Logo Research/Planning

Following research into traditional newspaper, i found that the majority of newspapers include a logo on their masthead which accompanies the nameplate. The logos vary from random shapes to specifically meaningful objects. As my newspaper is a local paper, i want to ensure that Bristols heritage is included within the paper. The font selected for my nameplate helps do so by reflecting a slightly nautical theme, as does the blue colour scheme. Therefore, i have chosen to include an anchor for my logo as it will help reflect Bristols nautical heritage which will help show that the paper is local and trigger the attention of local readers.

In order to gain some inspiration when designing my logo, i have chosen to include some inspirational images below.

 I find this logo is very simple, which helps create connotations of simplicity which could look effective next to the nameplate of my newspaper as the font is very detailed. Therefore the simplicity of this logo would ensure that it wasn't too overpowering. However, the fact that the logo is very symmetrical and simple could create connotations of structure and organisation which would make the newspaper appear very structured and organised as opposed to relaxed and comfortable to read.

 I find this logo very interesting as it combines the use of lettering to the logo which could help link the logo into the nameplate more effectively. I also find the use of swirls and flicks interesting as it help make the logo much more intriguing. However, the use of such swirl could make the logo appear much more feminine which could limit my audience as well. Also, the logo does appear very bold which, next to my nameplate font, could appear slightly overpowering, therefore its unlikely that i will include this technique in my final logo

This logo appears very interesting as it combines several nautical aspects such as a ship wheel and rope. This would help create stronger nautical connotations to strengthen the idea of reflecting Bristols heritage within the paper. I also really like the way the logo appear slightly cartoon like with the use of a distorted anchor and bold mixture of colour which helps the logo appear fun and interesting. However, the fact that the logo appears so animated could cause the paper to appear less mature and could limit the audience to a younger population. Therefore its unlikely that i will use such aspects in my logo.

This logo also uses the idea of combining several nautical aspects. This would also help create stronger nautical connotations which would help strengthen the idea of reflecting Bristols heritage. However, unlike the logo shown above, this logo appears much more structured and formal, similarly to the first logo mention. This would therefore ensure that my newspaper appear formal and informative which would follow the traditional conventions of a conventional newspaper.






Overall, from researching the logos shown above, i hope to include aspects from each of them. I want to ensure that my logo has very obvious nautical connotations to help reflect Bristols nautical heritage. I also want to ensure that my newspaper appears fun and exciting through the use of colour and pattern, however i still want to ensure that my newspaper appears formal and informative as so i must ensure that the logo doesn't appear too overpowering, especially when featured next to my nameplate font.

Advert Research

Following the decision to include a retail advertisement offering 25% off of a retail store and the opportunity to win an iPad inside the paper on the cover of the newspaper, i chose to conduct some further research into existing adverts of a similar style. This will help me ensure that the adverts that i generate follow the traditional conventions included in a stereotypical retail advert and competition advert. Therefore i have chosen several adverts which i find particularly inspiring and analysed their most successful aspects.

Retail advertisement
The image shown on the left shows a retail advertisement for New Look. I find that the simplicity of the advert helps make the advert appear formal and matter of fact which would work effectively in my newspaper as it would help create connotations of formality which would help the advert follow traditional conventions of a typical newspaper. I also like the way that the model featured appears happy and cheerful as it helps create connotations of fun which counterbalances the simplicity to ensure the advert doesn't appear boring. However, the use of black and white makes the advert appear very bland which would mean that the advert wouldn't appear very bold on the page. Also, the simplicity of the models outfit doesnt really advertise the company very effectively therefore i hope to enasure that the outfit included in my final advert appears bold and exciting to portray the company in a much more positive way.

The image to the right shows an advert for Topshop. Similarly to the advert shown above, this advert utilises the use of simplicity through the use of simple poses and black and white. However, unlike the image above, the use of moody posing and lighting portray the retail business as dark and intense which is not the effect i hope to achieve in my advert. Also, although the juxtaposition of a black and white image with a coloured one helps ensure that the image doesnt appear too bland which would help the advert stand out on the page effectively. However, the fact that the coloured image seems to have a blue tint which gives the image cold connotations and the other colours used dont seem as bold which could prevent the advert from appearing bold and dominant on the page.

The image to the left shows an advert for the retail business of H&M. This advertis my favourite of the three as it utilises a variety of conventions which make the advert appear appealing. The use of bold colour and the logo in red helps emphasise the company and would ensure that the advert appears bold and dominant on the page. Unlike both of the adverts mentioned before, this advert features both men and women as opposed to just women which would help ensure that the advert doesnt just appeal to women. Also, the use of an action shot helps create connotations of excitement and fun which would also help portay the company positively as well as ensuring the advert stands out effectively on the page.

Opportunity to win an iPad
 The image to the right shows an advertisement for the opportunity to win an iPad 3. I find that the simplicity of the advert works well as the use of a white background help ensure that the colours stand out effectively. However, the juxtaposition of the white iPad against a white background could cause the ipad to become lost within the image which defeats the point of advertising it. The use of fuchsia works effectively as the colour appears bold and bright against the the white. However, the use of such a feminine colour, as well as the use of a flower shaped background for the 'win' and the inclusion of the flower on the iPad could make the advert appear very feminine which could limit the audience to just females. Therefore, its unlikely that i will use this colour on my advert.

The image to the left shows another advertisement for the opportunity to win an iPad. Unlike the advert previously mentioned, this advert uses much more gender neutral colours such as red and green which avoids the advert appearing limited to appealing to one gender. The advert also appears much busier than the simple advert shown above with the use of a patterned background, quite a lot of large text which could work effectively as the advert would appear very bold on the page. However, the use of such background and text could cause the actual iPad to appear lost on the page as well as the advert appearing much too busy for the page. Therefore its much more likely that i will incorporate the idea of simplicity within my advert so that it doesn't appear too overpowering on the page.

The image to the right shows another advert for the opportunity to win and iPad. I feel that this advert is the most effective out of the three that i have chosen to analyse. I find that the utilisation of simplicity in this advert works effectively as it allows the majority of the focus to be placed on the ipad itself. However the use of a white iPad against a white background could cause the iPad to become lost in the background therefore its unlikely i will use this technique in my advert. Although the first advert mentioned also utilises the idea of simplicity, this advert combines the simplicity with bright, bold and gender neutral colours which helps avoid the advert from appealing to just one gender. I also like the way that the iPad is set to its home screen as opposed to a flower as it also helps ensure that the advert doesn't appeal to just one gender.

Advert Ideas



The image above shows a few possible adverts which i could involve when creating my own newspaper. The majority were inspired by adverts which are typically involved in a traditional newspaper. The idea of including advertisements for local businesses and local hairdressers would work effectively as it would help promote the smaller businesses and the fact that they are local would help trigger the interest of local readers. Therefore its much more likely that i will include oppurtunities for the reader. The use of discounts and oppurtunities to win things such as an Ipad or Iphone are much more likely to appeal to the audience as they are benefitting from buying the paper which would make it much more successful. However, i must ensure that each of the oppurtunities appeal to both male and female readers of a range of ages therefore i have chosen to counterbalance each of the oppurtunities by offering a chance to win and Ipad and a 20% off voucher at  a local independent clothing store.



Headline Font Ideas

Similarly to my nameplate, i want to make sure that i consider a few possible fonts which could be used for the headlines in my newspaper. A few of my decisions are discussed below:

Headlining Font

The initial font that i considered is shown above. The use of simple bold black lettering helps the letters stand out effectively and give the story a sense of dominance and importance. Also, the fact that the letters are capitalised help give the story a sense of importance too. The use of longer, narrowed letters helps create a sense of urgency which would also ensure the story seems important and serious which would work effectively in my newspaper. This font is also very similar to the fonts used for headlines in other newspapers which, although would ensure the paper follows typical conventions of a newspaper, could avoid the newspaper appearing different and unique which could possible avoid the newspaper triggering interest. Therefore its unlikely that i will use this font for the headlines in my paper.

Dirty Headline

 Another font which i considered is shown above. Similarly to the 'headlining font,' the use of bold black lettering helps the letters stand out on the page and give the story a sense of dominance on the page. The use of capitalisation also helps achieve a similar effect. A feature that i find particularly interesting is the fact that the font appears slight aged and rough which i feel helps give the font the originality and continuity usually associated with a typical newspaper. However, unlike the font previously researched, the lettering is much wider and shorter which means the font loses the sense of urgency and seriousness which i feel is quite essential when choosing a font for headlines. Therefore its unlikely that i will use this font for the headlines in my newspaper.

Headliner No.45

The image above shows the final font which i hope to include for the headlines inside my newspaper. I find this font particularly interesting as it combines the most effective features from both of the previously mentioned fonts. It includes the use of bold black lettering which would help give the story a sense of dominance and importance therefore making it stand out on the page. The lettering is also very long and narrow which creates the sense of urgency and seriousness which would work effectively in my paper. Also, the font has the same aged, rough appearance as the 'dirty headline' font which would help generate the originality and continuity usually associated with typical newspapers, therefore its highly likely that i will use this font for the headlines in my newspaper. 

Further Story Ideas

Cover Stories
The two main cover stories which i hope to include in my newspaper are both local stories. The cover story which i hope to use includes a press release of the opening of the 'Hall and Woodhouse' pub opening soon on the marina. This story should include the following aspects to help ensure that the story is successful:

• Images of the current building process
• Information about other branches
• Information about the opening dates
• Interview with the new owners
• Interviews and opinions of local residents

The story i want to include on the inside page of my newspaper is a local hero rescuing a young toddler from an incident in Parish Wharf pool. The story should hopefully include the following aspects:

• Images of the hero
• Images of the child
• Image of the pool
• Interviews with the child, hero and the childs parents

Inside Page Stories
The main story i want to feature on the inside page of my paper will be continued on from the cover story focusing on the local hero rescuing a young toddler from Parish Wharf. Also, i hope to carry on the main story covering the 'Hall and Woodhouse,' onto the inside page so that i can ensure that more detail can be covered and the story appears in more depth. Other stories which i hope to include in my inside page are as follows:

• Local school events (DT exhibition)
• Students shoplifting

Story Ideas

 

The image above shows a few possible stories which could be included in my newspaper. When choosing my stories, i must ensure that the stories are local so that they fit in with 'The Bristol Press' so that the stories appeal to a local audience effectively. I would also like to ensure that the stories appeal to younger audiences as well as more more audiences to avoid the paper appearing too limited to one type of audience. Therefore it is less likely that i will focus too much in school related events as this will limit the paper to a much more youthful audience and focus more on local stories and events. 

Nameplate Font Ideas

Old newspaper Type

The image above shows a possible font which could be included in my newspaper. I chose this font mainly due to its name, however i do like the way that the letters have a slightly wobbly outline which characterises the font and makes it appear unique. However, the use of a wobbly outline could give connotations of doubt and the font could appear unsure which could make the reader feel unsure of what the words are saying. The font is also moderately plain and basic which eliminates any chance of this font being used for the nameplate it would not stand out on the page effectively. User feedback supports this point when it was stated that the font appeared 'bland compared the other ones considered.' However, it is likely that the font will be used in other places for my paper where the font doesn't need to stand out as much.

Goth Ball

Another font which i considered to use in my paper is shown in the image above. I chose this font mainly because i felt that it helped reflect Bristol's heritage. The use of flicks and individually characterised capital letters help give nautical connotations which could reflect Bristols heritage of sailing. I also found that the thick rounded lettering appears much bolder than other fonts researched which would help the font stand out on the page making it effective to use for the name plate. This is supported by user feedback when it was stated that the font is 'bold and strong.' However, the use of a larger space between the letters could give more relaxed connotations which means the paper could lack the formality which much more traditional newspapers include therefore it is unlikely that i will use this font within my paper.

Old English

The image above shows yet another font which i considered to use in my paper. Again, i found that this  font helped reflect Bristol's traditional heritage with the use of flicks, lines and crosses mixed into the capital letters which also give off nautical connotations. I also like the idea of the font appearing slightly medical with the use on flicking off of the letters and joined 's.' This helps give connotations of the newspaper being quite traditional and formal which would follow the traditional conventions of a newspaper. User feedback supports this point when it was stated that the font is 'very formal and old looking.' However, another piece of user feedback stated that the font is 'very similar to the daily mail font,' which would restrict my newspaper appearing unique or different therefore its unlikely that i will use this font for the nameplate on my paper.

Hansa Gotisch

Another font i chose to consider was 'Hansa Gotisch.' Similarly to the font before, i chose this font due to the fact that the font appears to have medieval qualities which would help create connotations of the newspaper being traditional and formal which would follow the conventions of a typical newspaper. However the font could appear slightly more feminine due to the use of swirls on the capital letters. Yet, the use of jaggered lower case lettering helps counterbalance this and avoids the font appearing too feminine or masculine. Although a lot of the user feedback i obtain was mainly positive, the font was also commonly mistaken for the font 'old english,' which means that the font is not very individual or unique therefore its unlikely that i will use this font for the nameplate of my newspaper.


Germanica
 

The image shown above shows the font which i have decided to use for the nameplate of my newspaper. I like this font as i feel it has a combination of the best traits from the previously researched fonts. The use of flicks and lines on the capatalised letters help reflect Bristols nautical heritage effectively which shows the reader that the paper is local therefore triggering local audiences interests. Also the combination of the feminine curves and flicks on the capital letters with the jagged edges of the lower case letters helps ensure that the font doesnt appear to masculine or feminine. The font also appears moderately medievil which helps create old, formal connotations which would follow the traditional conventions of a typical newspaper. User feedback also helps support the idea that the font is 'original' and 'unique' which ensures that my newspaper will stand out effectively compared to other local newspapers. Therefore this is the font that will be used for the nameplate of my newspaper.