Tuesday, 19 July 2011

Newspaper Masthead Logo


A logo is the graphic element of a brand which is set in a particular typeface, or arranged in a particluar, yet legible way, designed specifically for that brand. The logo should have elements in it which are defined by the content of the newspaper. For example, The Independent, a left wing paper, has a bird flying away and a serious looking font. This connotes freedom, intelligence and suggests some of the brand's ideology. The Scotsman has a picture of a thistle, which is Scotland's national symblol. Another (and a more local) example is the ship on the Evening Post. This is integral to the brand's identity as it is based in the Bristol area, a place famous for its docks and trade ships. Furthermore, the title also contributes to what people associate with that paper, some are more abstracted and others are more simple and straightfoward. If the logo is distinct and unique then the audience will be able to recognise it more eaily, and the brand's identity will come to mind more readily.



Here, the logo is fairly simple. The font is serif and thus, easy to read. However, it is slightly bolded, creating a friendlier look and appeals to a mass audience. This is appropriate as the Mercury is distrubuted across Somerset, as shown in a smaller font size above, leaving the main focus on the name. The red is reminicent of tabloid papers, perhaps connoting that it has some similarites with this type of paper, for example, the size of the paper or aspects of 'tabloid journalism'. Mercury is also a planet and a chemical, suggesting that it is 'foreseeing' or suggesting that the news in inevitable. This then suggests that the paper's publishers views their paper highly.


This paper looks slightly more serious than the above due to the less rounded serif font. The red, again, is reminisent of tabloid papers. The title here is farily straightfoward as it is often picked up by commuters.



The title is logical as this paper is often picked up on trains or buses by its readers, suggesting that they are busy and are partaking in the metropolitan lifestyle. The text used is fairly bold, simple and in capitals to catch the reader's eye. Blue and white combined are often associated with the Metropolitan police force, suggesting that the ideology of the paper includes a large moral standing.



This paper is a tabloid and so the red is appropriate and easily catches the eye of a potential audience member, this can be associated with its sensationalist stories as they are often used to make a noisy statement. The font is bold and easy to read, connoting simple content. The title suggests that the publsihers belive their paper is integral to their readers lives, that they need it to live, worship it perhaps, like the actual Sun.



The font here is narrow serif and suggests that the paper has more intelligent content. The black is simple, sleek and modern, connoting that the paper does not conform to traditionalist/authroitarian views. The bird suggests freedom and the title itself suggests the importance of the individual.


This font is rather elaborate, yet formal at the same time. The lack of colour adds modernity and minimalism, which is perhaps what the readers want, along with some more traditional values. It stands out because of this.

Monday, 18 July 2011

Conventions of Newspaper Articles

Usually, articles are laid out in order of importance, for example, crime stories are often at the front as they may affect more people and they need to be known about, whereas school stories are often more towards the middle/back as less people are likely to care about them. This is also the same within the article, more important information is toward the start of the story and the less important pieces of information towards the end. This is often known as the inverted pyramid, a metaphor often used by journalists/writers. Other ways of writing articles are also used, including the anecdotal lead and the question & answer.


The headline is designed to be eye catching (in formatting) and summarise the story in a few words, for example 'Crazed Killer Caught.' It normally is in present tense and leaves a few words out so that it is not a complete sentence. In more lighthearted pieces, a pun is often used to intrigue and amuse the reader.

The byline is the name and sometimes the title of the reporter. In most publications, the byline is awarded only if the reporter has done a substantial amount of the preparation. The byline either comes at the start or the end of the article, this is usually determined by the layout. If in another country, then the byline will also include the reporters location.


 
The lead paragraph provides another summary of the article so the reader can decide whether they want to read it, or if they do not have enough time to read the entire thing. It will usually attempt to answer 5 key questions; Who, What, When, Where, Why and How? Usually, lead paragraphs are written in bold or have a larger letter on the first word.



Body of the article is basically, the rest of the article. This is normally presented in short paragraphs. Even here, more vital information will come first, it is assumed that many readers will abandon the piece before they finish reading it. Direct and indirect quotations are often used so the reader can hear the 'voice of the witness', this is because people are more likely to enjoy the article if they can identify with one of the personas. Sometimes an article may just be an entire interview with somebody, usually they are successful or famous.


The tail of the article is often included toward the end of an article to add extra, general information.

Additions are often used to provide context/background for the readers to understand the story more fully. This can be shown in a pull, which is information given in a box or frame, often formatted differently from the rest of the article. Despite being useful, these are more commonly used in magazines. In contrast to this, however, with the availability of modern technology, newspapers are beginning to use more features of magazines.




Thursday, 14 July 2011

Page Analysis








This page analysis will help me to decide the main conventions of a local newspaper and which I will use and which I will subvert in the practical production of my paper.

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

Interview Questions For those who don't read newspapers

1. Why don't you read newspapers?
2. If you did read them, what would you tend to read?
3. Again, if you were a reader, what would you definitely not read?
4. What would make you buy and read a newspaper? For example, would it be layout, price or a headline?
5. What do you think the ideal price would be for a newspaper if you were to read one?
6. What would you want to see included in a newspaper?
7. What kind of ideology (views) would you want the newspaper's producers to have? E.g - right wing politics, morals et.c.
8. Do you feel there is a newspaper that would appeal to you by having the same ideology as you
9. What sort of layout would you prefer? For example, traditional and simple or modern and bright.
10. What are your views? e.g - politics

question markss

Monday, 11 July 2011

Interview Questions

The following will be my basis for the interviews I will be carrying out with my potential target audience/ the local newspaper readers;

1. Which local newspaper would you say you buy/read the most? Why?
2. How much of the content do you read?
3. Which stories do you read first, for example, crime stories?
4. What features do you never read?
5. Do you look at the supplements, for example, the job supplement or Bristol's next top model?
6. Which advertisements interest you?
7. Have you ever written a letter to the newspaper and if yes what was it about?
8. Would you ever write to the newspaper and what would you write about?
9. Have you ever acted upon anything in the newspaper, for example, a promotion for a charity event or a protest?
10. How often do you buy or read newspapers?
11. Have you ever sent a photo to a newspaper?
12. Have you ever been in the newspaper or involved in one of the stories?
13. What do you think the ideal price of a newspaper should be?
14. What sort of layout would you prefer? For example, traditional and simple or modern and bright.
15. Do you think that the readers should be able to interact or have a say in what the newspaper puts into the content?
16. If so, how?
17. What would you want to see included in a newspaper?
18. What kind of ideology (views) would you want the newspaper's producers to have? E.g - right wing politics, morals et.c.
19. Do you feel there is a newspaper that would appeal to you by having the same ideology as you?
20. What are your views? e.g - politics


 
to burn or not to burn, that is the question

I may not include some of these questions due to time/ relevance and I may ask their ages and genders. I will also be changing some of the questions, or perhaps creating a new set of questions for those who do not read newspapers in order to gauge how some new readers of a publication would be gained. In the evaluation I will be using some of the same people to look at my products and comment on them.

Note - The audience research is due in on the 11th July.