I found out that there are wide ranges of choices available for typography and I also learnt that there are five sections of typography in newspapers. These are; text, nameplates, headlines, standard type and info graphics.
- Text: Different research has shown that apparently it takes a little bit longer to read sans serif type whereas serif type is more visually pleasing to the eye as it has a 'horizontal flow'. This is the reason why the majority of all body text in newspapers is in serif type.
- Nameplate: Having a nameplate is an excellent way for newspapers to differentiate their product with their competitors. I found out that before one of the most popular nameplate was 'Old English' style and this is still used by some newspaper companies today. A good example will be 'The New York Times'.
- Headlines: Sans serif and serif types are used for headlines. The font used for the headline is the most dominant typographic element on a newspaper page. This however, should be carefully chosen to reflect the overall mod/personality of the newspaper.
- Standard type: The standard typography is mainly used to broadcast regular features or daily columns. This helps the readers by showing them where certain stories are as they look through the newspaper. According to my research, san serif is a good choice for standard typography.
- Info graphics: The main point of a graphic is to quickly help the reader understand something in as few words as possible.
Research on potential target audience
Audiences are crucial, without an audience there wouldn't be any point of creating my local newspaper. For my project to be considered successful I need to make sure that the texts on my newspaper are going to appeal to my target audience. I researched different kind of theories in relation to target audience but this two are the main ones that interest me:
- Hypodermic Syringe Theory (1977) this theory is explaining how video games and mainly television act on audiences like a 'drug injection'. As the audience are addictive they are then seen as 'passive’ while the media makers 'inject' a kind of 'instant fix' into he viewer.
- Payne's Studies America (1930's) The main point of this theory is that apparently, when children watch too much cinema they then suffered from lack of sleep as well as a tendency towards delinquency. However, I personally disagree with this because now a day research is showing that children are quite capable of distinguishing between simulated and real violence. In addition, TV is not always a bad thing; it can also be a positive influence to children (i.e.: educational programs)
For my newspaper I would say that the target audience are the general public but mainly those people that lives in borough of Lambeth. However, I am aware that it will be better if I have a more specific target audience as this will help me understand more about them which will lead to a better result for my newspaper as I would know what their wants, needs and most especially their expectations when it comes to reading a local newspaper.
I was looking back at the questionnaire that I did and I found out ages 31 to 37 years old are my main target readers as they are the ones that are most interested in reading a local newspaper. This is followed by 23-30 years old; I believe that this is also the 'working class' group and maybe mostly parents. The least interested are the teenagers I am aware that teens now a days are interested in technology, music and their social life, so maybe this are the main reasons why this age group shouldn't be my main target audience.
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