Evaluation

I have decided to create the evaluation for my work on Prezi, this is the link for it:

a2 Media Evaluation

Newspaper Second Page, Final Design

In my newspaper questionaire there was nothing that I was told to change about my second page and so this is still my final design:

I made my own advertisement for inside my newspaper on Microsoft PowerPoint. I made three rectangular boxes and made them each a different shade of blue as blue is a very calm and tranquil colour, it also stands out on the plain page. I then wrote the text in it and chose which fonts would best suit. I then added stars that fade behind the text as the make the advert look more fun and exciting, which is what the advertisement is trying to promote about the youth club.

Newspaper Cover, Final Design

Final newspaper front cover

After making another questionnaire about my final newspaper from cover I discovered that the majority of the answers and feedback told me that I should add a picture in with the main headline to give it more of an effect. I chose to take a picture of a damaged car and used that as the picture. This is now my final design for my newspaper:

For the coupon on the front cover of my newspaper I made sure that it was plain but so that it still stood out on the page. I made it so that it was white as it is clear to see on the red background of the newspaper. The lettering is in STENCIL STD as it is quite a unique font and grabs attention.

To get my main front cover picture, I took a picture of a car that had been smashed in to. I put the picture on to Adobe Photoshop so that I could edit it a bit to make it fit in with my front page. I used the 'burn tool' around the edge of the car so that it became darker and looked like the whole of the background was black, I then saved it and out it on to the cover, because the background of my page is black it looks like the car was the only part of the picture instead of it having a background. I have done this as it gives the effect of looking very professional and it becomes the main focus as there is no longer nothing else in the picture that would be distracting.

Billboard

This is my final design for my billboard...

I stuck with my first initial idea as that was the most popular one when I handed out my questionnaire, I also took in the advice of all the feedback and changed what was meant to be a main headline, into a slogan. I chose to use this picture as I was able to Photoshop my newspaper front cover on to it, so that it looks as though he is actually reading my newspaper. The slogan is in red as it makes it very prominent on the page and stands out, it also symbolises importance, which is how I want people to see my newspaper as.

Website

I made my newspaper website in Adobe DreamWeaver and this is the link for it:
\\student\JoinedSept2006\TaylorCooper\Media\Media\Newspaper website.html

\\student\JoinedSept2006\TaylorCooper\Media\Media\Newspaper website.html


I decided to listen to what my audience feedback told me, and that was to make my hyper linked page as the page that would be for the weather.

Final Designs

These are my final designs that I have created for my newspaper front cover and second page. Whilst making them I took into consideration all of my questionnaire results and the feedback that I received. For my front cover I decided to go with what the feedback told me and kept it all very simple, I took away the small article that was meant to be at the top and replaced it with a coupon instead, not only does this interest the audience as it means that they get a free newspaper, it also keeps most of the attention drawn to the main headline as there is only one other article on the cover to read about. For my second page I also took into consideration the feedback that I received  so I kept it neat and ordered and the main article from the front cover about a Hextable student was carried on the next page, this interests the audience as from reading half of the article on the front cover it makes them want to know what happened next, so by having it on the second page it means they'll be able to find the rest of the story easily. There wasn't much that the audience told me to change, other than instead of having an advertisement next to the information and number for texting in news stories, it should be a picture linked to the information, such as a phone or a person texting in to the number, and so that's what I changed it to. I included the newspaper website in the top of the page as sometimes it is easier for the audience to access the news online, rather than through the newspaper.

Audience Theories

Desensitisation:
This is the idea that the more violence we see, the less shocked we are by it in real life.
I have had to use this for the picture on the front cover of my newspaper for the story 'HIT BY TEENAGE DRIVER'. I used a picture of only the car that had been in the accident, from the picture you can see the damages that were created upon impact with the child that had been hit, because of desensitisation I would not have been able to publish a picture of the actual accident or of the injured child as it would be too shocking for the audience to see as it is something that they would not be used to seeing.

Cultivation Theories:
This theory tries to prove that we form views and opinions about people over time as a result of exposure to media, and thus people become stereotyped.
I can apply this theory to both main stories on the front cover of my newspaper, but in different ways for both. For the story 'HIT BY TEENAGE DRIVER' I used the common stereotype that teenagers are too young to be able to drive and are also bad drivers, the audience reading this would not be surprised that the driver was a teenager and had hit a child whilst driving

Website Planning

Plans for my website:

I asked people what they thought were the main features that should be included on a home page for a newspaper. My results were:

• Date
• Logo
• Headlines
• A button to log in
• Search bar for specific stories
• Advertisements
• Pictures from the articles
• A drop down menu
• Articles about the local area
• Weather reports
• A simple layout

So when I create my website I know that I will have to include these main elements as the audience find that this list is what is most important in a website design and layout

I then asked people and done a tally to decide which page I should create for my hyperlinked page. The most popular page was the weather.

Research on Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp:
Propp is a Russian critic who proposed that it was possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles.
Propp's character roles:
 • The Hero (seeks something)
 • The Villain (opposes the hero)
 • The Donor (helps the hero by providing a magic object)
 • The Dispatcher (sends hero on his way)
 • The False Hero (falsely assuming the role of the hero)
 • The Helper (gives support to hero)
 • The Princess (reward for the hero, also needs protection from villain)
 • Her Father (gives the hero his reward for completing quest)

I was able to somewhat apply the majority of this theory to one of the main stories for my newspaper, although there is not a straightforward hero, villain, etc.. I was able to apply it and show it in a sense. I chose the 'Passing Hextable student saves elderly lady from house fire' story.
Propp's character roles applied:
 • The Hero - Ben Jones, the Hextable School student
 • The Villain - The fire
 • The Donor - The fire brigade
 • The Helper - Firemen
 • The Princess - Elderly lady (was not the reward for the hero but did need protection from the 'villain')
 • Her Father - The local council (not the actual father of the 'princess', but it giving the 'hero' a reward)


Tzvetan Todorov:
Todorove is a Bulgarian literary theorist who suggests that most narratives start with a state of equilibrium in which life is 'normal' and protagonist's happy, this is then disrupted by a force which has to be fought against in order to return to a state of new equilibrium.
EQUILIBRIUM
           \/
DISEQUILIBRIUM
           \/
NEW EQUILIBRIUM

I was also able to apply this theory to the same story.
The student was walking to meet a friend which would be classed as his 'normal' day and here the protagonist is happy.
           \/
The force that disrupts this normal and happy everyday life would be the fire, the student knows that there is something wrong and that he would have to fight against it.
           \/
Once the fire has been fought and the elderly lady is saved, there is now a new state of equilibrium where once again the protagonist is happy and life returns back to a 'normal' state.

Questionnaire Results

Questionnaire results:

These are the results for which newspaper front cover i should create:

The results show that over 60% of the people that I asked agreed that 'Idea 1' would be the best one to create for my front cover.

Some of the feedback I received told me that the audience prefer a more simple and structured front cover as it was more effective and eye catching, rather than one that had a lot of pictures and text around it. The audience also said how the title of the newspaper should be in a red fill as it would make it stand out against the plain background, and as red catches the eye straight away. Most of the feedback told me that I should design the page as I had made my idea look, but some of the improvements that I got told to do were to take away the small article at the top right of the page and put the 'money off' voucher there instead.


These are the results for which newspaper second page i should create:

The results show that over half of the people that I asked agreed that 'Idea 3' would be the best one to create for my second page.

With the feedback that I received it told me that the audience preferred my third idea as it was neat and ordered and the main article from the front cover was carried on the next page. There wasn't much that the audience told me to change, other than instead of having an advertisement next to the information and number for texting in news stories, it should be a picture linked to the information, such as a phone or a person texting in to the number.


These are the results for which newspaper billboard i should create:

The results show that 46.67% of the people that I asked agreed that 'Idea 1' would be the best one to create for my billboard.

With the feedback that I received from the questionnaire the audience preferred Idea 1 as it was a simple billboard but still had enough for it to advertise the newspaper clearly and make it stand out. The only thing that could be improved with it is if the headline that would of been featuring on the right side of the billboard was changed to a slogan instead.


These are the results for which newspaper website page i should create:

The results show that over 46% of the people that I asked agreed that 'Idea 1' would be the best one to create for my newspaper website home page.

Billboard Questionnaire

Billboard questionnaire:

This is my questionnaire that I have created to find out what people think about my initial ideas for my billboards. There are the 3 options to tick to say which idea they preferred and then there is a part to give feedback on why they preferred it, and also a part where I can be told if any improvements are need so that I can take these on board when it comes to making my final product.
I will hand out 15 of them to random people of various age groups as my newspaper will be for all ages, I will then put the results together and see what people think, then I will be able to choose what style of newspaper I should create and if there are any changes that the audience think should be made.

Billboard Initial Ideas

Newspaper billboard, initial ideas:

This is my first idea, it is a very simple billboard that has one picture covering the background, the picture will be linked with the headline, and the newspaper website address will be in a large and bold font across the bottom of the billboard so that it is visible and easy to read but does not attract too much attention away from the headline.

This is my second idea, it is challenging the stereotypical conventions of a normal newspaper billboard by having the title of the newspaper on the top right hand side, instead of being on the top left. The whole of the background is covered by a picture that is to do with what the major headline is about.

This is my third idea, the whole billboard is advertising the newspapers number that you can text news stories in to. The background is of someone texting which has a small bit of information on top which would tell you the number you can text the stories to.

Newspaper Questionnaire

Newspaper questionnaire:

This is my questionnaire that I have made to see what people think of my newspaper designs. There are the 3 options to tick to say which idea they preferred and then there is a part to give feedback on why they preferred it, and also a part where I can be told if any improvements are need so that I can take these on board when it comes to making my final product. I will hand out 15 of them to random people of various age groups as my newspaper will be for all ages, I will then put the results together and see what people think, then I will be able to choose what style of newspaper I should create and if there are any changes that the audience think should be made.

Newspaper Second Page, Initial Ideas

Newspaper second page, initial ideas:

This is my first idea for the second page of my newspaper, it challenges the stereotypical conventions of a normal newspaper by having quite a busy looking page, including having three different advertisements on it which are all on the left side. There's only one picture on the page which is related to the article below it. The articles on this page are likely going to be related to the ones started on the front cover. The address for the website is also included as most people have some way of connecting to the internet and so would find it easier to access the newspaper from online. There is the weather for the week on the right side as it would be useful for the audience.

This is my second idea, half of the page is filled by an article from the front cover that is continued on this page, which I have done to make the audience turn into the newspaper to carry on reading, above this headline and article there is a picture that will relate to the story. There's only one advertisement on the page and it will be advertising something from around the local area. Two more articles will also feature on the page but they will only be small stories.

This is my third idea, it includes the address for the website as most people have some way of connecting to the internet and so would find it easier to access the newspaper from online. An article from the front cover is continued on this page which will make the audience turn into the newspaper to carry on reading. There's two advertisements on the page that will be advertising something from around the local area.

Newspaper Front Covers, Initial Ideas

Newspaper front covers, initial ideas:

This is my first idea, it has one main picture which covers most of the central area and has its headline over the top of the picture, on the bottom right corner there will be the start of that article that then will continue within the newspaper. The newspaper title will be in a bold, white font so that it will stand out and be clear to read, the fill colour will be in red so that it draws attention and catches the eye of the audience. There will be an advertisement for money off of the newspaper as this is a marketing technique that is used to draw the audition in as they will be saving money when buying this newspaper. On the left hand side there will be a small picture with a headline underneath, the article then starts and finishes within the newspaper. I have decided to start articles on the front cover which continue inside of the newspaper as it makes the audience more interested in buying it as they will want to find out more about the headlines and what happens next.

This is my second idea, the whole of the front page is just one main picture with the headline covering it on the side and a small area where the article is started, it then continues on another page inside of the newspaper as this will make the audience want to buy it because they will be interested by the headline and start of the article, so will then want to find out by reading inside what then happens. 'EXCLUSIVE' will be in a large, bold, black font on a red background, this catches the eye and draws in attention, it also symbolises excitement and power which are the feelings that will be triggered for the audience from reading it. The newspaper title will also be in red on a black background as this will make it stand out.

This is my third idea, it has quite a lot of different things going on on one page. The picture covers the middle of the page, it challenges the stereotypical conventions of a typical newspaper by having the article started at the top right of the picture, and the headline covering the bottom of the picture. The article starts on the front cover and continues inside of the newspaper as it makes the audience more interested in buying it as they will want to find out more about the headline and what happens next; this is also the same for the two small articles that are started at the bottom of the page. There is a coupon on the top right of the page so it will attract people into wanting to buy it, as it means they would be saving money. The newspaper title will be in a bold, white font on a red background so it will stand out, draw attention to it and catch the eye of the audience.

The first page of The Reporter newspaper:

This is the first page of The Reporter newspaper, the title of the newspaper is white on a red background, this symbolises simplicity, good and energy, the neat white title stands out and catches the eye of the audience as it is on such a bright background.The main article has a close up picture of a fox to match what the heading is about, a close up has been used so that the main focus is the eyes of the fox which will be perceived differently by different people, some may see it as the fox being innocent whilst others would see it as the fox being sly and evil. The text is in grey which symbolises neutrality. 'Join the Big Debate' draws in the audience as they can become a part of the debate that is going on within the newspaper. The 3 small articles at the bottom of the page have a yellow background which symbolises happiness and optimism.

This is the second page of The Reporter newspaper, the whole of the page has been dedication to a single advertisement of the Glades shopping centre celebrating their 21st birthday. A lot of pink is used for the advertisement which symbolises friendship and unselfish emotions, which would make the audience feel more inclined to go as the page has been made to look friendly and inviting.

The first page of the Kent Messenger:

This is the first page of the Kent Messenger newspaper, The Kent Messenger logo is yellow as this colour is often used to grab attention and highlight certain parts of logos. A lot of red is used as this colour is an instant attention grabber and also symbolises power, energy and intensity. The text of the main article has been made big and bold so that it stands out from the page, 'Mum admits charity boxes fraud' this has been made the main heading to shock the audience and make them want to read more about what has happened, the article has been started and continues within the newspaper. Headlines are short and straight to the point to get people interested in reading on. The newspaper advertises other companies at the top and bottom of the page. 'France from just £3', the words 'France' and '£3' have been done with large fonts and in red to draw attention and symbolise the excitement.

The second page of the Kent Messenger:

This is the second page of the Kent Messenger, there is only 3 small articles on this page along with information about their newspaper.

First page of the Dartford Messenger:

This is the first page of the Dartford Messenger, it is very compact with a lot of advertisements and information yet is still tidy and easy to read. The Kent Messenger logo is yellow as this colour is often used to grab attention and highlight certain parts of logos. A lot of red is used as this colour is an instant attention grabber and also symbolises power, energy and intensity.

Second page of the Dartford Messenger:

This is the second page of the Dartford Messenger, on this page they advertise for a lot of companies. Three small articles are also on this page, along with

This is a billboard that is in Dartford:

This billboard advertises the car manufacturers Honda, the main colour is blue as this represents young, energetic and intelligence, it is also a colour for being trustworthy, symbolising that a car from Honda is fast, smart technology, and that they are reliable and trustworthy. The white writing symbolises the elegance and beauty of the cars. The car is gold which implies riches, wealth and extravagence.

This is a billboard that is in Dartford:

This billboard advertises the furniture shop Harveys, half of the picture is in red to draw attention and to also symbolise alertness and excitement, while the text is in white to make it stand out and to show elegance and beauty. The other half is a picture of a lavish sofa to advertise what their products and sale will look like. Blue is a calming and reassuring colour that shows professionalism, which is why the small circle telling the end of sale date is blue.

This is a billboard that is in Dartford:

This billboard advertises Sky Sports, the main picture is of the famous footballer Luis Antonio Valencia so it would catch the attention of fans as they would be able to recognise him, the picture is taken just after he has scored, just like the smaller pictures to the right of it, emphasising the slogan of 'every goal matters'.



These are billboards that I have found on the Internet that have been made for newspapers:

This is a billboard for CTV News, they have put the quote 'believe' as though to give inspiration, showing that their stories are inspiring. 'News' is in orange which symbolises encouragement, excitement and happiness, which once again would reflect their 'believe' quote. The picture of the boy with his mum shows the happiness and how by believing they can achieve something together.

This is a billboard for the Deccan Chronicle newspaper, they have used a young and attractive girl in an almost provocative way to attract a younger generation, 'young minds', which is in red to symbolise excitement and point out that they have purposely made their target audience for the younger generation. 'News made exciting' is also in red to emphasise the excitement and stand out on the light background behind it. A picture of the Deccan Chronicle has been put onto the billboard to show the logo of it and advertise how their newspaper looks.

This is a billboard for The Sun newspaper, it is very simple yet still catches your eye as the bold, black writing stands out clearly on the plain white background, this has been done as though to make a statement of how simple it may be but so very effective. The logo of The Sun is in red which symbolises brilliance and urgency, because it is so bold and bright on the plain background it draws your attention to it straight away. "In Britain The Sun comes out every day.", this is a play on words as what it is trying to tell the audience is that there is new edition of the newspaper every day.

Miniature billboards:

These are pictures of miniature billboards that I have found on the internet. Miniature billboards would usually be found outside of news agents advertising the daily headlines of the popular newspapers that they sell. They are a lot easier than the normal large billboards as they can be changed quickly and without hassle, and they are small enough to have outside of a shop in a highstreet without being in the way.

Kent & Sussex Courier: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/home

This is the Internet web page for the Kent & Sussex Courier, it shows all of the stories from around Kent and Sussex, the same as it does in its newspaper version. The web page has many colours on it so that it looks appealing, interesting and exciting to an audience. Adverts are being advertised, yet they have been put in places which fight against the stereotypical conventions of a general newspaper website, instead of putting adverts in places to the side of the main articles and features, they have been put in the middle, yet they have done it in a way which makes it still look neat and tidy. The images used are all mainly long-shots, this is so that you can see the whole of the picture which gives an effect.

The housestyle for the Kent & Sussex Courier is fully consistant throughout all of the pages,all of the text is in a black basic font so it is clear and easy to read, but the hyperlinked pages turn yellow when you hovver over them to show that they are interactive. The title is in the typical convention place, but the webpage is called 'this is Kent' instead of using the name of the newspaper.

Dartford Messenger: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford_messenger/news.aspx

This is the Internet web page for the Dartford Messenger, it shows all of the stories from around Dartford, the same as it does in its newspaper version. It is related to the Kent Messenger and so has all of the same features and interactive elements. The majority of the pictures are mid-shots, but a few are long shots and close-ups.

Just like the Kent Messenger, Dartford Messenger also changes its first house style in to 'Kent Online' as they are both interlinked with each other. The 'Kent Online' house style is consistent throughout all of the other pages, the fonts are all basic and so are easy to read for the audience, the hyperlink text is blue so that it shows clearly how it is interactive. The title is in the left hand top corner as it fits the typical conventions for websites, but the logo is on the right top corner which is against the typical conventions.

Kent Messenger: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent_messenger/news.aspx

This is the Internet web page for the Kent Messenger, it has the  stories and information from around Kent that would be shown within the newspaper itself. It has interactive elements such as ‘Most Read’ stories and ‘Most Commented’ stories, this is helpful as it would be the stories in which the audience would be most interested in reading about. Adverts are also featured for several different companies. The images used are generally mid-shots or close-ups.

The Kent Messenger changes its house style from 'Kent Messenger' to 'Kent Online', although this house style is consistent throughtout the rest of the pages and the title is in the general placement for a web page convention, but the logo is against the typical conventions as it is in the right side. The fonts used are basic and so are easy to read, the hyperlinks are blue so the audience is fully aware that they are the interactive elements.

 Dartford & Swanley News Shopper: http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/

This is the internet web page for the Dartford and Swanley News Shopper, it has the local stories and information that would be shown within the newspaper itself, it has interactive buttons underneath for ‘more stories like this’, so if the audience was interested in a particular story then they could read others which are similar and also read the full story. The text is in a very basic font so that it is clear and easy to read, the titles are green so that it is shown clearly that they are an interactive element to the page. It also features adverts for various companies, interactive polls that can be taken, video clips, weather forecasts, etc… All pictures used are relevant and are generally either close ups or mid shots.

 

The house style for the website is consistent, the header of the page stays the same, no matter what page you go on to, the fonts, colours, and images are all also coherent. The stereotypical convention for the logo on a website is the top left corner, which is where the News Shopper has theirs.