Planning

Existing mastheads

To start our planning we researched existing local newspaper mastheads before we designed ours to gain a knowledge of the type of names and the way they are presented:

The word 'Echo' suggests the information keeps coming back around as if it is the voice of the people and the heart of information. 

Colour: The colour of the masthead is fresh and dark blue; this could connect to the sea as Poole is associated with being a seaside town. Blue is also a calming colour however is quite bold so the colour contrasts effectively with the white background. The colour blue is also a welcoming soft colour which connects to a community fitting perfectly with belonging to a community and cohesion, creating a sense of being safe and connected.

Logo: In the middle they have a small image of their head office, which connects with being proud of their roots. It is placed in the middle because it could be argue that it is the heart of the town and without a local newspaper no one will know what is going on in their local area. Without the head office then things will fall apart, and be a breakdown of communication would happen, therefore the head office is an essential part of running the newspaper and making sure things are done and completed.

Font: The whole text has been capitalised which connotes importance and authority. The majority of newspapers have capitalised their masthead so they appear bold and are given prominence so therefore even local papers follows the codes and conventions of a typical newspaper. The edges are sharp and straight symbolising how serious the newspaper take them and also wanting to evoke a serious tone.

Colour: The masthead has two colours, these acts as a barrier between the two words. The black font represents the local area, this has been capitalised which symbolises its importance. The blue text only has a capital letter, showing correct grammar and also the name of the paper. It looks less formal suggesting the content may be informal. The font also looks quite soft and inviting which could suggest the area is welcoming and a close community. The word ‘Gazette’ is typically associated with the lexical field of a newspaper name, showing that it followed the codes and conventions of a newspaper name. 

Logo: This paper doesn’t have a logo; this could be because it feels strong enough not to have one. Although most papers do not have logos as the font/ text is normally the aspect that they are associated with. It could also be because they want to appear to be simplistic.

Font: The masthead has two different fonts; this could represent the overall effect as the black font represents the area which has all been capitalised showing its importance and the ‘Gazette’ is in the blue, the font appears to come across more softer with the curved edges, rather than followed with the same font as ‘Brentwood’ showing they want to come across approachable and friendly.

Colour:  This logo is very similar to the ‘Brentwood Gazette’ which shows that this kind of masthead is popular among local papers. Once again the masthead is split into two colours; black and red. However it differs from the Brentwood Gazette because it has not been capitalised. Romford is black and not as bold as the ‘Recorder’ font, this could be because they wanted to symbolise the diversity that Essex has with the different colours and the non-capitalised could symbolise wanting to be able to give out a softer approach and not appear so threatening which is shown by the softer edges

Font: Similar to the ‘Brentwood Gazette’ this masthead has split its font in different styles, this shows how this is a popular occurrence. ‘Romford’ is seen in a more formal font, this could be because the style of the font seems sophisticated, which is the impression they are trying to give of Romford. Whereas ‘Recorder’ is in red and bolder, with the soft edges it symbolises a friendly effect which contrasts the connotation of red; anger. Both of these colours are associated with importance, as black is normally a colour connected with seriousness and containing factual information rather than entertainment, so the red could juxtapose this. This could be because the paper is trying to give a welcoming sense, instead of a forceful and intense vibe.

The planning of our newspaper name

We then discussed our ideas of our newspaper names and decided which one to use.

Newspaper name- Daily Poole

Format- Tabloid/Compact

Our first decision when planning our newspaper was to ensure that we mainly focused on news around the Poole area. The research we undertook certainly influenced this decision, as we were able to conclude that this was a niche market, and was rarely mainly targeted at such audience. Whilst existing newspapers somewhat targeted their content at the audience that we'll be targeting, the extent at which they did so was limited. Therefore, we will mainly focus on this audience, and whilst the 'Daily Echo' focuses on an audience from both regions, we will be exploiting the market gap by targeting the audience that are just from the Poole area.

Time management

We felt it was necessary to ensure that we scheduled all of the aspects of our planning, appropriately. Therefore, we decided to document arrangements made and use them as evidence of the arrangements. In addition to this, it enabled us to be more at ease when scheduling the other aspects of planning around the aspects that we had already arranged. As a result, we were able to avoid encountering the difficulty of double-booking an event, and instead, everything ran smoothly.  

Plans of progress

Text and Facebook screen shots

Because we are working in a group we send texts and Facebook messages to communicate some of our ideas. We send each other our work and updated each other on our progress.

Focus group discussion

Initially we were planning on filming a focus group where we discussed ideas and gained opinions from a varied audience. However, due to technical difficulties we were unable to record the responses. Instead, we summarised them in notes, and created a powerpoint with all of them featured. Ultimately, this discussion's purpose was to help us ensure that we were on the right track throughout the planning process, especially as it reiterated our finding's through research.

Photos

We took photos and decided which ones we would like to use in our final artifact.

Slow construction article:

We decided to use this article as we felt it would be of interest to the public because the construction has been very slow, the building is really close to the shopping centre in poole and therefore will be familiar to the audience.It was difficult for us to decide which image was appropriate to choose for the construction article, as we were not completely certain as to which would appeal to the audience the most, and have the desired effect. We made sure the weather was sunny on the day these photos were taken in order to capture a certain natural light onto the image making the area look homely and showing it as a nice place to live. the light is reflecting off the windows which draws attention the building. We didn't want to take images in bad weather as we felt it would ruin the shot.

We decided to use mid shot to include enough in the frame for example cones and building equipment in the mise en scene to show the audience what the article is about however the image doesn't show the building or the actual construction taking place creating confusion as the audience may not understand just from the picture what the article was about. The photograph didn't look professional enough to be used as our final image. 

This second image shows more of the location than the first image however we felt it, again, didn't show enough of the building itself and therefore the audience might not recognise the location as well. We felt that including the sign in the background took away from the focus of what the article was supposed to be about and creating confusion to the audience. The shot was taken at a slight angle which worked well as it can show more of the scene however we still decided not to use this image.

Chosen image

We eventually decided to use the 3rd image on our newspaper, as we felt the most important features that supported the article were featured. . The 3rd image also shows the audience the building where the 'construction' is taking place and may be more recognisable to them. We felt by including the background in the photo we created a sense of identity as the audience will recognise the location.

Although the 3rd and 4th image are extremely similar we decided to use the third image because the image is closer to the camera and less of the background is shown. This creates a strong focus towards the building whereas in this image because it appears to be at a slight angle, it may deter the audience's attention, especially as not all of the features are visible in the framing. We also thought the top of the railing looked effective in the frame as it adds to the mise en scene that it is a construction site.

 Image 5 is slightly effective, but the fact that they lack the desired features that would reflect our article solidified our decision to go against using the image. We thought the background in the last image created a sense of identity and familiarity in the area whereas this image did not.

 Image 6 is slightly effective, but it also lacks the desired features and the image we were looking for so we didn't used it.We felt the main focus was on the railing rather than the building. It doesn't include any building equipment in the shot so we decided it wasn't what we were looking for. The image uses a low angle shot suggesting the building is really important almost making it appear as if it was ready to open but we wanted to make it look as if it was incomplete which this doesn't show.

And finally, image 7 does not give much away about the article so the audience wouldn't know much by just looking at the image. The image is one of the most important features on a page as the audiences eyes will be drawn to it and therefore we did not use this image as it did not show enough about the article.

Rise in train prices article

We decided to use this article as the economy is a well discussed subject in the news today. We felt it would be of high interest to many ages as many people use the train services.  We also took these photos on a sunny day so the rain did not take away focus from what the article was really about.

Even though the wiring in this picture is less prominent, it is still visible enough to distract the audience and have an undesired impact and this is the reason we decided not to use this image as our chosen image. We also wanted the frame just to consist of the train track and there is other objects in the mise en scene obstructing this.

The 2nd image on the overhand, didn't contain enough of the wiring in the frame to cement our decision. And we felt the connotations of the wiring (see below) worked with the article. We felt this image contained too much of the scene around the rain track which took the attention away from what the article was about. There is also puddles in the frame which we didn't think looked right in the shot.

In comparison, the  3rd image didn't focus enough on the main subject, which would likely distract the audience's attention away, as well as displease them so we didn't use it.

Chosen image

A shallow depth of field, through a small aperture number, allowed the foreground to be out of focus in this image. We were therefore highly inclined towards choosing this image, especially as we felt positively towards the effect the shallow depth of field had on making the main subject more prominent.The wiring that is present in this image ultimately conveys connotations of uncertainty, fear, and entrapment. Such connotations reflect the purpose of the article, which is therefore why we finally decided to use this image.

High street shop closure article

As Poole Dolphin Shopping Cenre is an iconic location in Poole we wanted to include a story within it. We chose shop closure because there is a high number of shops that close in the area. We felt it would appeal as a personal interest topic.

Whilst the shop is present in both images, the extent at which it is present in the 1st image is  limited. The 1st image's framing distracts the audience's attention as the red bricks are vibrant and draw the eye away from the main subject. In addition to this, the rule of two thirds hasn't been considered, so the framing looks rather unprofessional.

Chosen image

Although both images are significantly similar, we came to the conclusion that the 2nd one was far more appropriate to use for our high street article.The 2nd image excludes the surrounding bricks of the building, and so the audience's focus is immediately brought towards the main subject. The use of the rule of two thirds adds to the images effectiveness, and therefore concludes that it is the most appropriate image of the two to use.

Audience images

When taking both of the above audience images, we took into consideration the fact that many people were more at ease with newspapers articles and contents when they were backed up by regular people's opinions and outlooks. A direct mode of address is also given by both people in order to establish a connection and further draw them into the content, whilst also ensuring them that such content is reliable. The fact that the two people are posing in a rather disgruntled way, supports the articles that they will be commenting on in the newspaper. We ensured that the mise en scene of the image was rather neutral too; in order to avoid distracting the audience, and ensuring that the connection from the direct mode of address is established. 

Sport image

Even though our research concluded that sport articles in newspapers were not the most popular and desired features of all the options, we still felt it was necessary to minimally include at least a reference to sport-related content. This sport's image will feature on the skyline, and will act as a plug to entice an audience that feels a connection with this feature. Furthermore, we will ensure the small article associated with the image on the cover will focus only on sport in the area. This is highly necessary, especially as it follows our purpose of attracting a niche market within the Poole area. The inclusion of this small sport's article will also widen the target audience, which was also one of our main aims of the newspaper's creation.

Progress for our logo and final masthead

Starfish

A starfish was one of our final ideas, because we wanted our logo to symbolise Poole. As Poole is considered a sea-side town we thought that the starfish connects to the sea. As Sandbanks has celebrated twenty-five years as a ‘blue flag beach’ it is considered the ‘best beach on the south coast’ so we wanted to incorporate this into our logo as it is something to be proud of and wanted to celebrate our heritage.

We wanted the starfish to be yellow to contrast the blue masthead and also to connect to the theme of the sea-side. A starfish symbolises love, beauty and rebirth, this could connect to Rupert Murdoch as he has helped recreate failing newspapers and make them popular and successful again. We wanted a positive symbol and feel that a starfish symbolises this as a starfish can regenerate and thought it could link up with hope, courage and confidence which we thought could associate with a new newspaper.

Sailing boat

As Poole is the second natural harbour we thought we could involve this into our logo. We decided to use a sailing boat as it also connects with Sunseekers, we think that Poole has so much good history behind it that we wanted to celebrate and try and comprise this into our final logo. We wanted a simplistic design and logo as we did not want to over complicate it, as from our research we discovered that if newspaper did use a logo that it was very simple or they did not have one. We wanted to include a logo into our artefact as we wanted to reflect the harbour and Poole and felt that the sailing boat represented this.

A sailing boat connotes freedom as we wanted to mirror the ‘freedom of speech’ as it connects with news and communication. The sea is a huge factor as it surrounds many countries; the news/communications could link up with how news/media is a huge influence in everyone life and the news is a large aspect of everyday lives. The sea goes on and on which could link with the news as there is always news and something going on in the world.

Idea one

We wanted to get a range of different logos for our artifact. This is one of the ideas, because our newspaper is going to be based in our local area; Poole, we wanted the logo to be associated with our town.  We thought because we are seen as a sea-side town that we would use a sailing boat because we have the quay and the harbour which is the second biggest natural harbor in the world. We designed this logo on ‘Paint’ but we thought at the end of this that it was too basic and the programme we used was not professional enough, as you can see by the unequal ‘boat windows.’ This programme did not allow us to do what we wanted as it limited our resources and ideas, so therefore we did not pick this particular idea.

Idea two

We constructed this logo on ‘Serif Draw Plus’ as we learnt that we could not design the idea that we wanted on Paint, and we also wanted to experiment with different programmes. We found this particular programme was such an improvement to ‘Paint’as it had many more tools to allow us to try and improve and develop our logo idea. We definitely found out that Serif Draw Plus was much better than using Paint, so we have learnt from this for when we finally design our final logo. We decided not to use this as our final logo, as we wanted something of better quality. We thought that a starfish was originally a good idea, as it is associated with the sea-side. One of the main reasons that we did not use this particular logo is due to the sharpness of the lines, as it is a local paper it still sets a formal tone and we wanted to in keep with this.  

Logo

When creating the Dolphin,  a range of the 'brush tool' on Photoshop was used alongside a variety of shape tools. In order to gain the outline of the dolphin, I firstly compiled the understanding of a dolphin's shape through images off of the internet. Then, I used the 'line' tool and 'path' tool to complete the Dolphin's shape. Once the shape was completed I used the 'colour fill' tool, and filled the Dolphin with the same colour I used in the creation of the newspaper's name. I extracted the same colour buy using the 'eyedropper' tool and selected the colour from the masthead's text. 

Fonts

We looked at some fonts that were appropriate for a newspaper to make sure it looked professional. First we looked at blue and green but we decided just blue looked more effective.

Although a lot of these green/blue fonts are appealing and rather distinctive, they are overly vibrant, and therefore challenge a lot of the conventions, to the point where people are uncertain over the reliability and professionalism of the newspaper. Furthermore, through our research we discovered that mastheads rarely contained more than one colour, and that most of them maintained simplicity, that avoided allowing the audience to have an uncertain outlook on the newspaper. Lastly, although we felt that using two colours would increase audience appeal, the combination of green and blue had rather displeasing results, and seemed to contrast and clash too much. 

The same fonts but in blue

We liked this font because of the boldness so it would stand out on the cover however we don’t feel as if it was professional enough also we feel it make take the attention away from other more important aspects on the front page for example the main headline.

This font was our second choice because it fits the typical codes and conventions of a newspaper masthead which looks professional we also like the rounded edges of the lettering however we decided against using it because it was just to similar and we want out newspaper to have a personal identity.

We somewhat liked this font because it is bold and would be prominent on the page. However we did not feel it looks professional because the lettering is too bulky mainly, the letter ‘A’, so we did not decide to use it.

This font is also effective however it is not as rounded as the one we decided on which will give the newspaper a more personal feel.

We felt this font looked to old fashioned because of the lettering so we decided to use a more modern font as it will be a new local paper.

We liked this font because of the rounded lettering however we didn't feel the letters were bold enough so it wouldn't be as prominent on the page.

Chosen font

This font highly appealed to us because of the contemporary, modern feel to it. The fact that the font contains distinctive points and edges gives a certain, absolute feel to it. As a result, the impression it leaves on the audience is that the contents of the newspaper are completely reliable, and that it has certified itself in a professional manner. Such design, ultimately, exudes a professional feel. Finally, the considerably large spacing in between the letters adds to the clarity, and allows for the logo that will be inserted in the middle to look less condensed and compressed. This, combined with the prominent points on the letters, is what gives it such a distinctive feel that cemented our decision to choose it.

Final idea

When constructing the final masthead, we paid a lot of attention to the significance of the logo, and how we combined it with the name of the newspaper. We experimented with placing the logo beneath the text, but finally came to the conclusion that placing it in the middle of the text, slightly above it, was most appropriate. The placement of the logo felt necessary, as it gave a sense of clarity and organisation to the masthead. Moreover, whilst the dolphin has large connotations of the Poole area, the placement gives the impression of the dolphin jumping up, as if it's ambitious and determined. Such impressions could impact the audience's outlook towards the newspaper, especially as they're likely to be more inclined towards buying it if the masthead's connotations have a positive impact on them.

Headlines

Slow construction article

'Slow construction as neighbours raise safety fears'

We came up with the idea of using this headline as a result of understanding that the audience may feel as though they are able to relate to the matter, and may be able to understand the issues being raise. Whether this understanding is a result of personal experience or not, the fact that the article is raising the awareness of the issue in the local area, it's highly likely that it will raise the interest the audience feels towards it. Debates regarding 'safety fears' in modern society are rife, and this further enhances the appeal the newspaper has towards the audience. However, the fact that this is an isolated incident does somewhat lessen the appeal to a lot of the people; especially as people who aren't directly affected by it may not feel it's not important enough to grab their attention on the cover.

Rise in train prices article(front cover):

'Train fare uproar'

Our decision to use this article as our main headline was very thorough. We compared this headline to the other headlines, and took into consideration which article would reach the targeted audience the most. It was difficult to choose between this article and the high street closures article, especially as shop closures are likely to impact all the people we are targeting. However, we highlighted the fact that trains and traveling has more of an impact on people than shop closures will, especially as it's not an isolated, small, incident, and will extensively effect the people that are directly affected. Moreover, a rise in train fare's article is likely to appeal because as well as the political content it holds, it also holds economic content. In comparison, it's less likely the audience are going to be directly affected by any economic issues that the high street article suggests; unless they are affiliated, or have a close relationship with the establishments discussed in the article.

High street shop closures article

'End of the high street nears'

As explained above, it was a difficult decision when discussing whether or not we would use the train article or this one as our main article on the newspapers front cover. This article idea raises questions over the high streets future, especially by giving the impression of hard news by bluntly saying 'end' and 'nears', which immediately puts forward the idea to the audience as it is, which follows the idea of the hypodermic needle theory. We felt a lot of our target audience would feel that this article appeals to them, the age range that it targets is however, likely to be more restricted, as more teenagers are likely to feel that the article appeals to them more so than an elder audience.

Front cover

We wanted to follow the codes and conventions of a typical newspaper because we didn't want to break the boundaries. For our front cover of our local paper, we decided to follow the conventions, so like any newspaper we have designed our masthead to go at the top, so the name is presented clearly to the audiences. We have also placed our main story on the front page top attract the readers, as from our research that we conducted we discovered that most people are more than likely to purchase a paper because of the headlines, because it entices them. We have also constructed our artifact to have a large primary image on the left hand side, so the headlines will connect and link up with the primary image, to display the clarify of the main article.

We have also included columns because they are a typical format and layout of a newspaper, the majority of newspapers have a few teaser columns on the front page, so the audience would have to purchase the newspaper to find out the rest of the information/article. Our design of our newspaper has characteristic of a local newspaper these include; a skyline, advertisement or puffs to entice the audiences more and also a caption underneath the primary picture to briefly explain the image.

Poster planning

We then created a mock up of what our poster would roughly look like:

When deciding on the headline to use for the poster, we decided to avoid going against the codes and conventions too much. Whilst we've conventionally included a masthead on the layout to make it clear to the audience which newspaper it is, the masthead's contemporary design widens the audience that consume the product. Furthermore, we've decided to include a box at the bottom of the poster that offers further incitement to our targeted audience. This area at the bottom of the poster will include further information: such as other articles, freebies and adverts. Ultimately, we've tried to somewhat differentiate this artifact from pre-existing products, whilst still ensuring we don't confuse and disengage the audience by breaking too many conventions.    

However we felt that although this poster had some good qualities for example the position of the masthead is nice and clear and given prominence on the page and therefore the audience will know exactly what newspaper is being advertised. We also liked the dramatic feel to the headline and the question mark which makes the audience ask the question in their head and want to read the article to no more. We felts the fonts worked well on the page and the colours complimented each other. The banner at the bottom acted as a nice frame for the poster. However we didn't feel the overall layout of the page looked professional enough. for example, after analysing existing posters we have found out that the headline is put in box like structure so all the text appears neat and together however above we haven't done this and instead the top line of the headline has more text. We also felt that the day of the newspaper 'Thursday' should be placed underneath the masthead so the masthead is the first object on the page and the first thing the audience will see.

Final layout of front cover

Front cover final layout:

As the front cover of a newspaper is the first artefact our audience will be able to interpret when investing in the newspaper, it's important to take into account the effects that the features included will have on the audience. We tried not to change many of the features that we had initially planned to use in our first layout idea, in order to avoid confusion and misinterpretation from the audience. For example, changing the placement of the masthead to the bottom of the newspaper would completely change the conventions of a newspaper, and therefore give the audience the impression that it's a different media form- such as a leaflet or magazine. Like with the poster for our newspaper, we felt it was highly necessary to include advertisements and puffs blew the skyline. Whilst we felt the skyline should be placed above the adverts in order to immediately and conveniently inform the audience of important information, the adverts can draw in further attention toward other important features such as the headline, subheading and image. 

 

Main body and headline font

When producing our final layout ideas, we ensured that we had incorporated our main body and headline font in order to gain a better understanding of what our final artefacts would potentially look like. We felt that the 'Gnuolane' font worked in cohesion with the other aspects that would feature in the newspaper, especially as it maintains the conventions of a typical newspaper font- in terms of it being large and bold. Moreover, whilst it slightly differed from the masthead's font, and we were able to differentiate the two; they still worked well together, and resultantly gave a professional feel to the newspaper. Upon deciding to use this font, we were initially going to use it in a blue format. However, further analysis of this eventually led us to choose a black format instead. Our decision to do this was the result of the realisation that if the headlines were to be the same colour as the masthead, there would be extensive confusion when the audience try and differentiate the various features within the artefacts. 

Layout of next page on newspaper

For our double page spread we wanted to concentrate on one main story, this was because from our research that a double page spread focuses on one. This was because a main story/article normally contains a lot of information that appeals to the audience, as it encloses a lot of details within the article. Once again we wanted to follow the codes and conventions, so we will input our primary image on the right side this time. This lead us to this decision because we wanted the columns to be on the left hand side, as people read from left-to- right and also in the shape of a ‘Z,’ in a double page spread the article is the most important item as that’s the main reason reasons people purchase a newspaper: for the information/article. Once again underneath the primary image a caption will be there to explain the image to the readers.

From our research into our own local paper, ‘Daily Echo,’ we were interested in the layout that it presented, throughout the sides of the paper it included mini articles, these were seen as both serious and humorous stories to lighten the mood but also to keep in tone with the formal newspaper, we thought that this these were good features to include in the newspaper so we have also included into our own plan.

In the majority of newspaper a dropdown letter has been included, which we have also included into our plan. The final decision into whether we will keep this feature/idea will come when we will conduct and create our artifact. We have also intended to contain subheadings, which briefly sub up the article as this was seen as a common occurrence in our research. 

Next page of newspaper layout

 

When producing our final layout idea for the double page spread, we made sure we paid a lot of attention to the initial ideas we addressed with the features that we would include. Again, we ensure that the majority of text was placed on the left-third of the article, especially the main headline- as this is the feature that ultimately draws the audience in to the main article. In addition to this, we felt strongly towards placing the main image close to the headline because it gives an added sense of clarity and organisation to the newspaper, as well as showing a clear linkage between the main headline and image. We did, however, make the addition of inserting the conventional newspaper date on the top of the double pages, as well as the name of the newspaper, and the section the article is in. Whilst the addition of the newspaper date and name is an incredibly conventional feature to include in a newspaper, references to the section that it's in isn't necessarily included in every newspaper. This addition served our purpose of reaching the niche market and our target audience, as it acts as an easily understandable indicator that many teenagers may require, as well as expanding the sense of organisation that the newspaper exudes. 

 

Radio advert planning

Too begin planning with our radio jingle planning we emailed a music teacher at our school, to arrange a room for us to create our jingle. We wanted to experiment at first and then start to plan it. We emailed Mrs Lloyd on the school network, to see if it was possible for us.  

 

 

Progress of front covers