Media position
The Toronto Star is an example of traditional media; a newspaper whose digital front is influenced by its print origins. Gawker is one representative of new digital media, existing solely on the web and employing a print-it-first strategy. Vox, another digital only news service, aims to be a go-to new platform, without the vestiges of a print-based origin.
Content
The Star reports on issues that are of interest to Torontonians, featuring local, provincial, national, and global news. Organization follows the newspaper’s sections. Ads are prominently displayed throughout.
Gawker reports on breaking news and gossip of general interest. It lists its content based on recency. It’s articles are laden with links to its external sources and past articles; something not evidenced in the Star and employed lightly by Vox.
Vox aims to keep its readers up to date on important international news though is USA-centric. It categorizes its information much like a traditional paper.
Gawker reports on breaking news and gossip of general interest. It lists its content based on recency. It’s articles are laden with links to its external sources and past articles; something not evidenced in the Star and employed lightly by Vox.
Vox aims to keep its readers up to date on important international news though is USA-centric. It categorizes its information much like a traditional paper.
All use images, video, and audio clips. Only the Star used interactive content (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/05/20/lead_water_testing_results.html). Both the Star and Gawker are more text focused. Vox gives equal weight to text, images, video, infographics, etc. Only Gawker used animated GIF images.
Layout
The Star’s main page and articles reflect its print history, having layout similar to a newspaper. Gawker web roots are evident in its main page which is similar to web forums but opts for traditional article layouts. Vox articles layout varies according to content, not adhering to a standard. Vox also employs story streams that link an event’s progression together with articles, tweets, and other news sources all on one stream (http://www.vox.com/2014/5/14/5718980/jill-abramsoms-ouster-from-the-new-york-times). Its card system takes features from various related articles and links them to allow readers more in-depth information on a topic http://www.vox.com/cards/jill-abramson-new-york-times-firing-explained/who-is-jill-abramson.
Branding and style
The Star’s print-like design appears crowded. The sans-serif fonts of it’s banner, section titles, and navigation suggest modernity, where the serif fonts of the article titles and content suggest print’s trustworthiness. Branding in blue suggests moderation and conservatism. The mobile version of the Star’s site, inverts the text and background colours and uses an almost 1:1 ratio of text to image space; it appears more modern.
Gawker’s multicoloured title looks more like an illustration than a title, lending a higher degree of informality, as does the orange colour it uses to highlight links and special interest items. The main page appears cramped. Like the Star, it used serif fonts in the article body, aiming for a sense of integrity.
Vox, uses a bright yellow as its main branding colour; aiming for a strong, modern look. Its logo is bold and calligraphic, suggesting a degree of permanence and tradition despite its youth but avoiding the stuffiness of a gothic font. It does away with serif fonts elsewhere. Its main page and its articles make good use of white space, large print headers, and added line spacing to give a sense of clarity and order.
Vox, uses a bright yellow as its main branding colour; aiming for a strong, modern look. Its logo is bold and calligraphic, suggesting a degree of permanence and tradition despite its youth but avoiding the stuffiness of a gothic font. It does away with serif fonts elsewhere. Its main page and its articles make good use of white space, large print headers, and added line spacing to give a sense of clarity and order.
No comments:
Post a Comment