses a style similar to Idea A, while the East Anglian Daily Times uses a design similar to Idea F. This shows that mastheads can vary from paper to paper.

Mastheads - Original Audience Research

Some early thoughts of target audiences members to discover how they felt mastheads should look like.

My feedback showed that my masthead should be creative, so a customer will be drawn to buy it. An 'open' design to make it stand out, with some bright, vibrant colours. A drawing or icon could be included to help make it stand out. 'Eye-catching' designs could be suitable for my newspaper.

Mastheads - Original Research

What is a masthead? Also known as the ‘nameplate’, it is the top piece of the newspaper that includes the title of a newspaper, and details of the newspaper, such as newspaper price, issue number, slogan or a website address. Mastheads have basic designs, with little colour and imagery included in them.

National Newspapers:

The Daily Mail includes a simple black and white design, with a styled font for the logo, and a simple font displaying the price, date and website. There is also a logo separating the words, which could be used for identification.

However, The Sun is a lot more colourful, with the title in bold white text, with a red background. It includes the date, website and slogan in a simple white text, while the price is much more visible. In comparison to the Daily Mail, the red box and large text makes the paper stand out more. This style is replicated in other papers, such as the Daily Star and Daily Mirror, which are examples of Red-top Newspapers.

Local Newspapers:

In comparison, the Suffolk Free Press has a horizontal grey bar with gives the price, date and website address, as well as information on social media accounts. The title is written in a styled blue font, with ‘Suffolk’ written in a smaller, black font.

The Halstead Gazette has a simple masthead. Gazette is seen in a red text, while Halstead is seen in a smaller black text, like the Suffolk Free Press. The date, website and price are visible in black text, with the slogan in a red text – which stands out.

The masthead of the East Anglian Daily Times is very similar to the Daily Mail, in terms of design. It has a simple black font for the title of the paper: East Anglian is written larger than Daily Times. The website and a slogan is included in orange text. Below that is a grey bar featuring the issue date, issue number and price.

Most local newspapers I researched appear to separate the circulation area from the title. The area always tends to be on the top of the masthead. This could show that the publishers are trying to emphasise that the newspaper is aimed at a certain area. Mastheads in local newspapers may also include advertisements aimed at a certain area.

Conclusion: Mastheads can be used to identify newspapers, and have a simple design, with little colour and little imagery. Local newspapers tend to include more content, including issue numbers and slogans, within their mastheads.

Name for Paper - Research Evaluation and Final Choice

My research has revealed that the most popular choice for a newspaper name is the 'Hedingham Echo'. This will be my newspaper name.

My questionnaire results, where I surveyed ten people, showed that Hedingham Echo had five votes, while Hedingham Herald had two votes. 'Hedingham Mail', 'Hedingham Free Press' and 'Hedingham Gazette' were also chosen for names.

However, I performed some video questionnaires with members of my target audience to see what they opinions are:
- Hedingham Observer
- Hedingham Free Press
- Hedingham Echo

I could see from this that although it was only picked once, it still proved to show that the Hedingham Echo name is the most popular, so this will be my newspaper name.

Name for Paper - Questionnaire Results

I produced a questionnaire, with a list of newspaper names, to see what name people would be most interested in. This would form basic research into what my chosen name will be.

I asked ten people to respond to my questionnaire. Seven males and three females responded. The majority of the participants I chose were ages 16-20. This is because I wanted to aim my newspaper at a young audience, to get them interested in reading newspapers. Half of the responses said they were 16-20 years old. 3 people were aged 21-30, while there were two people older than 31.

In terms of the name, half of the participants suggested the name of the Hedingham Echo. This could be good because it sounds original, and is easy to remember. The second most popular name was Hedingham Herald. This could be good for alliteration. Other chosen names included The Hedingham Mail, Hedingham Free Press and Hedingham Gazette. I may not choose Hedingham Free Press, or Hedingham Gazette, because other local newspapers use this name.

Name for Paper - Questionnaire

I decided to create a questionnaire to help me decide what the title of my newspaper should be. I used my original ideas from my previous blog post, and compiled them in a form of a questionnaire. I asked my 'target audience' which name would be most suitable. Below is a blank example of the questionnaire.

Name for Paper - Original Ideas

 

These are ideas that I have chosen for newspaper names. These ideas have been created by researching into current local newspaper names and incorporating the 'end names' into my name. I have replaced the location with the location of my newspaper. For example, I have changed the name of the Rochdale Observer (based in Rochdale, Manchester), to the Hedingham Observer. Or the Oxford Mail into the Hedingham Mail. All of these end names have some linkage to delivering information to a person, and informing them.

Initial Research - Target Audience - Audience Research

This video asks several people who they felt the target audience of newspapers are.

I have learned that a variety of people would buy a local newspaper. Mainly, residents in the community will buy the newspaper to analyse what is going on. People from outside the community may also purchase it, to learn about the area. Older aged people may most likely purchase a newspaper.

Initial Research - Audience Theory

In this post, I will be performing research into audience theory, and talk about a range of theories that can relate to my newspaper. I may use some of this information to help me in my exam.

A target audience is a specific group of people who a product is aimed at. The target audience of a newspaper will vary depending on the content and news articles within a newspaper. The structure, language and opinions of the newspaper will also affect the audience. Different strategies could also be used to market the newspaper. Tabloids and Broadsheet newspapers have a national audience, and they will target the newspaper at a larger demographic, compared to a local newspaper, which will be aimed at a much smaller audience.

There are three major theories used in the media, to perform research that allows the target audience to get involved:

1. The Hypodermic Syringe Model
2. 2-Step Flow Model
3. Uses And Gratification Theory

The Hypodermic Syringe Model (also known as the Hypodermic Needle Model) suggests that the media can influence an audience, that was introduced in the 1920's. The theory suggests that an audience can be manipulated through media. Newspapers can be very opinionated, meaning the public can be highly influenced by the media. This is because newspapers, mainly tabloids (such as The Sun), tend to 'spin' stories, and sometimes make a big deal out of a small event. This was developed by Frankfurt School, who said that "media injects a message into the audience".  This theory mainly perceives the audience to be passive.  A limit to this theory is that the audience can be more aware of these messages that are injected into the audience.

The Two-Step Flow Model is when information from the mass media is passed on to a group of opinion leaders, who then share that information with individuals in the public. These 'opinion leaders' can be influential on the 'individuals' and the media. Newspapers can act as Opinion Leaders, because they receive information for news articles from the mass media, and then this information is forwarded to the public (the individuals). This was developed by Katz and Lazarfield. This moves on from the Hypodermic Syringe Model because it does not just think of the audience as passive consumers. A limitation to this theory is that it is biased/very opinionated, which could mean the model will influence people.

The Uses and Gratifications Theory is a theory used which is more focused on the consumer, and focused on 'what media do with media', rather than 'what the media does to the audience'.  The theory suggests that people are responsible for choosing their own media. The internet has played a large part in this theory, where the internet allows us to identify and find new items ourselves. However, this is criticized, because many people feel the public have no control over what the media produces. The reasons for media use include Education, Entertainment, Social interaction and Identification. This was developed by Katz and Blumler in 1974, and expanded by McQuail in 1987. They said that people sought out media products to fulfil needs and desires. This theory is controlled by the audience.

Needs/Desires

• Identify: Find reinforcements for personal values/find role models
• Educate: Find out events, seek advice
• Entertain: Escape/divert from problems, emotional release
• Interact: Social interaction, basis for conversation, sense of belonging

How can I use these theories in my newspaper? 

My newspaper will be aimed at a certain target audience - a range of people based in the village of Sible Hedingham. With these three theories, they all suggest that media influences the opinions of people. My newspaper will include stories which may have had an affect on the area and I will voice a small opinion on the articles, in case readers are influenced by what is said in my newspaper. I can conclude from this that I should not 'spin' stories, or include fictional information, in case people are influenced by the newspaper.

The Hypodermic Syringe Model will be relevant to my coursework, because newspapers will make the audience feel a certain way about an article.

The two-step flow theory will be relevant to my coursework because it will be a way of transferring information to the audience (readers).

The uses and gratifications theory will be relevant to my film because it will educate people in what is going on, and allow others to interact (social interaction).

Initial Research - Questionnaire Conclusion

I performed a questionnaire to learn why people read local newspapers. The results helped me learn that local news and sport is a highly read feature within local newspapers. I can conclude that I should include local news and sport within my final newspaper coursework.

Initial Research - Questionnaire Responses

To investigate further into research of target audience for my coursework, I performed a questionnaire on an audience, to decide why people read newspapers, and what would attract them to read newspapers more. Included below are six responses that I received for my 'target audience' questionnaire.

In my next post, I will conclude the feedback included, talking about what I have learned from this.

Initial Research - Questionnaire

To investigate further into research of target audiences, I have decided to create a questionnaire to help me learn more about readers of newspaper. This could help me decide what content I include in my final coursework piece. After I receive back a series of results, I can then conclude on who my target audience will be for my newspaper. Receiving feedback from this could also give me some ideas on what my newspaper title, and articles could be about. This questionnaire I will give out to a range of members in the public, varying from young males, to older females.

Newspaper Research - Colour Scheme

Many newspaper companies incorporate a colour scheme into their newspaper products to help show a link between products. The newspaper, website, and billboards will all use the same colour scheme.

Product 1: The Sun (click image to enlarge)
Products dated: Jan 2nd, 2016.

Newspaper

Website

Product 2: The Daily Mail (click image to enlarge):
Products dated: Jan 2nd, 2016.

Newspaper

Website

Product 3: Liverpool Echo (click image to enlarge):

Initial Research - Comparison between Papers

In this newspaper, I will be looking into three existing types of newspapers, and discovering the comparisons between them.

To conclude, all three different "types" of newspapers produce different content. The three different types of newspapers can voice their different opinions towards articles, to make all newspapers different. Opinions within newspapers can be seen, mainly for political reasons, which could cause different people to purchase these newspapers, meaning the different newspapers can get different audiences.

Initial Research - Features of a Newspaper

The aim of a newspaper is to inform readers about current affairs, written as ‘articles’. An article includes the following:

Headlines summarize the article in a small sentence. This will be seen in large bold text, which could interest the reader. This can either be serious, or humorous, depending on the newspaper or article. The Sun, a tabloid, may include a joke or pun within the headline, while The Telegraph, a broadsheet, may have a serious headline. Some headlines include quotes from, or the opinion of a person. Other headlines may include alliteration. Headlines are sometimes written fully in capital letters, while others use little capital letters. This could be because they want the reader to be drawn to certain articles, which could be more informative, compared to other articles.  These will be written in large, bold text.

Sub-headers, will expand on the headline in more detail, and will give a brief explanation about what is occurring. These will be below the headline, in a smaller sized font, and is sometimes underlined.

The Main body is where the main article is written. Written in paragraphs, the body opens with a sentence or two, which introduces the article for the reader. These are written in past tense, unless they are stating something that will occur in the future. The first word in the article of most articles is written in capital letters. This could be used to draw attention to the start of the article.

Photographs, which are usually included in most articles. They are relevant to the article (e.g. a person involved, a place of where an event occurred) A Caption will be included below the photograph, to describe what is in the photograph. It may also give the reader more information about the event.

Newspaper articles are usually written in columns, which is used to structure the newspaper.

What else is included within newspapers?
Mastheads are the headers of newspaper front pages. These tell the reader information such as the newspaper name, price and the issue date.  Advertisements for companies and products are also included within newspapers, either taking up a section of a page, or sometimes take up a full page, allow readers to find products which they might be looking to purchase. Interactive reader features, such as reader letters, allow readers to voice their opinion or search for advice on a topic. These allow readers to contribute their voice and get involved in the newspaper.
Pages dedicated to housing, job, vehicle and theatre listings are included in newspapers, mainly local newspapers, to allow people to find items.

Audience Research:

Articles, advertisements, celebrity news, local news (e.g. fete/carnival), and large images and headline, with a taster of an article would attract the attention of people if they purchased a newspaper. Including all these conventions would follow the main features of a newspaper. Some of these features I would expect to include in a newspaper. However, I would not expect celebrity news to be featured within a local newspaper, as that type of news does not usually affect a local area.

Initial Research - Headlines

Headlines are often short and straight to the point. They use small words in a way to make an impact to the audience to  grab their attention. Strong words can be used such as 'Trolls' or 'Thugs' to help emphasis a story too. Some articles use a 'play-on-words' to help draw in the attention of a reader, or use puns to draw the attention (seen in The Sun example above). Some article headlines use alliteration, where an article uses words that begin with the same letter, or words that  sound similar. Examples below include "Terror Target Sugar", and "Labour's Lost It". This means it can be memorable for readers, meaning they can then pass this information on to others.


Audience Research:

A large, short&snappy headline that is eye-catching would be what people expect in a newspaper deadline.

Examples of Headlines in Local Papers:

Local newspapers include a range of headlines that summarizes an article. Examples of current headlines that feature in the Halstead Gazette include the following:

• Town's property prices rose 10% during 2015
• This article focuses on property prices during the previous year, and includes a statistic to back-up the point.
• Colchester Stagecoach students wow the West End
• This article focuses on a group of students performing a theater event, which was positively praised. Alliteration is included with 'wow the West End', while the name of the people involved has been included, to make it focused on them.
• Women assaulted in Halstead
• This article focuses on an assault in a local town. The headline is short and snappy, meaning it could be easy to remember.
• Hundreds turn out to see Boxing Day hunt
• This article focuses on a village's Boxing Day tradition working with a horse hunt group. 'Hundreds' is written in the article to include a statistic to show how many people attended.

From this, I can conclude most of these headlines are short and snappy, while statistics are included in some. I will use this as inspiration for my headlines which I will use in my final task.