Existing Newspaper Research

We decided after looking at many of the local newspapers, such as the Wigan Observer, that we liked the simple layout and the bold headings as it makes the information easy to read and grabs the attention of the reader. However we did not like the primary colours used in the Wigan Observer as we felt it was over powering and distracted from the information. We liked the large image that defines the front cover as it advertises the story clearly.

The Warrington Guardian has many pros and cons to the design and layout of the front cover. One of these being the main headline 'PAEDOPHILE WALKS FREE', this striking headline grabs the readers attention and informs the reader a little about what the story will entail without revealing too much of the story. To add to this the cut out around the top image doesn't look very professional and looks out of place along with the bright colour scheme that looks tacky and distracts from the main body of text.         

The Manchester Evening News, we feel, has the best layout out of each of the following newspapers that we have researched. Compared to the others, this paper isn't too overwhelming and has a more clear and sophisticated layout. Another point is that the image on the front cover is of a high quality and gives the reader a clearer understanding of what the story may be about. When we make our own newspaper we will be taking a lot of inspiration from the Manchester Evening News. We also like the use of the right hand side column and vertical page divider as it breaks up the text making it more appealing to the eye. Finally, another feature we took into consideration when analysing the following newspaper was the use of a drop capital which gives the newspaper a more professional look, again another feature that we may use on our own newspaper.  
      

Our first thoughts on this newspaper were that the images used are too overwhelming for the eye and the layout of the page distracts form the main body of text. Also, we did not like the fact the for the title 'the Leigh reporter' capital letters were not for 'the' and 'reporter' which makes the front cover look unprofessional. However, we do like the use of adverts on the front cover. When making our newspaper we will be sure to include adverts but possibly not as many as this newspaper uses on the front cover as they can be distracting. To add to this, the main title 'Wintry weather causes havoc' we feel is a little too small for a main headline. Finally, this newspaper does not really have a colour scheme which makes the page look dysfunctional and doesn't read well. We will make sure to use a set colour scheme when making our newspaper.