Task 7– Flat Plans, Fonts & Development

Broadsheet (Task 7)

Flat Plan 1

MASTHEAD

IMAGE

ADVERT

HEADLINE STORY

HEADLINE STORY

HEADLINE

IMAGE CAPTION

PULL QUOTE

MINI NEWS STORY

This specific flat plan displays a mimicked layout of an actual, typical broadsheet article , where I have included the masthead at the top of the page, which is a common convention and is useful, as it helps to ‘frame’ the page. The masthead is usually followed by the main headline, which is key, as it outlines the story an with out this device, the consumer would be unaware of the theme posed by the content (main body of text). On a standard broadsheet front page, you would find not only the main news story that accounts for the main body of text, but you would also find a mini-news story, which is separate to that of the main article, however, it still holds some relevance, as the eye of the viewer would still be drawn to it. Another convention that I have included within this flat plan layout is a ‘pull quote’, which makes the story seem more interesting in a way, which is why I decided to include it. Also, it is another convention that is commonly found in broadsheet publications, as it adds a sense of interest into the article. The main image is also key, as that is one of the focal points in any news article, however, with broadsheet, there is a formal element associated with it, therefore, the quality of text is valued, as opposed to the visual aspect. I have also included an advertisement section, but this convention is not as common as the others in which I have included, therefore, I may decide not to include this aspect in the future.

Flat Plan 2

MASTHEAD

HEADLINE

IMAGE

ADVERT

HEADLINE STORY

HEADLINE STORY

PULL QUOTE

This specific flat plan is rather different to that of my primary layout, as I have eradicated the ‘image caption’ section, however, in hindsight, an ‘image caption’ would be effective, as it would help to initially ‘frame’ the image. Also, this convention is found in a typical broadsheet newspaper as well. It is notable that the other sections in which I included matched that of my first design, however, I have made the ‘headline’ more prominent in this layout, as I think that the headline is the main aspect of the story, as if it was not for this element, there would be no substance to the story and the consumer would be unaware of the content of the story, if a headline was not provided in the first place.The ‘pull quote’ has also been included due to the fact that it is a typical convention and is effective in the sense that it draws in the attention of the viewer. It is likely that an adult would read this type of newspaper, as it is more formal, however, if a young person wanted to read the article, it is likely that they would be drawn in by the ‘pull quote’, as it makes the article seem more intriguing in general.

Flat Plan 3

MASTHEAD MAIN HEADLINE

HEADLINE STORY

HEADLINE STORY

PULL QUOTE

IMAGE

MINI HEADLINE

STRAPLINE

SIDELINE NEWS STORY

HEADLINE STORY

This is the layout in which I would be most likely to imitate when creating my final product. It is rather different in the sense that it has three text columns for the main story, as opposed to two, which highlights the sheer importance of the article itself. I have included a lengthy ‘sideline news story’, as opposed to a small section, however, in the future, I would most probably alter that and split it into several sections. Also, in this article, I decided to include a strapline, due to the fact that it adds a small summary of the story in a sense, which may make it seem more interesting in general. It also adds a narrative aspect onto the article as well, so that the consumer will get the ‘gist’ f the story from just simply reading the informative strapline. The image has been shrunk due to the fact that on a typical broadsheet, there is a high emphasis on the written content, as opposed to the visual aspect.

Flat Plan 4

MASTHEADHEADLINE

IMAGE

ADVERT

HEADLINE STORY

HEADLINE STORY

MINI NEWS STORY

MINI NEWS STORY

PULL QUOTE

This layout differs to that of my three previous designs, due to the fact that includes two ‘mini news story’ sections, which are fairly realistic in the sense that many broadsheet publications use small news stories to place around the main, focal image to help to break up the extended amount of text. I have altered the size of the image to that of a traditional broadsheet, due to the ‘text’ aspect being more important in stature as opposed to the visual side of things. Therefore, if there is more text, the article will look more realistic in comparison to an actual broadsheet article. Also, I have decided to feature an advert convention as well, even though this is not typically found, I still included it in order to make the layout appear more diverse in comparison to that of my previous design.

FONT STYLES

HEADLINE

Main Body of Text

I chose these specific fonts due to the fact that they are san-serif, therefore, they are fairly simplistic and legible, which will make them more appealing to the viewer. Also, the masthead and the headline typefaces are rather bold and outlined, which initially make them suitable for their purpose. It is important for a font to be clear, as the viewer may become disinterested in the article in general if they are unable to comprehend an ‘abstract’ form of text.

I chose these specific images due to the fact that they relate to the broadsheet (writing copy) article in which I initiated previously, as it documented the events of the night of the Mike Tyson match at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas and the events that occurred after the match itself. These are archive images sourced from the internet and are relevant to the theme of the news story. However, I would not

This is the near-final article layout, where I have included the common conventions of a typical broadsheet publication, such as the headline, masthead, image section (and caption) and a pull quote. I have included two advertisements, even though they are not always featured within a broadsheet, however, they constitute for a rather large section on the page as a whole, otherwise, without them, there would be a considerable amount of ‘white space’ on the page. I think that I am going to alter the second, ‘portrait’ advertisement though, as it does not appear as though it could feature in a broadsheet article, as it is not clear, due to the fact that the majority of the image has been cropped, therefore, in the future, I would have to create my own if I wanted it to fit into that particular shape, so to speak. I am rather pleased with my first advertisement (above the masthead), due to the colour scheme, as thematically, it is correct in the sense that ‘green’ is initially associated with wealth, which links to the ‘Forbes’ feature and also that stereotypically, ‘money’ plays a large part in the art of hip-hop; not only within the lyrics, but also with a visual aspect as well (music videos). I chose to only use one image because broadsheet newspapers generally use a low image:text ratio in comparison to a tabloid. There is a high emphasis on the written content and the sheer quality of it, as opposed to the image aspect, which is viewed as secondary to that of the text.

These three images display the development of one of my potential advertisements, with the use of Photoshop to create the final design. I first inserted the main ‘Eminem’ logo, along with a generic autoshape that would soon be altered. I decided to switch the colour of the shape to red, as it thought that it would make the bold, black text stand out significantly. However, on second thought, I altered the colour and replaced it with an image of the actual album cover in which I was trying to advertise, which I deemed as more appropriate, due to the fact that it linked to what it was trying to promote and the consumer would be able to pick up on this immediately, as opposed to the red colour, which did not connote much really. I placed the ‘Eminem’ logo on a vertical stance, simply because of the orientation of the shape itself. I was going to put it horizontally, although, the text would have to be shrunk and with that, it would not be as effective in catching the attention of the consumer, as it would be miniscule in comparison to the visual aspect (the image incorporated background of the shape).

In the end, I decided to alter the size of the ‘mini-news story’ columns in order to accommodate a landscape advertisement in which I could obtain from the internet, as opposed to creating my own, as I experimented with that previously and it did not work out as planned, therefore, I needed a contingency plan, which I decided would be to change the column sizes, so that there would be enough white space to feature a landscape advertisement that would be sure to grab the attention of the consumer with more ease. I decided to input an actual advertisement in the space at the bottom of the page, where it fitted into the section in which I created fully and it looked as though it could be featured as an actual promotional piece in a broadsheet article, as it is originally a poster for the Kanye West ‘Yeezus’ album, therefore, it is legitimate and professional, which means that it can be used within my broadsheet layout.  

This is the final image in which I have drafted, which displays my overall broadsheet article. I have decided to include a barcode, as well as a price and issue number in order to make it seem more authentic, in a way; as though it could be published into a broadsheet publication itself. In comparison with the masthead for ‘The Times’, an existing broadsheet publication, my own masthead looks rather similar to it, (minus the central design) because of the enlarged, san-serif text that is used within both of these mastheads. Instead of including a central piece (like ‘The Times’), I decided to use an external design, which would initially frame the text and make it stand out more prominently. The ‘scroll’ banner makes the overall piece appear rather professional looking in a sense.

The main advertisement has been placed in a more central location, as opposed to my previous draft, as in this position, it is more eye-catching as a whole. I think that it looks effective in the sense that it is an actual promotional product and that I was going to use my own creation, however, I did not deem it professional enough to include within my final layout, therefore, an inputted image would be the most useful contingency plan.

The pull quote, as well as the drop capital letter, are both effective due to the fact that they are commonly found in existing broadsheet publications, therefore, the consumer would be able to recognise this. Also, because of their ‘emphasised’ nature, the eye of the viewer will be drawn into the article immediately.

The main body of text has been created using a san-serif font (Minion Pro), as I thought that this would be rather legible for a wide range of individuals, not just the primary audience (adult hip-hop enthusiasts). Also, ‘The Times’ use a similar type of font and I took some inspiration from them, which is why I have used this particular typeface.

This specific image is appropriate to feature in this layout, mainly due to the fact that it is very relevant to the written content. Also, it is rather eye-catching because it is the main, focal image; and the attention of the consumer will be focused on this greatly. An image caption has been included into the layout, as it initially narrates the stated ‘image’ and gives the consumer a small, but useful amount of information and background into the content of the article, as well as describing the scenario in the featured photograph as well.

This mini-headline has been included due to the fact that this specific element has been included within other existing publications beforehand, which is why I wanted to feature it. Also, it is kind of like an advertisement too, as it is ‘promoting’ the name of a magazine company (Forbes). It is a subliminal form of advertising that is quite commonly found in existing broadsheet newspapers; such as in ‘The Guardian’, who featured an advertisement on ‘DFS’. The consumer may feel more obliged to purchase the promoted item or product, simply from just viewing it in their chosen periodical.

These two ‘miniature’ news stories are appropriate in the sense that they link to the ‘hip-hop’ theme of the fictional publication. Also, they help to break up the main news story. I decided to use the green colour in which I used for my top header, as it links to wealth (a theme that is stereotypically linked to the sub-culture of hip-hop). Also, these green lines separate the two news stories and make the layout as a whole, appear more structured in general.