Graphical design techniques and hybridisation of software in newspaper production : a case of the Daily News

Abstract

Newspapers layout and design is meant to appeal to the preference of the reader. This in turn will also ensure the long term survival of the media entity in question through the realisation of significant daily sales. Even though daily sales do not determine the long term profitability of a media organisation, the sales go a long way in assisting some of the expenses such as printing. The newspaper industry in Zimbabwe is highly competitive because of various factors. Among them is competition in the market against the background of the issue of disposable income to purchase the newspaper on a daily basis. Competition in the Daily Newspaper market is characterised by three distinct players, Zimpapers, AMH and ANZ. The ultimate goal of these media institutions is to reach out to diverse readers with a well packaged newspaper. The alternative media has also emerged as one of the competitors to the hardcopy newspaper. Some readers for one reason or another prefer to read the newspaper online, a phenomena that has traceable consequences on the sales of the hardcopy newspaper. The growth in technology in various sectors of the society has essentially transformed practises in many media industries.This study sought to explain how technology has brought about variability in hybrid graphical design techniques at the Daily News in an attempt beat competition by offering a product that appeal to the taste of existing and potential readers. Observations, interviews, questionnaires, semiotics, critical discourse analysis, hermeneutics were used as methods of data gathering and analysis. The study found that the adoption of graphical techniques is centred in the use of a number of software in production process and meant to beat competition. It was identified that the use of contemporary technology is simple and flexible. However, it was also identified that the harnessing of modern technology also has some negativity that tail it and these issues have to do with neo-colonialism at every level of management structures. What can be taken from the study is that there is need to have more faith on local expertise in every level of management even though foreign expertise also brings intrinsic dimensions to every organisation.