Evaluation

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products ?

My media product challenges conventions of a local newspaper and website, as I have given it a strict identity throughout and not colour-coded my categories, leaving the colours the same for each category and just colour coding the articles and pictures the same on each section. I try and develop the conventions by including less advertisements, leaving more space for bolder headlines and bigger pictures, so that it is easy to read and understand with an eye-catching view for the target audience. There is obvious usage of conventions that my media products use and every media products use, such as big, bold headlines with large and small pictures to match. This is essential for both newspaper and magazine as the audience need to see more than the article to be interested in reading the actual article below the heading and picture.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I believe that both newspaper and website have a great effect together. I have used strict colour themes throughout and used the same articles for both products, so that the continuity of both can be recognized. However I have made my website far more user friendly and simple as I believe an interactive approach would be for the younger end of my audience and would find it far more easier and fun to browse and read through something easier, yet I have given them the option to click to read further. Whereas with the newspaper I have given full articles for main stories. This is the conventional ways for a newspaper, however I have challenged the conventions of a website with my own product.

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I have learnt a lot from audience feedback as said before in previous posts, actually making significant changes to my products due to popular demand from my audience feedback. I have learnt that not to always follow what I want if I do not fit into the target audience myself, and before finalising a product I should ask for feedback at several different stages throughout the design process. In addition to this I also learnt new skills and how to develop a product professionally by adding weight to articles to separate the text, and using professional drop capitals and paragraph indents.

4.How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I used Photoshop and InDesign last year, however I have developed my techniques further, being able to accommodate a PUG space as well as a Bleed Space which is needed for Print. In regards to evaluation I have developed my blog further using screen shots and images of all my work throughout.
However when it comes to the website, it has been extremely interesting as I have been introduced to Dreamweaver to upload my website and gin HTML knowledge of how websites work. I have also learnt how to create animation on Photoshop which i used for my advert for my Newspaper I find this far more affective and would use it on the Newspapers website, and animation is versatile for any interactive product.


In conclusion I am happy with the products I have produced, however I believe they could be vastly improved if I would have taken my research deeper and wider, so that I could of specifically gained what my target audience wanted. Where technology is concerned I do not believe I have faulted at all, and have gained a sustained experience in using all Adobe products. If i could improve one product it would be the website, as I believe websites can be extremely versatile and I would like to have aimed at several different target audiences and make it more personal to me. However for conventional reasons it wasn't possible. On the whole I am extremely happy with my media products I have produced. Nevertheless when it comes to research I believe I need improvements significantly to gain the specifics for my target audience and personally an understanding into why the audience want what they want.

Research

Evening Echo Website and Newspaper: www.echo-news.co.uk

- 3 separately designed columns
- Latest headlines vertically down the first two columns
- Advertisements/Tv listings/ Weather/ Travel/ Job Listings... these are the sub-headed links.
- News is separated into Picture/Headline and article.
- Colour coded categories
-Advertisement links at the bottom of the page

I have decided to not follow the conventions of this website, as i believe the target audience is for a maturer audience than mine, therefore I do not find it suited to abide by their layout.
Nevertheless I did find it helpful to leave advertisements and competitions at the bottom of the page, so that they have to browse through the whole site, before they reach the advert or competition.

Research

Enquirer Website and Newspaper: www.theenquirer.co.uk

- Set across 3 larger columns - 3rd column on right more animated and pictures of weather and 'Hot Topics'
- Whole page split into 2 horizontally (News/Sport)
- Red/White/Blue colouring is British and similar to the newspaper.
- Latest news - Picture, headline, short article with optional link to read more.

This is extremely similar to my website where each article has an option to read further, and the colour theme throughout which not only follows a British theme but also gives it an identity through both print and website. As well as this i also decided to split the news and sport into 2 different columns with a symmetrical look for pictures and articles to make it eye-catching for my target audience.

Research

Metro Website and Newspaper: www.metro.co.uk/home

- Colour coding for categories
- Roll over top stories
- Split into 3 columns, the 3rd column on the right is mainly for advertising
- Top stories are mainly showbiz based and factual serious news based, spread across the other 2 columns.
- Below the main stories the articles are split vertically across the 2 columns.


This is very similar to my products as vertical and horizontal articles are set out the same as the target audience are the same. My mast-head is also based very similar. However this doesn't seem to have a theme for colours and mainly focuses on blue.

The Website

This is my website for my newspaper, as you can see I have heavily followed the colour scheme throughout both print and web. This just helps the newspaper get noticed and give it a real theme and identity that the target audience can relate to. A colour scheme that is simple but effective.

I have kept the articles the same throughout so that the audience can relate, I have also decided to use the same layout as many of the other local newspaper websites. (www.southendecho.com) With a symmetrical look to it so that it is attractive and easier to understand for the audience I'm aiming at.

I have included a greater competition on the website which will be advertised in the newspaper, I have used a picture stretching the width of the page to draw attraction and to make the reader continuously browse through the whole of site before getting to the competition.

The second page above links to the sport link at the top of the page

2nd Page Newspaper

This is the 2nd page of my newspaper. I have followed the colour scheme throughout as this helps gain my target audience with Red, White and Blue.

When asking my target audience about copies before this, I shortened the main article and moved the picture to the left and the text underneath the picture. This follows a conventional look of a local newspaper as there are far more adverts on each page and shortened articles. I have decided to follow these conventions as I believe it is far more attractive and once again gives the paper a professional touch.

When looking through local newspapers, I noticed they all have contact details on the 2nd or 3rd page, as it is a local newspaper I believe contact is important so I included it to the left of the page, so that it is easily noticed and does not deter from any of the articles.

I have chosen to separate different articles and pictures with weighted rectangles so that it is clear to read and understand what articles and pictures go with what, and so that the adverts can be seen more clearly.

The page number and details at the top of the age add professionalism to the page and make it easier to understand what page of the newspaper it is. This theme will follow throughout and is conventional of any newspaper.

Front Cover Newspaper

These are my final 2 copies of the front cover of my newspaper. I have decided to make changes to the first copy due to feedback received from my specific target audience. My paper targets a younger male or female between the ages of 20-40. I have illustrated this by using big, bold and simple colours (Red, White, Blue) these are commonly youthful colours and will work in favour in attracting my target audience to the paper. As well as this I have included big pictures with a big bold headline, this catches the eye straight away, and makes it an easier read, if the picture and headline tell most of the story. To add even further interest to my newspaper I have added a cinema voucher to the front cover, from research it is founded that people between the age of 20-35 will visit the cinema more regularly than under 20's and over 40's. Therefore even if they are not interested in the news, they will pick up the paper for the voucher and then the bold colours, headlines and pictures I have used will attract them to read on throughout the rest of the paper.

In regards to the changes made between the two copies. Firstly I have separated the byline and subheading so that it is clearer and easier to read. In doing this I made the text of the sub-heading increasingly bigger so that the text isn't bunched up and it doesn't look like it joins the article. As well as this I included a drop capital for my article and indents to my paragraph to make it look far more professional and giving my newspaper that print quality where finishing touches make all the difference.

I had also made some changes to the sport section of the front cover. I decided to spread the title across the whole section as I wanted to make a bigger and bolder headline so that I can fulfill the attraction to my target audience. Furthermore I included bullet points for the main points to once again make the section look far more professional than before. Lastly I included thin separation lines in between each mini article so that the reader has a clear understanding where one article finishes and another starts.

Whilst talking about professionalism in my first copy of my front cover my voucher in the bottom right hand corner was very pixelated. I have learnt a new skill in how to refine and flatten my image to make the pixels far brighter and the wording a lot clearer. It has added immense amount of quality to my newspaper and I have learnt to always have a crisp image with maximum pixel potential in any print product I produce.