Task 8 – Flat Plans, Fonts and Development

Task 8 - Tabloid

Tabloid publications differ to that of their broadsheet counterpart, in the sense that the language that is utilised within the content of the newspaper. The headline usually consists of a pun, or it is displayed as an abbreviated version of the story in which it initially ‘headlines’ the main article, so to speak. The text is significantly different to that of a broadsheet, due to the fact that it is rather large in stature, so that it grabs the attention of the consumer, as opposed to a broadsheet, where the font size is rather miniscule in comparison with that of this type of periodical. The front page of a tabloid usually features an image or a news story that relates to a celebrity (such as Keira Knightley in this case). Tabloids can sometimes be viewed as ‘sensationalist ’and have caused much public uproar in the past for producing content that could be seen as rather ‘scandalous’. However, they would defend themselves and say that the content produced is ‘in the interest of the public’. The primary target audience for a tabloid publication are typically individuals that are aged 15-44, however, it is more suited to a younger audience due to the high amount of celebrity and entertainment based stories, which stereotypically appeal to a juvenile audience.

Flat Plan 1

This specific layout includes a large ‘image and caption’ section, which I included due to the fact that tabloid newspapers typically feature a high image:text ratio in comparison with that of a broadsheet publication. Therefore, I wanted to make my flat plan look realistic in the sense that it mimicked a generic layout for a tabloid. I decided to place the ‘masthead’ at the top of the page due to the fact that helps to initially ‘frame’ the layout and makes it appear more structured in a way. It is notable that many publications include a ‘mini featured news story’, which could either promote a company or a product, such as a cosmetic item or an up and coming company. It is a form of advertising and since it is used frequently in existing publications, I thought that I would include it into my layout near the top part of the page, so that it catches the attention of the consumer. The ‘headline’ and the ‘headlined story’ have been placed together, so that the newspaper does not appear haphazard in its structure. I would most probably alter these two typical conventions in the future, as I do not think that I have allocated enough space for them.

Flat Plan 2

This second flat plan differs to that of my first design in the sense that I have put forward an ‘advertisement’ in this layout, which lacked in the previous design. I chose to use this instead of a ‘mini news story’ because it could possibly catch the attention of the consumer more and it would raise the awareness of the company/product much better than it featuring as part of a promotional article. I have included two columns within this layout instead of one, as I deemed it to be more realistic, due to the fact that many publications feature several columns, as opposed to a singular one. The ‘image’ section has been slimmed down in order to secure some more space for the text columns in contrast with my first flat plan. Even though there is a significant emphasis on a visual aspect in tabloid newspapers, the text aspect is still important in order to intrigue the consumer. Therefore, I have altered the ‘image’ box size in order to accommodate the text columns, which would feature the ‘headlined news story’.

 This flat plan layout includes the ‘mini featured news story’ section at the bottom of the page, as opposed to the top, which is rather different, although, I wanted to flip this section into this specific section to see if it suited better at a lower angle. Again, the ‘masthead’ is at the top of the page, as it cannot be featured anywhere else, otherwise, it would not fit in with the typical newspaper layout that you would encounter on both a tabloid and a broadsheet basis. The ‘image and caption’ convention has shifted to the right, as I think that by placing it there, it will catch the attention of the audience greater; especially due to the fact that it is rather central also. The ‘headline’ is one of the most important sections in a layout, as it initially helps to establish the whole page, so to speak. It is notable that when a headline is formed into a pun, it is likely to catch the attention of the audience, due to its humorous and light-hearted nature. I have placed it above of the ‘headlined news story’ section because it links to this part specifically and it is rather central on the flat plan (much like the image convention), so it is likely to draw in the attention from the primary consumer (15-44).

Flat Plan 3

Images

Images in tabloid publications are known to be ‘candid’, due to the fact that they are unprofessional, lacking any form of editing or Photoshop. This specific type of image shows the ‘true’ celebrity, so to speak; exposing them during their everyday lives. Candid photographs are usually more realistic than that of an edited one, as it displays the ‘real’ image of the celebrity, such as Eminem, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West (as pictured). However, even though these pictures help to aid the popularity of the publications, it also has a downside. It s notable that certain individuals in the limelight have taken action against the paparazzi for shooting candid photographs of them, as they do not want their reputation or public image being tarnished. However, this can backfire, as famously, rapper Kanye West allegedly attacked a member of the paparazzi. If a celebrity took action against the paparazzi, there could be a news story created because of it, which could initially damage the career of the celebrity.

Fonts Main Body of Text(Adobe Song Std L)

Main Body of Text(Times New Roman)

HEADLINEHEADLINE

(Adobe Gothic Std B)

(Franklin Gothic Heavy)

I have used these specific fonts due to the fact that they stand out greatly and will attract the attention of the primary target audience (individuals aged 15-44). The ‘Franklin Gothic Heavy’ is rather bold in stature, which contrasts with that of the ‘Adobe Gothic Std B’ font. I think that the ‘Adobe Gothic Std B’ typeface will be more suited to my article, as it is the most legible font out of the two, in which I could use for my headline, as there is a sufficient amount of white space that makes the font appear more eye-catching, so to speak. For the ‘main body of text’, I would use a typeface such as ‘Times New Roman’, as it is clear, although, it has been used in a broadsheet before, therefore, it may not fit in with the conventions of a tabloid. Therefore, the font ‘Adobe Song Std L’ may be deemed as more appropriate for use within my tabloid publication.

Daily Star

I have chosen to use this specific publication to base my article on due to the fact that it features the typical conventions of a tabloid, with the high image:text ratio, colloquial language, use of large, bold text, as well as the feature of colour. I think that this particular newspaper is a prime example of a ‘tabloid’ because of the conventions that are displayed on it, which is why I want to include a similar style into my own work. The use of colour is very prominent within this publication, with ‘red’ being the most featured colour, which is appropriate, as like ‘The Sun’, this specific newspaper is a ‘red top’, which means that it the written content of the newspaper is more likely to be simplistic, as well as informal. In my own work, I will choose to mimic this specific writing style and include pun-based headlines into my work, as this specific convention is apparent in many existing publications, therefore, I will echo it in order for my own piece to be deemed as professional-looking, as though it could appear similar to that of an actual front page of a tabloid publication. Also, I will make sure to utilise a similar typeface style into my final product, as it is a useful feature due to the fact that it catches the attention of the consumer immediately. I am going to make my headlined stories feature in capital letters, so that it matches to that of this ‘Daily Star’ issue and therefore, it will appear more realistic to the actual product, so to speak.

This is the first stage of my development into my tabloid product. I inserted the ‘Daily Star’ logo into my work from the internet. I placed it in the top left-hand corner due to the fact that the actual publication place it in this specific section. I have put this layout into inDesign, making it 280mmx430mm, as these are the generic layout dimensions for a typical tabloid publication. I created a black autoshape, which would be the background for my main, headlined news story, which features bold, white text, which needs a dark background to rest on, otherwise it would not stand out and would not fit in with the theme posed by the ‘Daily Star’ actual layout. I decided to use the typeface, ‘Adobe Gothic Std B’, as it matched very similarly to that of the original font that is used on the front cover of the ‘Daily Star’. I put the headline, as well as the accompanying strapline in bold, so that they would clearly catch the attention of the consumer. Also, I used two linguistic devices, a pun (in the headline), as well as alliteration (in the strapline). It is notable that these specific conventions are typically found in existing tabloid newspapers and magazines; and are useful due to the fact that they add a light-hearted tone into the publication and make it seem more humorous in a way, which will appeal to the young consumers who read these types of print-based products.

This is a further development step, where I have progressed from my primary stage and have included several conventions into my work, such as the featured image of Tupac Shakur, which is necessary, as it links to the written content that is posed by the headline. I utilised Photoshop to cut-out the image so that it would fit in with the theme of the ‘Daily Star’, who also usually feature this type of image onto their front-page article. I created an ‘exclusive’ logo, as this particular word appears rather frequently in existing publications, which is why I decided to use it. I was going to include it as part of the future ‘headline news story’, however, I thought that I would make it separate, as it makes the headline seem more dramatic, so to speak; which is the purpose of tabloids in a way, as they are known to be ‘sensationalist’ in order to grab the attention of the primary consumer (individuals aged 15-44 generally). I also made the text larger so that it would fill the gaps in the main, black box. In order to extent the ‘red top’ header, I included a red-toned autoshape that would initially blend in with the masthead background and appear as one red strip, so to speak.

I have inputted a ‘tropical’ image into my layout, as usually, tabloid publications offer competitions, with prizes such as attaining a holiday. However, I decided that this did not link to the ‘hip-hop theme and I struggled to place it properly, which made me think whether it would be suitable for use within my tabloid article layout. I included a duplicate of the ‘red autoshape’ from last time in order to position the ‘date’, as well as the main, central image onto the layout. On the ‘palm tree’ image, I decided to include a yellow banner around the image, due to the fact that on the traditional ‘Daily Star’ front page article, they inputted this type of ‘framing’ onto their main photographs, which is why I wanted to include it, as I want my design to mimic that of an actual tabloid front page. I may choose to alter the text for the main image (Eminem) in the future, as it is rather minimalistic in comparison to that of my other existing pieces of text, which have been presented in bold, enlarged lettering. I am going to put this piece of text into capital letters, as then it will suit the theme of blatant, emphasised written content, which is featured not only in the ‘Daily Star’, but in other existing tabloid publications. However, I am content with the position of my ‘date’, as it fits perfectly under the masthead, therefore, I will not move it during my development.

In this stage of the development, I have decided not to include the ‘holiday’ image, but instead, I have featured a stock image of Eminem (with the iconic ‘Daily Star’ yellow border) with text that has been presented in capitals, as it helps to emphasise the image, so to speak. I used a pun again for this, as I think that this is a clever device that can bring humour to an article and it is likely to catch the attention of the consumer. I included the main body of text in this stage, which is rather miniscule in comparison to that of my broadsheet article, which featured several columns, whilst this one only has one small column. This shows how much tabloid newspapers rely on a heavy visual aspect, as opposed to a written one. It is clear that tabloid publications catch the eye of the consumer more than that of a tabloid due to their ‘sensationalist’ nature. The text which is featured onto the small column has been typed using the font ‘Adobe Gothic Std B’, which is effective, as it is a font that is legible, therefore, the consumer will have no difficulty reading the small article. I do not think that I am going to keep the main, portrait image of Eminem though, I may replace it as I already have one section dedicated to him. I think that I may replace it with an image of another rapper, such as Kanye West, otherwise, the front page will look as though it is solely dedicated to one musician and I want it to look varied in order to keep the attention of the audience held.

I have chosen to remove my previous image of Eminem and replace it with this Kanye West image instead due to the fact that it adds a sense of variety into the article, which will make it appear more interesting in general. Used this specific photograph because it looked rather professional and taken as a ‘symmetrical’ shot, much like the actual front cover page of the ‘Daily Star’, which uses a professional photograph. I wanted to mimic this, so that my article looked as though it could be featured in a ‘real-life’ publication. I decided to include the text ‘Kanye believe it? Win free concert tickets’, due to the fact that in existing tabloid publications, a type of ‘competition’ is featured on the front page in order to draw in the attention of the viewer. I used a san-serif typeface as I thought that it would make the important piece of text appear more legible, which panned out well, as I think that it stands out greatly. I also put the font into capitals because this type of convention is commonly used within the ‘Daily Star’; therefore, I wanted to feature it in my own piece of work, so that it would appear similar to the actual tabloid publication. Furthermore, I inputted a blue autoshape with text in, as well as another (circular) autoshape, in order to replicate the convention that was displayed under the ‘real’ ‘Daily Star’ tabloid front cover. Overall, I wanted my piece to look as though it could be published as an actual front page; therefore, I have tried to follow the design and layout pattern that has been established by the right-wing, red top publication, the ‘Daily Star’.

This is the final outcome of my tabloid publication front page design. Since my previous development stage, I have edited several elements in order for my final design to be as close to an actual front page of a newspaper as much as possible. I have altered the strapline due to the fact that I did not deem it as suitable for a tabloid publication, as it featured some grammatical errors, which would make the front page too unprofessional to be printed. Therefore, I had no choice but to edit it. I changed it to “Shakur shot down in roadside ruckus’, as I thought that it fit better with the theme of the news story and the primary consumer of the ‘Daily Star’ would be able to pick up upon the use of alliteration, a linguistic device that is commonly used within tabloid publications, as it helps to catch the attention of the audience and it is highly memorable. Also, I have replaced the pun ‘A Mather of Fact’ with a new, updated version being ‘All that Mathers’, due to the fact that it applies to the message in which I am trying to convey within this particular section in my work being that the ‘free Eminem poster’ is ‘all that matters’, so to speak. I wanted it to have a double meaning in a way.