Daily Mail Cover Evaluation

WHAT WAS THE TASK YOU WERE GIVEN AND WHO WAS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

The task that I was given was to create a front page for The Daily Mail, following the exact structure and layout that an original front cover has. In order to ensure I got it as close to the original as possible, I would need to address the same audience as The Daily Mail. My target audience were people who were more right-wing supporters, preferably those who supported the conservatives-this is who The Daily Mail follow. In addition to this, the target audience were people who fell more into the A,B and C1 demographic. 54.4.% of Daily Mail readers are 65 + years old. Therefore, my front cover needed to be understood by the older generations. However, other readers are younger, so my overall front cover needed to be easy to understand and not too complicated.

WHAT RESEARCH DID YOU UNDERTAKE AND WHAT DID YOU FIND WERE SOME OF THE TYPICAL CONVENTIONS OF A DAILY MAIL FRONT COVER-LAYOUT, TYPES OF STORIES, FONTS?

Before I began to design my final piece, I needed to consider planning and finding the appropriate fonts and sizes. Firstly, I searched previous Daily Mail front covers, which I then chose my favorite one to work from. I had to research their target audience and find out what there main stories and main images were usual about. After my research, it was clear that the Daily Mail often have stories that relate to immigration-portraying them in a negative light. Majority of the papers have a main headline, an article and a standalone picture, which are all different stories. The picture often features a short caption/subheading, which gives the reader a brief outline of the article that is being featured, but nothing more. The font style for the main heading is mostly the same, and the closest font I found and used was the font called 'Elephant'.


WHICH DAILY MAIL COVER DID YOU USE AS YOUR MAIN SOURCE? WHAT ARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS FROM THIS SOURCE?

The Daily Mail cover that I used as my main source highlights that the main story is about immigrants; they are portrayed in a negative way. Also, the implication that there are rewards and money to win are shown through their use of adverts. Another observations from this source informs the audience of three clear separate stories, presented in three different ways; one as the main heading, another as the main image and the final as a three columned article at the bottom of the page. In addition to this, the Daily Mail have chosen to keep the colours monochrome and darker tones, except from the lottery- they want their readers to take part so they have made sure it stands out and it noticeable. The use of a brighter yellow for the text colour withdraws the attention from the black font on the rest of the article.




WHICH AREAS DID YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING?

When completing this task, the most challenging part was trying to get the gutter spacing between the article the correct size, and the blank spacing between lines in the headline. It was difficult to find the perfect line spacing to ensure that the headline looked the same as the original Daily Mail. Moreover, the font for the advert at the top of the page was difficult, because I struggled to find a font and stretch out the text so that the letters spread across the blue banner.

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL FEEDBACK? WHAT DID OTHERS SAY ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTION? HOW SUCCESSFUL DO YOU THINK IT IS?

For this practical, my feedback highlighted that my layout was similar to the original, which showed my understanding of how the Daily Mail like to structure their newspapers. Moreover, the relationship between Harry and Meghan was presented well; and the main heading was easy to understand and the overall messages conveyed were too. Overall, I believe that my article was successful in terms of understanding the typical conventions of the Daily Mail and how they layout their images and texts.

IDENTIFY WHAT WENT WELL WITH HINDSIGHT WHAT YOU DO TO IMPROVE/DO DIFFERENTLY?

Overall, the layout and colours of the newspaper front page went well, as they were easy to follow and find out the suitable styles. Furthermore, I believe that the headline went well, as I followed the Daily Mail and the impression of immigration that they often portray to their audience.


IN THE EXAM YOU WILL BE ANALYSING NEWSPAPER FRONT COVERS. IN PRODUCING THIS COVER, ARE THERE ANY AREAS THAT YOU HADN'T NOTICED BEFORE? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM COMPLETING THIS TASK?

In the upcoming exams, I will be analysing newspaper front covers. After the outcome from this task, I have noticed that newspapers like to follow a set structure and want to ensure their audience is clear about their beliefs and message. For example, based on my main source, It was easy to understand the concept of their ideas and the overall implication of negativity that immigrants are bringing to our country.
Furthermore, I have learnt several key parts when undertaking the production of newspaper front covers. I have learnt how difficult it can be to find similar fonts that match the original as close as possible. In addition to this, making sure the line spacing was exactly the same took up a lot of time.