Generic Conventions

Generic Conventions

In this post I will make reference to generic conventions that I intend to follow or change/

challenge for my newspaper products.

Colours

To keep to the conventions of a newspaper which is for the North East I intend to use the same sort of colours as the Sunderland Echo and other local newspapers; red, white, black and blue. I intend to use these colours as it will make my audience recognise who the newspaper product is for but I have also used the blue so that it stands out against different newspaper products.

Layout

I have looked at existing newspaper products and have noticed they all tend to use the same style of layout and so I intend to imitate the existing newspaper products so again it will make my audience recognise who the newspaper product is for but I have also used it because I know it works for other audiences and also because it looks professional, informative yet uncluttered.

Content
I intend to use the same sort of content for my newspaper products as I have found from researching existing newspaper products that they signify and represent what I want my newspaper products to be like and so some of my ideas for my newspaper products have come from existing newspaper articles.

North East Niche

I also intend to use landmarks to represent the North East like the Sunderland Echo does as it helps to visually signify where the newspaper is from and who the newspaper is for. I intend to include people from the North East as readers want to read about what is happening in their local area to real people they may know not celebrities; this is what my niche is and the draw to my newspaper products.




Language/Syntax
I intent to use the same formal wording yet my syntax will signify friendliness and be understandable for the average North East man and women. I have gained from my research into newspaper products as well as magazines and adverts that to entice my audience into my products you need to be able to sell what the North East has to offer as well as talk about the negatives such as the crime in the local area and about jobs; a North East audience will want to talk about real life things but will also want to read about other people’s problems and events as it acts as a diversion for them from their real life and so that they can put their own lives into perspective (diversion, Uses andGratifications).

Challenge

The ways in which I want to challenge generic conventions is that I want my newspaper and website and poster to be about real people from the North East, not about celebrities from America but the North East’s heroes, winners etc. So in short the way in which my products challenge generic convention is through my niche; to include people from the North East as readers want to read about what is happening in their local area to real people they may know not celebrities.

Reconstruction Print Task

I used this poster (The Evening Standard) as it is a special edition of the newspaper and as my newspaper will be a special edition as it will be the first I thought it would be a good comparison to have and also a good way to know how to create a similar looing newspaper. 

To create this poster I created a box and used the 'picker' tool to create the same colour as the original poster's background by clicking on the background colour. I also used the same tool to create the orange and white box and changed the layers around so that it was behind the text but infront of the image. I used the 'Horizontal Type Tool' to create the text and changed it by clicking on the 'Horizontal Type Tool', selecting the text and selected the font type I thought looked similar to the original. I then changed the colour by clicking on the 'Horizontal Type Tool', then clicking on the text, then selecting the colour I wanted.

I then went on the internet to find the image which was used on the original poster as I would be unable to recreate the exact same image. I then pasted into Photoshop and stretched the image to make it fit, however when I did this it seemed to be over stretched and so I stretched the image until I thought it to be the right width and height and then I copied part of the image on the right hand side and placed it behind the image so that the model didn't look overstretched. Then by using the 'erasor' tool I made it look like it was the same image, as well as copying smaller parts from the left hand side to make it again look like the same image. I also used the smudge tool to make the copied layers blend into one image. For the black shadowing behind the text I used the 'brush' tool, selecting black and changing the opacity on it so it didn't completely obsure the image, so that you were able to read the text infront of the layer but also to imitate the original poster.

For the logo I was unable to recreate the image and so I went on Google and pasted it into Photoshop editing out the white background by using the 'magic wand tool'.

General and Specifics For My Target Audience

Below is the general and specific details of who my target audience is:

General - In this section there is a list of things I need to think about for my target audience and who my target audience is:

-         Age - 15-30 year olds

-         Gender - Male and Female
-    Occupation - Working Class

-         Colour

-         Ownership

-         Publisher

-         Tone

-         Storyline

-         Price

-         Layout

-         Local Advertisements

-         Local Events

Specifics - In this section I will talk about what type of things my target audience might like and below I will also apply how Blumler and Katz relate to my target audience: 

-         Diversion – It could be a diversion for my target audience as they will be able to escape from their worries to somebody else’s.

-         Personal Identity – My target audience (the local people) will be looking at jobs/careers.

-         Personal Relationship – The newspaper/website could include an ‘agony aunt’. The audience could form a relationship with the writer’s, photographer, editors etc.

-         Surveillance – My product may include surveillance in that it will allow them to keep an eye on what’s happening in their local area; sport, news, events etc.

-         My target audience will be interested in the local community, will have a low income and are working class who would probably watch ITV News.

-         For my products I will try to have a newspaper which is not too political, however there will be a political tone of the local area.

-         My target audience will be interested in the local people and local celebrities.

-         My target audience will be the type of people who will plan to go on staycation holidays rather than going abroad. 

Colour Palette

I have looked at existing newspapers and found that they have the below colour palette:

Due to looking at the colour palettes I have chosen to use the below colour scheme/palette:

Feedback on Newspaper, Poster and Website Pitch

From doing this pitch I was able to define what was good about my product and the areas I needed to improve on.

The comments that I was given can be seen below:

- Adverts used for newspaper
- Price
- Could your advertisement be that it is the 1st edition.

From this feedback I found that I could also include a price for my newspaper and this feedback has also inspired me to change my idea for my poster so that it is advertising the first edition of my product. Also from this feedback it has made me think on what type of adverts should be used for my product.

I also received feedback which can be seen below:

Newspaper
- Would another company be better competition?
- More experience with your age group?
- Red little title implies tabloid - Is that what your market wants?
- local celeb/ interest - good
- Striking image/text - good
- The look of a magazine in a newspaper - appeals to younger crowd
- Inside page - social network
- What local adverts would appeal?
- Look at a variety of covers/pages

Advert
- Use of logo/ writing tone and style
- How will a video reflect your style? - The Sun is a funny/jokey style, for a specific type of class (working class)
- Advertising that differientiats you from the competition

Website
- Keep brand colours
- Variety of content
- Adverts for local businesses and the paper itself
- Video clips good/ news like but dry in their delivery - does it appeal to your age range?

From this feedback I found that I need to look at existing newspapers and finds out how I can 

differentiate my product from existing products so that when I publish my product it won't be too similar to the ones that are already on my publishers. I also need to think about the colours I am going to use for my newspaper as I don't want it to be like any other tabloid and so I may not keep the red for my colour scheme, as it may mislead my target audience. For my newspaper I will try to keep to newspaper conventions, however I will also try to filter some magazine conventions as it will help to bring in the younger people from my target audience. This feedback has also made me think about what type of advertisements I want for my newspaper (local ones) such as advertisement of events happening in the local area. I also need to look at some more existing newspapers so that I can find out more conventions but also so that I can make the newspaper stand out against the others. 

From this feedback I also found out that for my advert I needed to look at my use of logo, writing tone and style as I want people to be intrigued in my advert so that they will buy my newspaper but I also don't want it to be too joke like as the news is meant to be taken seriously. However from looking at these newspaper advertisement like The Sun I have found that to advertise to my target audience I need to include topics that my target audeince could relate to. For my advert I also need to try and keep to the conventions of a newspaper advert but also make it appeal to my target audience so they don't continue to buy another newspaper, and not mine.

From the feedback for my website I realise that I need to keep a house style throughtout my product, however for my website I need to change the content slightly as the younger end of my target audience will be clicking onto my website and so I need to them more than I need to in the newspaper. Despite this though I also believe that there should be content for all of my target audienc to enjoy. From this feedback I also realised that I need to add local advertisements to my website as well as advertisement for my newspaper, as this is the way to link the two product together. I also need to think about the tone of my video for my website as it is still needs to be serious but it also needs to keep my target audience interested.

I also received received feedback which can be seen below:

- Use new technologies such as social media to appeal to a younger audience.
- Based on target audience, perhaps a more informal than formal tone.
- Big, gripping story on inside page(s).
- Perhaps talk about the language used on websites too (formal/informal)

From this feedback I realise that I need to add social network buttons need to be added such as Facebook, Twitter etc, and by doing this it will help to get my target audience interested in my newspaper. I also rethought my idea of having a formal tone for my website as for all news needs to be taken serious to help to appeal to my target audience I will need to give my website an informal tone. However this being said my actual newspaper will try to be more formal as it will be targeted at the older side of my target audience as generally they are the people who read newspapers.

Some more of the feedback I was given can be seen below:
- More specific age range
- Red at top for background with black writing is too harsh and doesn't stand out enough.
- Sunday Post colour scheme looks more youthful and fresh.
- It it's a local paper the videos on the website could be voiced by someone with a local accent.

From this feedback I agree that I need to a have specific age range and so I have decided that for my website it will predominantly directed at 15-24 year olds and for the newspaper and poster it will mainly be directed to the 25-30 year olds. I also agree with the other feedback given in that I need to change my colour scheme so that it will attract to my target audience and I was thinking of maybe using shades of blue, so it doesn't look too similar to existing tabloids/newspapers. I also agree that I should use a person with a local accent for my video as my product will try to focus on the local area and about the local people.

The final piece of feedback can be seen below:
- It is aimed at a young audience - simplistic - well constructed
- Ideas were understandable - talk about the author - humor
- You could put the temperature on the website as it will be easier to update.
- You could research a local newspaper and see how it appeals to the local audience.

From this feedback I agree that I need to add the temperature to my website as this is what they typically do on existing newspaper websites and this feature may also be helpful to my target audience and help to appeal to them too. I also agree that researching into more detail and finding out what the local audience thinks about their local papers will be benefitial as I will be able to find out what and what not to do.  

Pitch for Newspaper, Poster annd Website

This is a powerpoint of the pitch I gave to my peers on what I was planning to do for my product this year.