Small is good

For this brief my target audience is Key Stage 2 children, and so I have been looking at how best to communicate to this age group. So far I have been looking at educational websites and anti-bullying websites. I thought it would be a good idea to have a flick through some of the types of publications children read in their spare time, as these are good examples of what children actually LIKE to read. What I'm looking for is what kind of imagery they're using, the language, the format, colours, humour - basically everything.

First up is the Beano. The Beano has been running for years, and so they're obviously doing something right to attract *the kids*. I personally used to read it on the way round Tesco's then put it back and take the Dandy home because the Dandy gave away better stuff. As you can see they're still giving away stuff with the comic, and looking at all the other kids comics and magazines I can't say I remember seeing one which didn't. I have to say I am a bit disappointed in the newest version of the Beano. The stock has changed for one, but also Dennis the Menace looks a lot different to what I remember. Aesthetics aside though, what I loved about the Beano was it's get-one-over-on-the-adults attitude. And reading through it, that's still there.

The next publication I researched was a Dr Who magazine. Like the Beano, it doesn't seem to aim itself at a particular gender, which I also want to avoid. This magazine doesn't use humour to sell it, but instead give's facts and uses a sort of *behind the scenes/exclusive information* tactic. This is useful to look at, in the way that facts are presented to this age group.

I've noticed that both these publications break up the content a lot, everything is boxed off or separated from other content. This is no different than the next example. A book called 1001 gruesome facts.

What's out there?

Looking at what anti-bullying material is already out there for children, it's useful in terms of the language they use and the imagery. However I'm not a fan of the tone they use, I realise it's a serious subject but reading through it's pretty depressing. I'd rather approach this more light heartedly and instead of it being right in their face, perhaps a more subtle message.

I've also looked at thing's like Bitesize and Horrible Histories. As a kid I used to love reading these books (in particular Horrible Histories). This wasn't because I had a massive interest in History or anything, it was mainly cause I thought they were really funny and immature and that tone got me more interested in the content. I think this is something I really need to consider with my project.

Selling Space

I'm thinking about selling space as a product. To help with idea's about how to package space I'm looking at a lot of minimalist interior design, and analysing how they make space look bigger than it is. So far I've discovered they use a lot of white, transparent and reflective surfaces. Also the shapes used are very cubic.

I've also been looking at what kind of vocabulary is used to sell a space. Looking through property sections I've noted down words that estate agents use to make a space seem like a good investment, it's been pretty interesting - especially realising how every single property is portrayed as being the best one. To be honest after reading about 5 ad's I'd become very cynical and didn't believe a word of it.

What is good?

Researching into space allowance per passenger on aeroplanes, I came across an article on the Daily Mail website. Described was a new design for the way passengers were seated. Claiming a 50% increase in the amount of passengers able to board and a 30% cut in ticket prices, face to face seating has been suggested.

It is admitted within the article that this is only appropriate for shorter flights, however the costs of these flights in my experience is so low anyway that I'd happily go without the 30% cut if it meant I didn't have spend the journey facing a stranger and competing for the already limited leg room. I'm also ensure about the taking off and landing situation. Does this kind of seating mean passengers will be leaning to their side? With these two parts of the flight being the most dangerous I'm quite interested in the safety of this seating.

Linking this to my "what is good?" concept, I can say at least that if you are short you can keep that little bit further away from whoever is sat opposite you...