Both the research and
planning we undertook allowed us to balance the input of both challenging,
developing and using forms and conventions of real media products. Deciding to
take this approach mainly stemmed from our desire to substantially
differentiate our final products from already existing media products. Our
research concluded that the majority of existing newspapers often avoid taking
a challenging approach to the features of their products; especially in terms
of the layout. As a result, we paid particular attention to approaches that
newspaper producers often avoid taking, as they usually follow a 'typical
approach'- either selecting a tabloid or broadsheet format for their newspaper.
For example, we noted the 'compact'
layout style, and although it is rarely used in the Industry, we felt it would be likely this unconventional approach would largely
appeal to a younger audience. In order to appeal to this younger area of our
target audience, the 'compact' layout approach we took would have to find a
balance between the typical features of both broadsheet and tabloid newspapers.
As broadsheet style newspapers are commonly associated with more of an
upper-class, older audience, we have retained a lot of the features commonly
associated with this style in order to appeal to this group. Therefore making
the target audience as broad as possible, and ultimately not excluding any
particular groups. Our font style, with its rather rounded lettering leaves an
impression of clarity to the overall feel of the newspaper, and whilst it has
somewhat challenged the conventions, we've balanced it out, ensuring it had a
professional feel which the audience are comfortable with. This slightly
unconventional approach continues throughout all of the products we created,
whilst we still maintain the most important conventions, in order to positively
influence the audience’s reactions. The font style for the main body is one of
these aspects that maintains such conventions. Instead of giving it a more
modern appearance, we kept the Times New Roman font. The fonts serifs on the
end of the letters have stereotypical connotations associated to newspapers, so
the audience instantly recognises the genre.
In addition to the
font style, the images we included, like existing newspapers, typically had a
connection to the article and headline that they were anchored to. On the single page we
placed the main image that related to the article, just below the main
headline, so it covered the majority of the page, emphasising the fact that
it's an important story; appealing to our target audience, especially as part of them take a preference towards images, rather than just text. Paying close attention to such target audience was essential when deciding upon the images to include. On the front page we showed a continuation of balancing the context of images that would appeal to the separate areas of the audience. This is shown where the banner at the top of the newspaper features anchored images of students at school proms, and is therefore associated with the banners headline. Such images also act as an incentive to draw this specific area of the audience in to the product, as there is a high chance they will feel as though they can relate to such topic and as a result supports the idea of the 'Uses and Gratification' theory. Our research concluded that the majority of local newspapers use such banners in order to propose incentives and as a result we wanted to take this approach too. We see a contrast to the images in the banner to the image anchored to the headline. This, whilst containing some of the conventions of being anchored to an appealing story that will gain the attention of the audience as a whole, is also likely to appeal more so to the older audience who it'll be more appropriate and relatable to. Another convention we ensured we maintained in terms of the images, was the lack of them we included on the poster. More focus is usually placed on the effects of the headline and wording, influencing us to place more thought on our choice of semantic field, instead. The reason this is so important is because as our research has showed, the articles are the most influential aspect of a newspaper when it comes to audiences decisions over buying it or not.
A lot of thought was placed on the headlines we used throughout all of our media products. On the front cover, we made the headline appear bold, as well as making it larger than the rest of the text, so it therefore had a lot of prominence for the audience to quickly recognise it. For this aspect, we kept the typical conventions we looked into in our research. The fact we only used three words, and the significance of these only emphasises the approach we took, and brings forwards the idea of simplicity that is commonly used in newspapers. Emitting a sense of pathos, the word 'uproar' is a strong adjective and as a result, it will most probably appeal to the audience who usually react to strong words like this. Whilst the single page expands on this idea by including 'Safety fears', it also shows the idea of simplicity of making a straight to the point, basic statement, ultimately avoiding boring the audience by going too off topic. For our poster, we didn't want to keep exactly the same headline as what would be seen on the front cover, as we feared this may deter the audience as they may feel the newspaper and fear it lacks variety. However, we did make sure both headlines were in the same context, giving it a sense of continuity. In addition to this, though, the headline seen on the poster poses a question to the audience- Ultimately, this could intrigue and bring in new readers as well as keeping the current audience. Also, it leads the audience into buying the actual magazine, as they are likely to believe they will receive an answer from it. This rather interrogative approach is seen on a considerable amount of existing posters, but also differentiates it from those that don't.
The articles themselves carry on showing the presence of typical conventions being used in our products. A lead has been used in the main article, highlighted so it's more prominent than the rest of the text. Our decision to use this was similar to main other newspapers- It offers an insight into the rest of the article as well as setting the backdrop by including important information. Factual information was also included, therefore effectively supporting statements and expanding the reliability the newspaper has from the audiences perspective. We didn't want to take too much of an unconventional approach when producing the articles. Yet, we made sure we included contrasting public quotes, with a teenager giving one opinion and a company manager giving another. As a result, both of the target audiences are met.
It emerged that another important aspect of newspapers was their layout. As a result, the placement of some of our newspapers features can be interpreted as being rather unconventional. This route was taken as we felt it would give a more modern, contemporary feel to the products, whilst some features retain a traditional, conventional appearance. For example, the masthead has been placed at the top centre; a large amount of Newspapers place theirs on the left hand side, instead. It's possible that by placing the masthead in this different area, the younger area of the audience will be drawn to this- especially as they're often searching for things regarded as different as well as with a modern edge. However, the aspects of the newspaper that are likely to have less of an effect have kept a more neutral, conventional appearance. This is seen on the single page where columns on the left third retain this typical look, therefore not giving too much of an 'uncomfortable' and 'different' impression on the audience- especially those who aren't familiar with the newspaper already. Adverts are also seen within the layout. Many newspapers feature them on the front page, so as a result, we decided to follow this in order to enhance the audience potential. Some of the audience may be drawn into the newspaper itself after noticing adverts that appeal to them.
Using, challenging and developing conventions in terms of our radio advert proved to be far more difficult than the rest of the product. We found that the majority of radio adverts are for local businesses and events, instead of being for newspapers. However, we therefore discovered that this itself would prove to challenge conventions, and would eventually see and increase in the attention gained from a range of audience areas. We realised that this intention was similar to our attitude towards including contrasting opinions from people in the main article, in order to significantly appeal to all audience areas. As the radio is a medium that is commonly consumed by a range of different people we recognised that all areas of our target audience would be reached. Therefore, we continue balancing the features used to appeal to different people. In order to achieve this we mentioned the articles that would be included within the newspaper, midway through the advert. In comparison, at the end of the advert when 'All in the Daily Poole' is announced, the more edgy, announcement type effect is intended to appeal to the younger areas of the audience.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?The combination of our main product and the ancillary texts is highly effective and appropriate. This combination significantly helps to achieve our purpose, and so seeks out the necessary target audience that we have aimed to appeal to, whilst also expanding the areas of people who consume it.
It is highly likely that the radio advert will reach a wide range of audiences and so it appeared to be the most useful approach to take if we set out to reach as many people as possible. Moreover, with the recent emergence of the digital era, a radio advert is likely to leave a positive impression on the teenage area of our target audience. Teenagers often pay less attention to the more traditional attitudes and approaches. Therefore, a more digital form of advertising is likely to make them initially feel more comfortable and may then lead them into having more of a positive attitude to the newspaper itself. However, the concept of a radio advertisement isn't so far advanced that it excludes the other end of our target audience- the elder area. Gaining access to the radio advert is unlikely to prove difficult, even when they weren't brought up in the digital era. After consuming the radio advert, its plausible that such area of the audience will then be willing to expand their knowledge of the product and therefore possibly invest in the traditional, hard copy of the newspaper. There is even more suggestion that this area of the audience will be effectively targeted there is a high chance they will come across the advert when commuting and travelling.
Continuity seen in the radio advert is also affective and helps the audience understand that the main product that they may consume is proffesional and reliable, whilst also presenting a sense of clarity. Throughout the radio advert references are made to articles that are also included in the advert that, so it was therefore essential that we made sure these articles were easily seen in the most important pages of the newspaper- such as the train fare article on the first page and then the gardening competition being clearly visible on the left third of the single page. Essentially, audiences that have consumed both the radio advert and the newspaper itself will feel as though they have established a connection with the newspaper.
Also, the poster that we produced also substantially compliments the main products. As previously highlighted, continuity was a main factor in achieving this. Like the radio advert, the mention of the train fare article was brought up that is included in the main product, so this immediatley reassures the audience that they are all connected to each other. Ultimately, this maintains the audiences attention. It is also likely, that as a result of the newspaper being regarded as 'local' newspaper, the audience who pass such posters regularly will require this continuity, especially as many may be regarded as 'belongers' part of society. In order to achieve this we included the masthead on the poster which the audience are likely to be familiar with, as it's used throughout the front cover and single page of our main products. At the same time, it may also appeal to people who may not have invested in the product yet, as they may be interested to find out what the newspaper has to offer. As found out in research, audiences are often open to discover new products, usually as they feel a sense of achievement from doing so.
Our main advert that features on the poster- advertising how the audience can win 'Free Thorpe Park' tickets, is also placed on the front paged. This combination of the connected adverts further adds to this continuity of the articles. If the public initially see the advert on the poster, it is likely that it will prompt them to to invest into the product if they haven't already considered doing so from the mention of the articles on the poster. Such interest may also have a knock on effect regarding the audiences future attitudes towards the newspaper, too. Many may feel positively towards it, and therefore invest in it for a long time, whilst others
may have the opposite attitude and approach to it.
What have you learned from your audience
feedback?
Our audience feedback proved to be an incredibly important factor in determining how successful our newspaper would prove to be, and determining whether or not our intended purposes and target audience were met. Including a range of people from different demographic groups gave us comprehensive data to draw appropriate conclusions from. Pre-production audience questionnaires initially enabled us to work around the audiences needs and what they felt most positively about. We also felt that audience feedback after producing the product would be beneficial to us, as we could determine if our approach had been successful or not and be conscious of it in future productions.
One of the most important pieces of feedback we received in questionnaires before production was that 55% of those questioned responded 'yes' to 'do you enjoy reading newspapers'? This response informed us that whilst there was clearly a demographic area that would be potentially easy to appeal to when circulating the newspaper; there was still a considerable area that we would have to unconventionally approach in order to gain recognition. Similarly, 54% had responded by saying they felt 'local news' was the most important feature in a local newspaper. Moreover, we determined their attitude towards news websites when 90% responded by saying they felt the newspaper format was better than a website version.
These initial responses influenced our attitudes when producing the relevant areas of the newspaper. For example, we would eventually include a range of appropriate images that would significantly reach the audiences we intended to connect with, as well as potentially reaching to an even broader demographic area. When we built the articles for the newspaper, the response towards the local news being the most important feature dramatically influenced our thoughts. As a result of this response, we focussed most of our attention towards the affect articles headlines and the content itself would appeal to a range of audiences, and finding a balance with that. Lastly, being able to determine the negative attitude the public had towards a website format would support the fact that we instead opted to produce a radio advert as our ancillary text.
After undertaking the creation of all of our products, it was interesting to compare the audiences reactions after, and comparing it to their outlook beforehand. Upon asking ten people each 5 questions for each of the artefacts, we were able to conclude how successful we had been. For both the front and single page, way over half of the audience said they felt we gave a professional feel to the pages- 88% for the front page and 73% for the single page. We were very impressed with this response as it was certainly one of the main areas we wanted to focus on and be aware of when creating the products. Another area of which we received a positive response from was regarding what feature enticed them the most. As established in the earlier questionnaire this was seen as being an important feature for the audience, so it was only right that we spent a lot of time on this aspect. It is likely that the simplicity and sharpness of the choice of headlines has lead the audience to give this response. To achieve this, we avoided including articles which topics were usually associated with national newspapers, rather than local. For example- Murder, riots and slavery.
However, whilst we felt the majority of the feedback we received was positive and suggested our purpose was fulfilled, we also recognised the criticism that we received, too. 19% of those who were asked what we could have improved said that there was a lack of sports related articles. Although initially we intended to include articles related to sports, the production caused problems in terms of deciding where the relevant area would be to place such article. In future though, we decided we would take more time to consider where specific articles would be placed and determine how appropriate it would be. Although we received extensive positive feedback in terms of our radio jingle, with 70% saying they would remember it, there was still an accountable amount of people who drew up criticisms. Those criticisms included the fact that it was 'too long' and the voice 'wasn't clear'. When discussing these responses, we felt that this was probably due to the fact that we spent a lot more time focussing on the more important products that would reach more people; such as the front cover and poster. However, on further discussion we recognised the fact that in the future we would have to treat all areas of the production with the same attention and thought. Although it may be correct that the front cover and poster reaches more people, the jingle could also have incredibly important long term effects on the attitudes and relationship the audience has with the newspaper as a whole.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and
evaluation stages?
A variety of media technologies were used in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages of our project. We wanted to use the most professional software possible so that it would show clearly on the final outcome of all our products. We did, however, have to result to using more amateur, restricting programs at some stages when the professional programs proved to be too challenging and complex. The construction for both the front page, single page and poster was undertaken on Photoshop, especially as it is an incredibly popular program used when producing media products. It was also useful that we already had significant experience with Photoshop anyway; meaning we were fully aware of what all the tools did and how they would help achieve our desired result. More so, our intentions were fully achieved, and so appeared professional as a result of the advantage using such program would give us. We were able to use tools such as the 'place' tool to insert the required pictures. Also, the 'pick colour' tool was highly useful, as we could select the correct colour used on one feature and use it on another. As a result, it ensured that the products held continuity, and avoided looking amateur. Another program which we used to our advantage was GarageBand on the Macbook which enabled us to complete the radio advert part of our project. However, we weren't as familiar with this program so had to take some time testing it out and becoming aware of what each feature enabled us to do. Once familiar though, we felt we created the advert as we intended to do, and gave it a professional feel, as well as ensuring it retained the clarity which we concluded was seen within most radio adverts. The voiceover was effectively inputted directly onto the program from a microphone connected to the Macbook, as a result, it helped our time management because we could focus on other aspects of the newspaper at the same time.
One of the most effective and helpful programs we used in our research proved to be Microsoft Word. This enabled us to create documents that included our own written conclusion on the different aspects of the newspaper industry- Such as our document title 'Types of newspaper'. Using Word for these documents meant we could also have a lot of control over the placement of certain aspects, giving the documents a much crisper, clean appearance and so far more easy to interpret. After creating a document for the questionnaires on the audience and newspapers, we used Microsoft Excel to portray the data in the form of pie charts and graphs to make the data much more easy to compare to one another. We were also able to analyse many existing newspapers and their features by using Word. It allowed us to easily present the subject of analysis and show our outlook on it. The internet also proved to be incredibly helpful throughout our research; we were able to watch relevant documentaries, take screenshots of them and then paste them onto our blogs. Also, we found that we were able to condense research we gained into 'Prezi', a presentation site that gave an interactive appearance to information inserted into it. Resultantly, this is far more simplistic, as well as an effective form of portraying information.
When undertaking the planning, we had to rely more so on the more complex, advanced programs than what we used in the research. We did however similarly use Word Documents when analysing our initial artefacts, as well as when planning out the Newspaper name ideas, like the research, this gave the layout a clear and easy to understand appearance. The same approach was also used when documenting the ideas we had for the logo of the newspaper, too. Although some of our logo ideas were created using the basic program 'Paint' it allowed us to advance to achieving our intention on Photoshop by designing a dolphin using their advanced tools such as the 'brush' and 'shape tool'. Photoshop was also essential through planning when we decided to create a basic idea regarding the layout of each artefact, giving us more confidence in where our project would lead us to. Using Photoshop we had the ability to gain an idea of what our font ideas would look like, enabling us to determine which would be the most appealing by comparing them. Also, after undertaking a focus group we presented our findings in a Powerpoint, we decided against using Prezi for this as we didn't want to over complicate the appearance, but still kept it aesthetically pleasing. A lot of our project revolved around the aspect of time management so we decided to document it on our blog. We took screenshots of arrangements made through texts and uploaded it in the form of JPEG. Lastly, when technology was out of reach, we took the traditional approach of writing down ideas onto paper and would later take pictures of them before uploading them to our blogs.
We felt it would be unnecessary to include a vast amount of media technologies in the evaluation part of our project. The reason we came to this was because we felt it would most probably over complicate the purpose of the evaluation, as well as making it appear far more disorganised than otherwise. Therefore, the only technology we used was Microsoft Word and Powerpoint. We used Powerpoint to present our findings from the questions we answered, in the form of pie charts we created on Excel.
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