Website Homepage http://harrogatepost.moonfruit.com/

http://harrogatepost.moonfruit.com/

When creating the website I started on Google Sites, which although reliable and professional I decided it wasn't customisable enough and looked too much like a blog, so after researching other website creators I went with www.moonfruit.com which offers free and fully customisable websites.


I started with a simple layout with a banner that same colour as the newspaper with the paper title and slogan. This is so there are obvious connections between the site and paper to create a house style. I have also put in a menu at the top that links to the various pages of the website. After researching websites I have noticed certain conventions of layout. On local newspaper sites. There is one main story with a picture and summary with some smaller articles with a summary underneath. And then lists of other news stories.

This draft demonstrates that an unconventional layout looks unprofessional and unorganised.


Like local newspapers local websites contain lots of adverts so here I have started to add them to the bottom of the page. I have also added some interactive elements. If you click on the photo thumbnails on the right align the photo is enlarged. Each photo is related to a story in the paper or on the site. This is provided by a google gadget which is programmed by a HTML snippet

Here I have added an advertisement for a competition that is also featured in the newspaper, this furthers the reletionship between the two products. I have also created two aspects that are usually found on websites. Using Adobe Illustator I have made a Weather and Local pages applications, these are online versions of newspaper features. On this draft I have also linked the main story to a page featuring the article. This is done by placing a link button where it says CLICK FOR MORE.