Brief Two: Web Design Brief (including Genre Research)

 NB: This brief will have very similar wording to the actual briefs that will be released by the exam board. There are lots of small details that you need to think about carefully.

THE BRIEF: ONLINE CONTENT

You work for an independent online Media Production company. You have been tasked with creating a mock-up version of the Homepage and One Hyperlinked Page, for an online newspaper called Guardian Youth. You must maintain clear links to The Guardian brand, but with a focus on attracting younger readers. Your target audience is 16 to 25 year olds who are socially conscious and politically aware. 

 

STEP 1: CODES AND CONVENTIONS RESEARCH

i) Analyse the codes and conventions of The Guardian Online's homepage and create a PowerPoint presentation that identifies the conventions of the website and considers how they are designed to appeal to their target audience.

ii) Analyse the codes and conventions of a hyper linked article on The Guardian Online's website and create a PowerPoint presentation that identifies the conventions of the website and considers how they are designed to appeal to their target audience. 

NB: That is two presentations.

Helpful Link: https://www.theguardian.com/uk 

 

STEP 2:  WRITE A STATEMENT OF INTENT BASED ON YOUR RESEARCH

Answer the following question:

How do you intend to use, develop or challenge the codes and conventions of Guardian Online's existing website to attract your target audience? 

Using no more than 200 words, identify the conventions that you feel will appeal to your assigned demographic and establish which ones (if any) you wish to challenge and why. This should be two, simple and concise paragraphs. 

 

STEP 3: CREATE YOUR WEB PAGES

For this task, you will need to create a wix account. You should be able to get a free account. DO NOT PAY FOR AN ACCOUNT. As the brief clearly states:

Create the homepage for an online Newspaper called Guardian Youth.

Create one hyperlinked article, that can clearly be accessed via the homepage.

In addition, your web pages MUST contain:

At least 5 original images. At least 2 of these original images must include representations of two distinct social groups, based on Social Class, Gender, Ethnicity, Age, Sexuality or Ability/Disability. 

For any other images you may use either found images or AI generated images. 

NB: If you access any tutorials (and you definitely should), paste the link in the comments section below.  

STEP 4: CREATE A PAGE ON YOUR BLOG

In the Practice Briefs section of your blog, create a post titled:

"Brief Two: Web Design Brief (including Genre Research)"

The post should contain your two embedded PowerPoints - VERY CLEARLY LABELLED

Your Statement of Intent - VERY CLEARLY LABELLED

The address of your homepage - VERY CLEARLY LABELLED

The address of your hyperlinked page - VERY CLEARLY LABELLED

Finally, a brief set of instruction about how to navigate from the homepage to the hyperlinked page.

 

STEP 5: POST YOUR PAGE

Post the url of your  blog page in the comments section below. 

 

Deadline for completion: November 6th 2026

 

 

 

 

TASK 1: Create your blog

Hello everyone and welcome to Media Studies at CCVI. This first task can be a little bit fiddly and I can virtually guarantee that some of you will have a problem with blogger, but we'll go ahead steadily and have it up and running as soon as possible. 

So, you're about to set up your blog. Follow the steps below as best you can. I'll be there to help if you get stuck. It's boring but have patience...

Step 1: Create a gmail account. NB: Make your password and email easy to remember

Step 2: Go to Blogger.com 

Step 3: Create an account using the following format:

URL for your blog - Surname First Name CHS mediablog

Account Name - First Name Surname Media Studies Blog

Step 4: Choose THEME from the left hand menu and look for Awesome Inc.

Step 5: On the left, click on layout, find side bar right 1, add a gadget, labels.

Step 6: (This might take a while) Create a series of labelled posts so that your labels read: 

01 Coursework Brief

02 Statement of Intent

03 Research - Production

04 Research - Website

05 Planning - Production

06 Planning - Website

07 Completed - Production

08 Completed - Website

Practice Briefs        

Step 7: When you have finished, post you address in the comments section of this post.

Brief One: Photography - Using your own camera (Read Carefully - See updates)

Brief One: 

The purpose of this brief is to get you to think carefully about lighting and focus and to work out what is possible with the equipment you have available. NB: Most briefs will an industry and audience focus, but this brief is intended to give you the opportunity to learn about cameras and images. Go through the steps below very carefully.

 

STEP 1

Find and download a Free App that will allow you to control the Iris (f-stop), Shutter Speed and Film Speed (ISO) of the camera on your phone. If you find a good one, please post a comment below recommending an app for your classmates. 

NB: It is perfectly acceptable to take most of your photographs on a camera, but try to take AT LEAST one with your phone. 

 

STEP 2

Search online for THREE examples of EACH of the following:

• High Key Lighting
• Over Exposed Lighting
• Low Key Lighting
• Shallow Depth of Field
• Deep Depth of Field
• Monochrome
• Back lighting
• Chiaroscuro

NB: Select at least one of the three images to copy. You should think very carefully about availability of resourced.  

 

STEP 3

Using your phone (or any other camera if you have one) replicate ONE of each type. The main challenge here is to try to replicate the image as accurately as possible. 

 

STEP 4

Create a PowerPoint presentation containing:

1) A Statement of Intent for the brief.

2) A clear definition of each different lighting style.

3) A lighting guide for each different lighting style.

4) Three examples of found images.

5) An example of your own photography for each lighting style. 

Embed your PowerPoint in the Practice Briefs section of your blog, in a post called: 

"Brief One: Photography - Using your own camera."

 

STEP 5

In the comments section below. Post the page link to the specific post called:  

 "Brief One: Photography - Using your own camera."

 

DEADLINE:  21st September 2026