Sunday 25 April 2010
Evaluation
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Completed Newspaper Website
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Website Layout Designs
2 This design is similar to the one above, however the navigation bar is above the logo, which I haven't seen done on any newspaper website before but I think this could look good as i challenge the conventions. Then the stories are laid out into 3 columns very similar to a newspaper which I think could look very neat and professional.
3 This design is very similar to the first one except the shading on the left hand side is representing the gradient coloured background that I would have. I think this would make it more colourful and more appropriate to the younger student audience the website will have.
After a lot of consideration I think I'm going to base my website on design 1 as I think it looks very neat and professional.
Monday 8 March 2010
Newspaper Website Research
The Echo newspaper website is very open which makes it easy to navigate, there's the navigation bar at the top of the page, below the newspapers logo, this has been done so the viewers can see it as soon as they open the website. All the top and most interesting stories are on the front page, however not the full story, there is only a brief summary of what the story is about or the first sentence, this has been done so the website can fit as many stories on the home page as possible, then the viewers click on the heading of the story to be re-directed to the full story. There are alot of pictures aswell to represent the different stories within the website, these draw the viewers attention to those particular stories and have been used very well as they don't reveal the whole story in the picture. The consistency of the website is very good, all the headings are in the same colour and font, as well as the summary. The layout is quite neat, because of the white background there doesn't seem to be much of a layout as such but from a design point of view you can see it, they have three columns. None of the colours are sore on the eye which has been done deliberately as is a big factor that I will need to take into account as well. I feel the website doesn't look as professional as the others I have looked at as so, overall I think it is an OK website.
The Times
The Times newspaper webite, I think, is the most professional looking, this may be because they have a much bigger audience and thus have more money to spend on their designs. The layout is very neat which makes the navigation very easy, the navigation bar is at the top, below the website logo, which is in the same position as the Echo website so so far this looks to be a recurring design feature. Additionally the headings of each story snippet that the website has on the homepage is also in blue which is also the same as the Echo website, I find this unusual as it is neither of the websites house colours, however in both cases it works very well and is easy on the eye. The Times have also just used their headings and a snippets of text on their homepage and not one full story which must be typical of newspaper websites, which does make sense. There are also alot of small square pictures which are related to the stories on the homepage.
the ONION
I have chosen to analysis The Onion's website as it is a parody newspaper website and so I need to see if they challenge any of the typical newspaper website conventions, and in that case I would need to adapt to those.
However from looking at the website, it looks very similar to the others that I had looked at, the layout is very similar, in columns with a bigger picture and story at the top to draw in the audience. The headings are also in blue which has been the same as the above to websites I have analysed, the little snippets of text to summarise each story under the headings, all the font and colour is consistent throughout the website which I think is very important to the design and so even though The Onion is a parody website/newspaper it is still done in a professional way with a good clear layout and navigation system which has been the same in the other websites.
METRO
The Metro newspaper website, I think, is the most attractive compared to the other three I have analysed. All the text is in black which makes it look professional but there are lines of colour everywhere, seperating stories and highlighting some features, coloured borders which combined with the colour gradient background and navigation bar it makes it look very appealing and 'fun'. The website has also used columns to layout their stories with a bigger picture and main story at the top of the page which is an recurring feature, as well as the logo and navigation bar position.
From analysing all four websites I have now got a much clearer idea of how a newspaper website should look, they are all very similar and so I will now create some designs of how my website should look.
Newspaper Poster Research
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Double Page Spread Development
Now what on earth is this you may ask, well according to our sources, contacts and spys, it is in fact the new university’s student accomodation.
However can you not see the similarities between this and James May’s infamous lego house? I am pretty confident that they have hired ol’ James to build the accomodation after seeing him and 999 others bulding his two story house with 3.3 million bricks. Impressive huh? Or maybe they’re just being copy cats and if that is the case then I bet James May wish he put copyright on it now!
I know it is still being built, but come on, it’s not very attractive is it? What were they thinking? What student is going to want to live in a huge lego piece? Or are we (being oldies) missing the point? And let’s be honest, yellow, blue, grey and white, are hardly the most attractive blocks in a lego set are they?
This accomodation is set to be opened for the first year undergraduates for Southend University, no not the one in Southend which is Essex University but the new university that is to be opened along with the accomodation this September, however that is if everything goes to schedule, and if you have a quick glance to that photograph in the right hand corner over there and you look very closely, just so your nose is touching this paper and then, and only then you will notice there is not one builder or worker on that scaffolding! Tutut, they’re slacking already
As I look at the accomodation, I begin to wonder about the students living there. Is each lego piece a student room? Because realistically, the horizontal ones do not look tall enough to fit student in when they are standing up!
This is mind boggling I must say.
I bumped into a group of students walking past and stopped them to ask for their opinion, here we have Rebecca Marsh, 18, Vikki Farrington and Jake Walker both 17. Kelly Paxman also in the group and is a student at our own South East Essex College said:
“I think they’ve gone for the modern and edgy look to appeal to the students but it’s not very attractive”
“It looks like a maze, how am i supposed to get in?” - an excellent point from Jake Walker, we hunted around together for 10 minutes but there was no door to be seen, it’s an illusion, an illusion we tell you!
Another student we managed to stop by pretending we were a charity said:
“It looks like they’ve mixed up the accommodation plans with their tetris game” SPOT ON LOVE! spot on!
Well we had better stop critising this giant lego land (ok! i’m stopping) and just wait and see!
Just under a week ago we set up SpEEc.com as your favourite newspapers website and we had a huge response to our dating section with hundreds of you signing up to meet other singletons.
Well, we’ve done it, we’ve made our first match that are apparently madly in love with each other already.
Emma Harrington spotted Alex Reid on the first day the website launched and got in contact, she said it was “love at first sight” (of the picture) and she couldn’t wait to meet him. Thankfully Alex felt exactly the same and met up for Mc Donalds later that day for their first date and a Mc Flurry.
The unusual looking pair are so happy together and say they are unseperable.The pair have even taken and sent in a picture to show how loved up they are, with a note saying how they just fit together and how thankful they are to SpEEC.
Well, we try our best!
CONGRATULATIONS STEPHEN NUTKINS who has just recieved the first A* this year, the very special grade has only been introduced this year so we are very proud, he achieved the grade in English Language which is fantastic! To show how pleased we are we are going to take this space to celebrate!
Woooooooooooooo hoo woo woooohoooo!!! yeah yeah Wooooooooop!!!! wooooooooeeeeeee woooooaaahhh wowowowow WOW!!!!!! wooo ooooooooo wowowowow yeahhhhhh! Yeahhhhh, wooooooooo yeah yeah yeah wahey!!!
YAY, yay yaya yaaaaay, congratulations Stephen, well done! You are now our number one student woo hoooooo, yeah yeah! wow woooo wooo wooopeeeeee!! YEAHwoooooooooo STEPHEN NUTKINS woooooo wowoowowowoeooeoeoeoew!!
Stephen Nutkins: If this isn’t enough to show how proud we are of you please cut out the scoff voucher below to claim a jam doughnut!
Double Page Spread Ideas
- The current weather
- Student accommodation
- New newspaper
- New year New decade
- Club Events
- Exam Time!
- College merging
I've taken my bullet pointed list from my previous post of story ideas for the front cover and I only used two - The current weather conditions and a snippet about Clubs in Southend, so I am taking the list again to use for story ideas for my double page spread.
More than likely I am going to concentrate on
- College merging
- Student Accommodation
As I already have the digital photography ready for these articles and they are very important news within the college at the moment.