Newspaper Front Page Semiotic Analysis

The name of the paper is at the top of the page so people instantly know that it’s the “Harrogate Advertiser”. The masthead is in a colour to make it stand out. Harrogate advertiser is in blue because it is a conservative, neutral colour and is not offensive to many people. The Ripon Gazette’s masthead is green, this may be due to Ripon being quite a rural place, and could represent the green grass in the country. Green is also a neutral colour. Above the newspapers name is a subtitle, this is used to show that the newspaper is traditional and withstanding and therefore a reliable source of the news.

The date, website and price are near the top of the page so people can easily see when the newspaper was printed and what the price is. The website is important as the newspaper is reminding people that they have a website and that it is important.

The two puffs are used to advertise things in the paper to the audience. They are at the top of the page so people read them and want to buy it.

The front page often has 1 main headlining story, and then 2 big, but not as important stories, then a few little ones to fill up the space. The most interesting story is often the main one, and a story that is likely to affect the community or a shock story. The stories on the front page are often stories that the whole community will be interested in.

On the left side of the page, above the bottom advert is the barcode, and recycling sign. The bar code has to be on the front of the page, and the recycling sign is important as people who are concerned about the environment are more likely to want to buy the newspaper.

The large advert at the bottom of the page is used to sell an outside product to the audience. The advert is often eye-catching and bright coloured to draw people’s attention to it. This advert is a way for the newspaper to make money as they are selling advertising space.

The pictures on the page are mostly of people, this is to make people want to buy the newspaper as it show it really represent the community. Each picture has a caption underneath it explaining the image, this make the newspaper and image easier to understand.

All the story text on the page is the same font and size. The story titles are in the same font, but different sizes according to the importance of the story. At the end of most stories is a bullet points, and then text asking what the reader thought about the story. This is done so the reader think more about the story, and if they have a strong opinion they may write into the paper, and write on the newspapers website.

Each story is separated with a thin line around it, these lines to not join up though, this makes the paper easier to read as the reader can see the definition between different stories, but as they are not joined it keep the flow of the page.