From evaluating local newspapers I found that their overall layout is designed entirely to portray the impression that the newspaper is serious and trustworthy to audiences and that it is telling the truth in its content.
From researching local newspapers, I found that the masthead is positioned at the top of the page which helps to identify the newspaper, for example the Harrogate Advertiser or Knaresborough post titles. The date is also included on the front cover, typically placed underneath the left of the masthead in a small, clear font.
The price is located to the right of the masthead and from researching, I found that most local newspapers are priced around 90p so from identifying this, I will use this price range for my newspaper. The barcode is positioned near the bottom of the front page above the advertorial space. Advertorials are part of the editorial content of the newspaper. In most cases, it is positioned at the top and bottom of the page and so this has informed me to use advertorial and position it in the same places to retain conventions. I will also take into consideration the use of byline on the front cover which is the name of the journalist who has written the article or feature as well as remembering to use lure to capture the reader’s attention and for them to want to carry on reading the article further in the newspaper.
In addition to this, I also identified the website address, in which I will most likely position it at top centre of the front page as this is where it is located in most local newspapers in order to attract the audience and provide further information for viewers benefits. Adding to this, the use of photography and graphics to illustrate and support an article and to provide a visual explanation of the event is something that I found a popular convention in my research. From looking at the Harrogate Advertiser, I can see that only main articles use images to support the text, for example, the article ‘Lucky escape for river-plunge driver’ uses an image of 8.8cm by 15.7cm so this size is something I will take into consideration when creating my own decisions and newspaper front page.
From evaluating my research it has made me understand that I also need to include captions; written text under a photograph to anchor the image, so that I am following the generic conventions of a local newspaper. Further analysis of newspaper front covers in which will inform my final decisions, I found that main headlines use bold lettering of a typical font size of around 24, and the text supporting the headline to be of a small, simple font style such as Times New Roman. This connotes a sophisticated and formal appearance for the newspaper and is something I will use for mine. Each article headline is in bold lettering and in a larger size than the article text yet they are not as large as the main headline as this is what draws most attention to the reader.
The use of capitals is used purposely used in some occasions such as to highlight a specific word or phrase, yet I found that capitals are used on every beginning word on each article on a front page, so this is something I will use for my newspaper.
The use of text colour is used to illustrate advertorials at the top of the page, for example, ‘The World Cup Fever,’ ‘Meet the Winners’ and ‘Bonny Babies’ on the top of the Harrogate Advertiser and Knaresborough Post, are filled in blue. From identifying this feature, I will go on and use this for my newspaper as it is following the typical conventions and attributes.
The main headline is the largest font and size on the page, for example ‘School’s 20mph Victory’ as it highlights the importance of the news event. This is apparent for every newspaper and so is something I will imitate clearly in my own newspaper front cover. I have also distinguished the amount of space between paragraphs in my research as this is something important that I will need to know when it comes to designing and structuring. For example, one of the Harrogate Advertiser’s main articles; ‘School’s 20mph victory’ includes 19 short paragraphs, with a 0.5cm gap between each column. Therefore, this has informed my decisions by making me aware that this is a rough size gap that I need to use for my newspaper.
Therefore, for my mock-up I included all of these conventions as well as analysing sentence structure and layout from the local newspapers. I found that a typical main headline/article consists of a supporting image and, for example the ‘Nidderdale Herlad’ uses up to 98 to words and 4 paragraphs which are quite short yet as it is a main headline it captures the reader’s attention successfully. I also found that the ‘Harrogate Advertiser’ typical sentence length for a main article was 7.5cm across and 5 cm vertically. I found that smaller stories tended to be positioned along the sides of the page, for example on the Harrogate Advertise r, the right hand column, consists of 9 cm vertically and 4 cm horizontally. By evaluating the structure and layout of the newspaper, it has informed decision for my newspaper as it will use similar sentence lengths and structure in order to maintain conventions of a local newspaper.
Overall, through planning and research, including supportive evidence, I am able to evaluate the outcomes of local newspapers and have made some decisions about what I will and need to consider when producing my own newspaper. In addition, from evaluating generic conventions, it has made me understand the typical principles of a newspaper that are needed in order to classify as this media form and for me to successfully produce a successful replica or suitable mock up.
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