DISCOVERIES VOL 20 ISS02

YEARBOOK

DISCOVERIES VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

SPRINGTIME TASKS FOR THIS BOOK AND NEXT

HERE WE GO AGAIN.

WHILE SOME ASPECTS OF THIS YEAR’S BOOK ARE BEHIND YOU, OTHERS REMAIN ... AND IT’S TIME TO GEAR BACK UP FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2017. THE PROCESS SIMPLY BEGINS AGAIN.

CYCLE OF YEARBOOK PROMOTION

DESIGN

STAFF MANAGEMENT

REPORTING

PHOTOGRAPHY

PRODUCTION

DETAILS

RA ISE EX CI TE

PLA N CO SC VE HE DU LE P

DE SIG N

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ES AG E IM OR M

COV ERA G ER EP OR T

HE RECORD T YEAR

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SP EC IFI C

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YEARBOOK WEEK IONAL NAT MOTIVAT ION

GES LES E PA NG LET EA MP IN CO RM TE DE

NAL CAMPAIGNS ADDITIO

COMPL ETE P AGE S

E REPORTING CONTINU

MOTIVAT ION

INDEX

OT

T EN

FIRST S ALES PUS H

ARC HIV E

STAFF REL ATIO NS

CRITIQUE

S AGE TE P PLE M CO ON UTI RIB IST D AN PL

AGES T IM OO SH

SH O

S AD RE

IN PL AN T

SUBMIT FOR CRIT IQU E

YS DA

COM PLET EP AG SELL BOO ES KS PR IOR TO AR RIV NESS CAMPAIGN AWARE AL

ES ANC FIN

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RECOGNIZED ADVISERS SHARE THEIR VIEWS

SELL UNSOLD BOOKS Y G E T TRA E BOOK RIBUT ’S S DIST AR ON E I Y T PASS XT COME UC OK TOR WEL NE BO CH N OR F LA T N E M

GE RA

IT'S TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT NEXT YEAR

TRAINING

P

PR OD

SALES

BRA INS TO RM

TRAINING

AL DEVELOPMENT CEPTU CON STYLE DEC KAGE ISION ION E PAC S ECT HEM T SEL ITH AL ATEGIES IN W FIN E STR BEG BEG RAG I N R OVE EPO NC RT ING PLA

INDEXING TIPS FOR READER AIDS

INSPIRATION

THEME | CONCEPT

YOUR JOB. MADE FUN. MADE EASY. Available at no cost to your school or to anyone who has purchased a yearbook, Plus One, Herff Jones’ digital yearbook app, provides 2016 yearbook buyers with a mobile version of the yearbook for easy, on-the-go access.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ann Akers, MJE

DESIGN EDITOR

Katherine Morgan

DESIGNERS

Rashaad Bilal, Brandon Lee, Martha Moye and Erin Wilson

COPY EDITOR

Kristen Creed

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alicia Marrara, yearbook adviser Melbourne (FL) HS Michelle Dunaway, MJE, yearbook adviser Francis Howell HS St. Charles, MO Paul Ender Herff Jones Special Consultant Tom Gayda, MJE, yearbook adviser North Central HS Indianapolis, IN Tabatha Burn McMahon, yearbook adviser Columbia HS Lake City, FL Leslie Shipp, MJE, yearbook adviser Johnston (IA) HS Lynn Strause, CJE Herff Jones Special Consultant Sarah Verpooten MJE, yearbook adviser Lake Central HS St. John, IN Sharon Yost, yearbook adviser Melbourne (FL) HS Laura Zhu, CJE, yearbook adviser Toby Johnson MS Elk Grove, VA

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Joseph Anderson, Lawrence (KS) HS Elizabeth Bustamante, Lake Central HS, St. John, IN Brian Clark, Riverview, FL Tina Dang, Cleveland STEM HS, Seattle, WA Kathy Daly, Denver, CO Lexi Fleming, Conifer (CO) HS Anna Richardson, Columbia HS, Lake City, FL Jake Russell, Corning-Painted Posted HS, Corning, NY Julius Sheinman, Melbourne (FL) HS Kayli Vang, Toby Johnson MS, Elk Grove, CA

Plan now to promote the app and to use it to sell more books or increase anticipation for the arrival of the 2016 yearbook.

HJ LOCATIONS

Kansas City, KS kansascity@herffjones.com Logan, UT logan@herffjones.com Montgomery, AL montgomery@herffjones.com Winnipeg, CN winnipeg@herffjones.com

For resources to engage your student body, go to yearbookdiscoveries.com/plus-one-app/

Herff Jones‘ Yearbook Discoveries Volume Twenty Issue Two was produced electronically using Adobe® InDesign® CC, Adobe Illustrator® CC and Adobe Photoshop® CC. This magazine was created on a Mac Pro, 2.66 GHz with 6 GB of RAM and printed by Herff Jones, LLC, at its Logan, UT printing facility. The cover was printed on White Vibracolor endsheet stock and the magazine itself was printed on 80# matte stock using four-color process inks. The font used in this issue was AHJ Urbano. Herff Jones and the Herff Jones logo are registered trademarks of Herff Jones, LLC. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc.

YEARBOOK

WHAT’S INSIDE

VOLUME T WENT Y ISSUE T WO

02

MAKE IT MATTER

The index might just be a way to show the readers how important they are; make it thorough and easy to use.

04

MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE

Social media is a powerful tool for any staff; be sure you use it to your advantage.

06

WHO KNEW HOW EASY?

Grading headaches can disappear when you share the burden with your students.

08

THIS BOOK’S FOR US

All year long, we avoid covering ourselves in order to best serve the school. Then, it’s our turn in the spotlight.

12

DECA MARKETING RESULTS CHALLENGE SUCCESSES

Learn about the first-ever competition and see how you can apply lessons learned by these DECA marketing gurus.

14

SEEING THE POSSIBILITIES

When you finish work on one volume, it’s time to start thinking about the next. First, collect ideas then think about how they might be used.

16

MAKE IT REMARKABLE

Changing up your process just a little can result in big differences in your yearbook.

Thinking about the challenge of producing a permanent history provides focus.

18

PROTECTING CREDIBILITY

Adding a simple step to your reporting cycle makes all the difference in the world; it’s an easy end to possible postdistribution controversies.

20

SUMMER WORK PAYS OFF

Of course they are busy. You are too. But investing a few days at a summer yearbook workshop can pay large dividends all year long.

10

MARKETING, SALES & FUN

There’s more to yearbook than creating the masterpiece that records the events of the year.

ADVISERS BEING HONORED THIS SPRING SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS, PROVING WHAT WE’VE HEARD FOR YEARS IS TRUE. GREAT MINDS DO THINK ALIKE!

22

FIRST, SERVE YOUR READERS

COMPLETED LAST, THE INDEX MAY BE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT, MOST USED READER AID

by LYNN STRAUSE, CJE

NOT EVERYONE IS A YERD. In fact, the majority of our

yearbook readers are not.

That’s precisely why it’s so important for us to make it easier for the non-yerds to access the contents of the yearbook. Reader aids help us do just that.

One of the most important reader aids is the index. With the popularity of chronological and other organizational plans that stray from traditional sections,

the index, along with a complete table of contents, becomes even more important.

So let’s get really picky about the details that make up a strong, reader-friendly index. When we look at these details, we need to consider two areas: content and design.

FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT CONTENT.

What exactly belongs in the index? The short answer is EVERYTHING. In addition to every name mentioned in the book, the index should include every academic class, every club/organization, every sport, every activity, every event and every ad contained in the book. The index should be a continuous alphabetical list that includes all these things. Some items like sports might even require multiple listings. For example, boys varsity basketball should be listed under boys, under varsity and under basketball (basketball, boys varsity).

The addition of topical indexes can make the index even easier to access, providing quick references for the traditional sections of the book: student life, academics, sports, clubs and people. A topical index includes all the listings for each of those topics in a sort of mini index.

So as far as content, the best indexes include everything in the book (even current event topics) and make listings even easier to find through the use of topical indexes.

NOW LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT DESIGN.

LEGACY, POTOMAC FALLS HS, STERLING, VA

02

VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

The first design consideration should be some kind of theme tie-in. This can be as simple as using the theme font and graphics as part of the initial letters.

Tying the index design to the overall thematic design of the book creates that whole book look.

TECHNIQUES, THOMAS JEFFERSON HS FOR SCI AND TECH, ALEXANDRIA, VA

THE PROWL, POWELL MS, LITTLETON, CO

Two other design aspects involve creating an even stronger reader aid.

First, it’s helpful to readers to use some kind of emphasis type for non-name listings. This may be as simple as using variations on the font, like italic type, bold type, bold italic type and capitalization. Or it may be more complex, such as using colored type for different sections. Whatever the pattern, it’s important to provide readers with a key.

The other design aspect to increase reader ease is hanging indents. That means the first line of each entry lines up with the left margin of the column and all other lines are indented. This makes it easier for readers to see where each listing begins.

Often by the time we get to the index on that final deadline, we’re so ready to be done that we overlook the picky details. But we need to remember that our audience is made up of non-yerds who want to easily find themselves and their friends in the book.

PUT THE EXTRA TIME INTO YOUR INDEX AND INTO THE DETAILS THAT WILL BOTH SATISFY YOUR READERS AND MAKE YOUR BOOK THE BEST IT CAN BE.

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WHO TO FOLLOW In addition to following us on Twitter, (@hjyearbook) you might also follow: @NSPA | @CSPA @nationalJEA | @nhsjc @SPLC | @FrankLoMonte @AIGAdesign | @Adobe @InDesign | @Photoshop @pantone | @Pantonetrends

S, S TRAL H KE CEN A L , s new @LCHS

, IN T. JOHN

@CanonUSA | @NikonUSA

04

VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

TRAIN YOURSELF TO LOOK FOR STORIES; IF SOMEONE TOOK THE TIME TO POST IT, IT MAY BE WORTH AN INTERVIEW. AVOID SOME PITFALLS. Be ready for people to respond to your posts. You’ll hear lots of great comments, but you may see an instance or two of negativity. Before you run into a difficult situation, have some guidelines MAKE A PLAN. If you’re trying to develop a set for your staff. Think about who you will following, the worst thing you can do is have follow, how you will handle any cyberbullying a burst of energy that fizzles out. Put one and what your posting may look like in person in charge of ensuring that posts go up times of school crisis. Prepare for students regularly and often. Once a week is probably to ask you questions about prom tickets or not enough. Your students are media-savvy basketball games. Have an answer. enough to expect regular posts that are MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA WORK FOR YOU. meaningful, fun or informative. Study some of Ask your followers to post a photo, answer your favorite news Twitter accounts. Look at a question or share their experiences using what time they post; look at how many posts a specific hashtag. Search that hashtag and are features or news; look at what they link to. you’ll get tons of information that you can Don’t think too hard. What are you attracted use later. Rarely will you be able to use the to? Do more of that. Your social media editor information directly. Most likely, it will give should be your most responsible student who you a good starting point for story ideas. recognizes that instant publishing is a giant If someone Instagrams a 2-hour late prom responsibility. limo, then you have a story to ask about on SHARE AWAY. Don’t be afraid to share some Monday. Train yourself to look for stories; if of your awesome photographers’ work on someone took the time to post it, it may be Instagram or Snapchat. Instead of keeping worth an interview. your content a secret, use your best images From raising awareness and building a — and their complete captions — to advertise culture of readers to crowdsourcing and your yearbook. A screenshot doesn’t replace previewing your work to help increase a yearbook, but it can sure make a student sales, social media can make an enormous difference in your program. excited to buy a book with the photo in it.

TAG IT ALL. When you do post photos, search the main subject’s social media handle. Tag them. They’ll retweet or favorite your work and you’ll see your number of followers skyrocket.

WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA

BE A LEADER AND THEY WILL FOLLOW

by SARAH VERPOOTEN, MJE

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05

OH, GRADING

HOW I HATE YOU SO

by TOM GAYDA, MJE

WELL, HOW I USED TO HATE YOU, AT LEAST. Fed up with grading frustrations, primarily because every kid in class is doing something different every day, I decided to put the power in their hands. The solution: a system by which kids track and record what they do and submit their progress to me on a weekly basis.

My new system allows for modification from time to time, which keeps the process fresh. Some semesters, kids need to earn a certain number of points. Another semester, kids must record what they did each day, and at other times, they complete a more thorough self-reflection. I find kids to be quite honest, and actually tougher on themselves at times than I would be.

The process all takes place via an online form at www.ncstudentmedia.net/grade-reporting.html.

Each week, students need to complete this form to earn weekly points. Those are for work that has been assigned. While kids determine 67 percent of their grade, I control the other 33 percent. This balance makes for a nice way to hold kids accountable from my end and still let them reward themselves for the things they take pride in doing.

This year I upped the ante by having kids maintain websites that serve as digital portfolios, too. For those students who might sneak by with questionable weekly reports, this adds an extra level of accountability.

Since beginning the process there have been minor adjustments made here and there, but no major complications. Putting the responsibility in the hands of the kids to show their work is both good for them and nice for a teacher struggling to get a handle on grading.

QUICK AND EASY-TO-USE SITE Every week, students must log into www.ncstudentmedia.net/grade-reporting.html and complete the form to earn points.

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VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

PUTTING THE RESPONSIBILITY IN THE HANDS OF THE KIDS TO SHOW THEIR WORK IS BOTH GOOD FOR THEM AND NICE FOR A TEACHER STRUGGLING TO GET A HANDLE ON GRADING.

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“IT’S NOT ABOUT US, IT’S BECAUSE OF US.” IT’S INCREDIBLY POWERFUL AND REWARDING TO EXPERIENCE.

That phrase hangs prominently in our yearbook room, a not-so-gentle reminder that we don’t put ourselves in the book. We don’t put our friends in the book. Because the school’s yearbook is not about us, it’s because of us.

Enter, the Yearbook Yearbook.

The Yearbook Yearbook is a 20-page, hardbound book, solely about the yearbook staff. It’s 100 percent about us. And it’s only for us.

In term four, when the yearbook is finished and students are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the book, we make a book only about us. Teams are only allowed to work on one page of the book. The students brainstorm all of the topics to be covered and are assigned to pages 1-20. Highlights have included staff shirts, late-night work nights, marketing schemes, theme development, inside jokes and class parties.

As the adviser, I send out an email requesting shoutouts from any staff member to another staff member.

Then I design a two-page spread sharing all of these amazing positive messages from the staff, keeping it a secret from them at the same time.

The secret designs, pictures and messages are part of what makes this project so successful. As excited as my staff is for the printed yearbook to arrive, once it arrives, they pet the cover, flip to a page or two and then tuck it away. They’ve seen every picture, syllable and comma so many times that they are, frankly, quite sick of seeing it. But not the Yearbook Yearbook.

When the Yearbook Yearbook arrives, the yearbook staff acts just like the rest of the student body when they receive the school’s yearbook. They read with excited squeals, desperate searches to find their own pictures and a wide range of emotions in regards to all that took place over the last nine months.

It’s incredibly powerful and rewarding to witness.

It’s also a great final project. The Yearbook Yearbook is required to be related to that year’s theme. The fonts, color palette and graphics are all the same. Layouts and designs from the book could also be used.

Another great reason for making the Yearbook Yearbook is that it is further proof that the yearbook certainly is because of us.

TO SEE LAST YEAR’S ENTIRE YEARBOOK YEARBOOK, GO TO WWW.YEARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM/MAGAZINE/

08

VOLUME TWENY ISSUE ONE

THE YEARBOOK YEARBOOK

by LAURA ZHU, CJE

ONE LAST DEADLINE

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

09

IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT BASE

MARKETING? BUSINESS PLAN? HUH? As yearbook

by TABATHA BURN McMAHON

10

VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

PHOTO BY ANNA RICHARDSON

Analysis is taking a moment to reflect on what is working and what isn’t. advisers, we teach students how to develop and Keep the structure simple — then let the creativity produce a high quality product. But we also need to commence!

We made a wall calendar for each provide them with the structure and tools to implement month with categories and events we would market a good marketing and business plan. Marketing for that month including any photo days we had can help increase revenue, which can provide extra (undergraduate and senior re-takes). equipment, such as computers and cameras or design We then created a Marketing Editor position that enhancements to your yearbook. coordinates with all other positions to advertise our Marketing is also about increasing visibility and events, such as picture days and club photo days as recognition of your product. This can be a challenge well as marketing our product — yearbooks — and for advisers already stressed with production deadlines engendering an increased social profile. and lesson plans. The good news is … it’s harder than it We created a CHS_YBK Instagram, Twitter, looks, but easier than you think.

Facebook, Vine, email account and Snapchat two years After a few missteps, this is what I have learned. ago and really started using them this year. Because IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT BASE. Setting up a strong social media can be labor intensive, we also designated marketing base-plan allows your students to use a staffer as the Social Media Guru (SMG). The SMG their creativity within an established construct — so reports to the Marketing Editor and is responsible for everyone is on the same page and there are concrete dates and avenues of action to support increasing your posting and cross posting to our social accounts.

We broke our efforts into the two areas — Offline and revenue and market visibility.

Online and updated the calendar with what, when, In marketing, just like design, three is the magic where and how we planned to run the campaigns. number. Think Online, Offline and Analysis. Online is We make sure to take time after each campaign everything related to social media and the internet, (large or small) to analyze what we did well, and Offline is anything that is print or event-related and

THE RULE OF THREE ONLINE where we can improve. So far, we’ve had three video campaigns and also started the “Minute to Win It” games in the commons area where students congregate in the morning.

We want students and parents to look to us for information and fun! Getting our presence out there allows us to communicate with our clients and serve them better. By increasing our marketing efforts, more people saw our updates and messages.

One result was a 20 percent increase of students taking their school picture, as well as an increase in yearbooks sold compared to the same time period last year. That’s more portrait commission (revenue) for our program, more students in the yearbook at least one time AND more yearbooks sold!

Yearbook is not just about creating a 336-page book.

It’s about creating the memories that go into the book.

Getting our message and information out to students and parents helped us sell more senior ads, get more action shots and generate more ideas of what and who to feature. It also provides my students with real world experience on a whole different level. From product development, to implementation, to sales.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THAT BASE…

60-second, 30-second and 2 or 3-minute videos General tweets and retweets to grow consumer base Instagram Snapchat stories Facebook for parents – Class Facebook pages

OFFLINE Emails to parents Mailings Chalk it up!

Sign Spinner at car rider and bus rider areas “Minute to Win It” games “You’re in it” cards – delivered to all students in the yearbook who haven’t purchased

ANALYSIS The SWOT analysis, which suggests examination of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, works perfectly here. In addition to considering what worked or needs improvement, the

PASSION FOR SALES Senior Madeline McKinzie advertises that yearbooks are on sale during Columbia HS’s Ed Fair in late January.

As Marketing Editor, McKinzie kept books sales and yearbook awareness in the public eye at the evening event (an open house where students and their parents are invited to come learn about what courses are offered as departments promote their programs).

In addition to a recruiting booth, the Columbian staff hosted a selfie station so parents could take selfies with their Fighting Tigers.

structure provides a look at additional options and challenges.

TO SEE MARKETING IDEAS, GAMES AND VIDEOS, GO TO WWW.YEARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM/MAGAZINE/

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

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12

SOUTH FORSYTH HS DECA | CUMMING, GA

SMITHTOWN HS EAST DECA | ST. JOHN, NY

LAKEVIEW HS DECA | BATTLE CREEK, MI

DECA advisor Katie Urbanovich Alex Forbes | Ben Braner | Jack Johnson Yearbook adviser Rebecca Bennett Focusing on freshman class sales only, this team’s campaigns included student promotions like a homeroom sales competition (winners got donuts/coffee/cocoa) and over-sized posters in freshman classrooms/hallways and parent promotions such as human billboards in the pick-up lane after school and a video reminding parents that a yearbook might be the only way their students would be able to remember their freshman year. They also divided the students into tribes by activities and had leaders from each group remind members to buy yearbooks because their groups would be covered. Nearly 250 books were sold to freshmen during the three-week campaign, which represents a 32 percent increase over books sold to freshmen

by December 1 last year.

Ryan Micozzi DECA advisor Stephen Costello Jr. Jainee Gabrielsen Research played a major role for this team; they began by polling 100 students (50 boys, 50 girls) from each grade and 100 parents to understand the market at their school. Using the information they gleaned, they established three target groups — involved students, uninvolved students and parents — and then built an omni-channel strategy for each group.

Designed to make the yearbook more accessible, affordable and memorable, the project set out to simplify the processes of submitting photos and buying yearbooks. Publicizing the school’s established tiered pricing provided understanding about when to buy the book for the best price and the financial ramifications of buying at the last minute. Posters, postcards, social media messages and a hallway display contributed to a 53 percent increase in October sales.

Yearbook adviser Jodi Darland Lila Elliott | Erin Stafford DECA advisor Myra Bost Three Days of Yearbook Festivities, a campaign with catchy slogans, an engaging video and memorable music raised yearbook awareness and sales. As both yearbook editors and experienced DECA members, this duo believed that their Black Friday/Cyber Monday discount, a penny war that earned the winning class a grade-specific spread in the yearbook and a raffle that entered all buyers from each grade into separate drawings to see who would win free yearbooks would increase sales — and they did. Insight into promoting both the value of the book and hinting to the theme of the 2016 volume combined with research, analysis and strategic planning allowed this team to execute with precision. In addition to starting a new school-wide tradition and upping their order by more than 50 books, the short sales period yielded a 470 percent increase over the same period last year.

VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

PLAYING TO THEIR STRENGTHS

DECA TEAMS ROCK YB SALES CHALLENGE

MOST YERDS BECOME INVOLVED IN YEARBOOK BECAUSE THEY LOVE TO WRITE, DESIGN OR TAKE PHOTOS, OR BECAUSE THEY WANT TO TELL THE STORIES OF THE YEAR AND BE INVOLVED IN SOMETHING BIGGER THAN THEMSELVES.

IN A PERFECT WORLD, there would be some in

every crowd who thrive on the challenge of selling more books, some willing to invest in research before strategizing marketing campaigns and others who get as excited about watching sales tick upward as their yearbook peers do about selecting fonts, capturing the peak of emotion and choosing an amazing theme.

While those sales/marketing gurus are not always found in the yearbook room, there are some on most campuses — especially when there’s an active DECA chapter. An international organization for student leaders passionate about sales, marketing and other aspects of business, DECA offers an array of competitions allowing members to demonstrate the knowledge and processes they learn in the business and marketing classes.

As school began this fall, Herff Jones and DECA announced a new video competition: the DECA/ Herff Jones Marketing Results Challenge. In teams of three or fewer, members would analyze yearbook

sales on their own campuses before planning campaigns intended to raise books sales there.

The preliminary video entries answered a series of questions before explaining proposed campaigns and revealing results. Reviews by panels of judges narrowed the competition to three teams which were invited to do live presentations at the Herff Jones International Sales Conference in Palm Desert in January.

The resulting presentations, judged by leaders from marketing, sales and corporate teams, yielded some powerful insights and a mix of ideas that could be used at other schools this year or in the future. In addition, each team met with sales representatives as they arrived at the conference and presented informal talks about their work.

HJ Sales Operations Manager Annette Rollyson had been involved with the challenge from the start. “We imagined this powerful collaboration between the yearbook staff and the school’s DECA chapter,” she said. “The yearbook staff could invest their energy in creating the book because DECA’s sales and marketing gurus would handle book sales. The teams we saw were so impressive; they used a mix of marketing ideas to drive more book sales at their schools.”

When the votes were all tallied, the team from Long Island’s Smithtown East High School took top honors. Their prize? A travel award for on-stage general session recognition at DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Nashville in April.

TO SEE THE ORIGINAL DECA VIDEO SUBMISSIONS, GO TO WWW.YEARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM/MAGAZINE/

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

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THE TONE OF YOUR 2016 BOOK PROBABLY INFLUENCES

SEEK A STRONG IDENTITY

WHERE YOU BEGIN. WHETHER THIS YEAR’S BOOK

You want a look that is recognizable even to casual readers. Make sure you consider fonts and colors, the use of space and graphics that work together to promote a singular visual message and — if the verbals you choose don’t support that idea — decide which you prefer more. Then bring the other aspect into line.

IS WHIMSICAL OR EDGY, BOLD OR CLASSIC, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION.

Choosing a different vibe will give alert your readers that it’s a completely fresh book, not the same old, same old volume again.

If you land on a new verbal first, you’ll easily be able to maintain the tone by adopting visuals that correlate.

A powerful pride theme with a delicate font and dainty color palette sends mixed messages galore. But the same theme could be magnified by strong fonts, bright colors and bold graphics.

That challenge may well be reversed. Idea files filled with modern graphics and a trendy hue suggest an authentic or contemplative theme. The use of thin sans serifs, blocks of color and black and white photography simply don’t set the stage for playful verbals.

No matter whether visual or verbal inspiration strikes first, there are some conceptual principles that will increase your chances at maximum impact.

PLAN FOR VARIETY Look for type treatments and graphic devices that go together and be on the lookout for type packages that add other dimensions to your look. When you begin with libraries of options that can be used interchangeably, you will avoid redundancy and delight your readers again and again.

MAKE GOOD CHOICES Anything you decide to include should be added to the mix only because it strengthens the package. If everything coordinates except for one “interesting” graphic device that two junior editors fell in love with, the right answer is to find another time or way to use the device so that the conceptual package is as cohesive as possible.

IF WHAT’S BEST FOR THE BOOK AND ITS UNIFYING CAMPAIGN IS ALWAYS YOUR FIRST CONSIDERATION, YOU’LL BE AHEAD OF THE GAME AS YOU BEGIN TO WORK.

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VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

by PAUL ENDER

FINDING YOUR INSPIRATION SOME PEOPLE CONTEND THAT FINDING THE VERBAL BASIS FOR YOUR BOOK ABSOLUTELY COMES FIRST. OTHERS SHOP FOR VISUALS ALL YEAR LONG AND JUMP INTO A FULL-ON SEARCH AS SOON AS THEY’RE NAMED EDITOR. BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT YOU NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT BOTH AND HOW THEY CAN

GOLDEN IMAGES, CHAPPARRAL HS, PARKER, CO

WORK TOGETHER FROM THE START AS YOU BEGIN WORK ON YOUR 2017 YEARBOOK.

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

15

HOW

by MICHELLE DUNAWAY, MJE

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EMBRACE THE R’S OF YEARBOOK MAKE YOUR BOOK RELEVANT, RESPECTED WE’VE ALL HEARD OF THE THREE R’S (READING, WRITING, ’RITHMETIC), BUT IN YEARBOOK, A DIFFERENT SET OF “R” WORDS CAN HELP MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD BOOK AND A GREAT BOOK. HERE ARE SOME “R” WORDS FOR YOU TO REVISIT AS YOU ARE WORKING ON YOUR BOOK.

16

REMAIN

REVIEW

Once you are in production, even before first proof, you need to review your book.

READABILITY. It amazes me how many yearbooks these days aren’t readable. In a quest for trendy design, the idea of actually reading the content gets lost. So ask yourself these questions: 1. Are my fonts readable at the size we’ve chosen? Can a 50-year-old parent using reading glasses easily read my book? After all, parents are buyers and readers. Is any script font clear? Is there enough leading?

2. Are all reversed captions or those overprinted on photos readable?

3. Is any type turned sideways easy to read?

RESOURCE. Because the book is a historical resource and reference, you need to make sure that all photos have captions, even if it’s just a single line name. If more than five people are in the photo, then it can often be labeled as a group: varsity football players.

REMEMBER

The yearbook becomes really valuable 10, 20 and 30 years after graduation. It should always be about what we will remember — and it will remind us when we reread it what we’ve forgotten.

Therefore, look for the following: REDUNDANCY. The book should be about everyone. If someone has been used more than 3-4 times and can be replaced with a kid not in the book, do this. The goal is to get everyone in the book, especially those who buy it.

The yearbook remains a lasting legacy. After you finish, make a list of all the things that should remain part of your yearbook branding.

Just like everyone knows exactly what they are going to get when they open a package of Oreos®, so should everyone know what to expect when they open your yearbook. This doesn’t mean you’ll use the same layouts and design every year (after all, Oreos® come in multiple flavors and styles), but it means that your yearbook has the same content and filling. Readers know what they are buying, and therefore they keep buying.

RELIVE. Yearbook copy should be specific to the year and shouldn’t be boring. If you are bored writing it, your reader will be bored reading it.

Stories are about people. Focus on letting the reader learn something interesting and special.

IF YOU ARE BORED WRITING IT, YOUR READER WILL BE BORED READING IT. STORIES ARE ABOUT PEOPLE.

REMOVE/REDO/REWORK.

1. All opinion and editorial statements.

2. All confusing elements — be sure it’s clear which caption goes to each photo.

3. Page/Photo/Design credits that are too large — these should never dominate the spread. Keep them small.

RETHINK. Any quote that is generic like “It was fun. The team really bonded.” says nothing. Get meaty, storytelling quotes that will help students remember the year and that help them connect and care about those in the photo or story, even if the reader didn’t know that person.

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

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by LESLIE SHIPP, MJE

QUOTE CHECKS SAVE YOUR NECK A SIMPLE STEP TOWARD PEACE OF MIND IT STARTED WITH A QUOTE about

a prom dress. A yearbook staff member had quoted a junior girl as saying, “It was sort of funny when another girl and I discovered we were wearing the same dress” in the prom story.

Who knew a story about a prom dress would change procedures in the journalism lab forever?

Shortly after delivering the yearbooks, the girl came to the lab and told us she said no such thing. When yearbook class met, the editors conferenced with the writer of the story. The reporter maintained she had quoted her source accurately. Unfortunately, although trained to keep all of her notes, she had thrown them away at the end of the previous school year.

But it was then September, and our yearbook — a summer/fall delivery volume — had just been distributed when the larger-thanlife version of she said/she said

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VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

commenced. And no one wins.

Even prom girl’s mom got involved.

About this time, life-long adviser/ journalist Wayne Brasler, wrote on the JEA Listserv about his staffs’ use of quote check sheets. We emailed him. Within 15 minutes, he sent back an example. We created our own version and instituted their use starting immediately.

FOR THE PAST DECADE, QUOTE CHECKS HAVE PREVENTED INNUMERABLE SITUATIONS. Yearbook, newspaper and online use the same procedure.

Writers check every quote. In stories. In captions. In mods. More experienced students check quotes during the interview.

Less experienced writers check back after writing the story or caption. In every folder of spreads to be sent to the plant resides a quote check folder. One editor monitors the folder and coaxes/demands that every quote gets checked. We make quote checking a priority. We can go back into old folders from years ago and there is the quote check sheet.

As part of the quote check, writers also double-check the spelling of every name. They must write the correct spelling on the quote check sheet. The quote check sheet also helps reveal if anyone is using email to conduct major interviews, something frowned upon in the journalism lab.

New staff members who have not quite had that ingrained might ask if they have to quote check if they have all the quotes in an email.

Sirens and flashing lights go off and no one does an email interview for a while. Usually, several times a

DOCUMENTED ON THE CHECK SHEET WAS THE QUOTE AS IT APPEARED IN THE YEARBOOK. SHE READ THROUGH THE OTHER QUOTES SHE SAID IN THE STORY AND CONFIRMED SHE SAID THEM. SHE SAW THE JOURNALIST RECORDED THE DATE AND TIME OF EACH CHECK.

year, a source will want to change a quote. We have been resistant to this. However, we are beginning to understand that changing a quote to clarify what was said is one of the purposes of quote checking. That is different than wanting to change the context. Hardly anyone claims being misquoted, or even worse — that we made up a quote.

The quote check continually reminds staff members they must be accountable. People know we check quotes and document that we did, resulting in accountability from interviewees also. In rare instances when people think they were misquoted, we show them the quote check sheet. We will never know whether the girl said the quote about her dress. However, now we can trace back what sources say in an interview.

When a student came in a few years ago about being misquoted, we pulled up the quote check sheet from the server. Documented on the check sheet was the quote as it appeared in the yearbook. She read through the other quotes she said in the story and confirmed she said them. She read the quotes of others. She saw that the journalist had recorded the date and time of each quote check.

HER RESPONSE? “I GUESS I DID SAY THAT QUOTE.” OUR EXTRA EFFORT ON THE FRONT END HAS NEARLY ELIMINATED SUCH ISSUES.

FOR A COPY OF THIS CHECKSHEET, GO TO WWW.YEARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM/MAGAZINE/

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INVESTING TIME AND ENERGY IN SUMMER

GETTING THE MOST FROM A WORKSHOP MEET AS A STAFF BEFORE YOU GO Set goals, do some preliminary brainstorming and be sure that attendees are “all in” and feel comfortable contributing.

BE PREPARED Arriving with a theme, lots of sources for inspiration or at least a consensus on the tone you want for the next volume will improve your efficiency.

TRAINING MEANS HAVING A COHESIVE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE TEAM THAT’S UP-TO-DATE

Nine years ago, two weeks before the start of school, the phone rang and we were “voluntold” that we would be taking over the yearbook program. A veteran teacher who knew our school and a first-year teacher who had done yearbook in high school. We had students, but the rest is a blur!

By spring, our first book was published and we were looking forward to the following year. We learned that our rep hosted a summer workshop open to schools around the state and that seemed like something we should do. WOW, were we correct.

The knowledge that we gained that first summer was unbelievable. If we had only known those tips and tricks during our first year of publication! What surprises us to this day is that we continue to grow.

BE OPEN Anything you do beforehand is a start, but you might hear and see things that encourage you to go another direction; summer is the time to experiment.

BE WISE Yes, it’s fun to be in the same section as your

EACH SUMMER BRINGS NEW JOURNALISTIC TRENDS, STYLES AND TOPICS, SO STUDENTS (AND ADVISERS) LEARN SOMETHING NEW EACH YEAR AND CONTINUE TO GAIN A FRESH PERSPECTIVE.

besties, but it’s smart to see and hear as much as possible, so take advantage of all resources to make your book the best it can be.

GET OUT THERE Work to meet people from other schools, trade books and contact information. Yearbook is more fun when you connect with other staffs.

HAVE FUN Your readers will be able to tell if you see creating their yearbook as a dreadful task.

Include new topics, seek out amazing stories and strive for smiles from your readers.

DO IT! Use the workshop as a springboard to creativity and collaboration. Make plans and follow through. It’s your privilege and responsibility to record the events and emotions of this year.

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We invite each of our staff members to attend the summer workshop and each contributes a portion of the registration fee. Paying for part of the expenses not only keeps the students from backing out, but it also instills ownership in the process. Some have other summer commitments and are unable to attend, but majority of our students find a way to go. Last year, 16 from our staff of 20 attended. College courses, family vacations and church camps might all play a role in who goes to the workshop, but most do attend.

Every student gets something different out of the workshop experience. If they are newbies, they’re exposed to the language of yearbook and they see a spread for the first time. Veterans expand their skills and incorporate new trends, business managers learn to handle sales and strategize marketing campaigns while editors take leadership of “their book.”

Besides the obvious benefits of exploring our theme and designing the cover, perhaps the most important aspect of attending camp is the bonds that are built.

We start the journey with students from multiple grade levels, most who barely know each other, and we return to our destination as a tightly bonded group, with a shared experience and theme information that we only share with each other, fondly calling it “secret squirrel.”

It is this tightly bonded group that shows up on the first day of school ready to go, as all the awkward stuff is out of the way.

PHOTO BY JULIUS SHEINMAN

WORKSHOPS: WORTH IT!

by SHARON YOST, ALICIA MARRARA

TO FIND SUMMER WORKSHOP DATES AND LOCATIONS, GO TO WWW.YEARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM/EVENTS/

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

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ADVISER SUCCESS

WHY YEARBOOK MATTERS

THE HERFF JONES-SPONSORED SATURDAY ADVISER AWARDS LUNCHEON AT THE SPRING NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM CONVENTION IN LOS ANGELES IN APRIL INCLUDES RECOGNITION OF JEA’S YEARBOOK ADVISER OF THE YEAR AND RISING STAR WINNERS. NINE HERFF JONES ADVISERS ARE BEING HONORED THIS SPRING AND WE ASKED THESE PASSIONATE EDUCATORS TO SHARE YEARBOOK-

PHOTO BY KATHY DALY

SPECIFIC WISDOM OR ADVICE. I LOVE THE PROCESS. I LOVE HOW IT CHANGES EVERY SINGLE YEAR — NO TWO ARE THE SAME. I GET MORE OUT OF MAKING A YEARBOOK THAN I DO LOOKING AT IT WHEN IT COMES OUT. MY JFAM ALSO KEEPS ME GOING; NO ONE IN THE BUILDING TRULY UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE DO, SO IT’S A BLESSING THAT I HAVE A NETWORK OF COLLEAGUES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT I SHARE THINGS WITH – GOOD AND BAD!

ERINN HARRIS, MJE

Distinguished Adviser

PHOTO BY JAKE RUSSELL

Thomas Jefferson HS for Science & Technology Alexandria, VA THE JOYS OF ADVISING ARE MANY, BUT THE BEST PART OF WORKING WITH MY STUDENTS IS THE PRIDE I FEEL WHEN THE TRUCK ARRIVES IN MAY, OUR STAFF EAGER TO GREET THE DRIVER AND CRACK OPEN THE FIRST BOX OF BOOKS. THE ANTICIPATION, FOLLOWED BY A SENSE OF AWE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT AS THEY HOLD THE BOOK IN THEIR HANDS FOR THE FIRST TIME, IS LIKE LITTLE ELSE.

MICHAEL SIMONS, CJE

Distinguished Adviser

Corning-Painted Post HS Corning, NY

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VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

YEARBOOKS ARE THE ONLY PLACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE WRITING DOWN THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL AND THE PEOPLE IN IT. BOOKS STILL REPRESENT OUR MOST PERMANENT FORM OF STORING INFORMATION.

LESLIE SHIPP, MJE

Special Recognition Adviser

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH BUSTAMANTE

Johnston (IA) HS AN AMAZING EDITOR HAS THE ABILITY TO GET OTHERS TO SEE THEIR VISION AND WORK TO ACCOMPLISH IT. IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION AND BUILDING PEOPLE UP SO THEY WANT TO WORK WITH YOU.

SARAH VERPOOTEN, MJE

Special Recognition Adviser

PHOTO BY KAYLI VANG

Lake Central HS St. John, IN THE THING THAT KEEPS ME MAKING YEARBOOKS YEAR AFTER YEAR IS WATCHING MY STUDENTS DEVELOP SKILLS THAT PREPARE THEM FOR THE REAL WORLD. BY THE TIME MY STUDENTS ARE READY FOR HIGH SCHOOL, THEY’VE ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED THEIR FIRST BUSINESS.

LAURA ZHU, CJE

Special Recognition Adviser Toby Johnson MS Elk Grove, CA

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE AMAZING ADVISERS, GO TO WWW.YEARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM/MAGAZINE/

YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM

23

WE HAD AN AMAZING YEAR AS A YEARBOOK STAFF LAST YEAR.

MOMENT I’VE HAD

THE STAFF GOT IN A

AS AN ADVISER WAS

GROOVE EARLY ON

THE FIRST TIME MY

AND THE COVERAGE

STUDENTS WON A

WAS REALLY GOOD.

CONTEST. THE LOOK

WHEN I HANDED A

OF SURPRISE AND

SNEAK PEAK OF OUR

YEARBOOK IS THE

TOTAL SHOCK ON

BOOK TO THE EDITOR,

COOLEST RECORD OF

ALL OF OUR FACES

SHE CRIED AS SHE

HISTORY EVER. THE

YEARBOOKS TELL

IS A MOMENT I WILL

LOVINGLY WENT

COMBINATION OF

STORIES OF PEOPLE

NEVER FORGET!

THROUGH EVERY

FONTS, VERBAL TAGS,

WHO DON’T REALLY

THAT WAS THE DAY

PAGE. WATCHING A

GRAPHIC ELEMENTS,

KNOW WHO THEY

THAT SOLIDIFIED

KID HOLD THAT THING

COLOR AND OLD-

ARE YET. IT IS NEAT TO

MY STUDENTS

SHE HAD PATIENTLY

FASHIONED HARD

LOOK BACK AND SEE

AS JOURNALISTS

SHEPHERDED TO

WORK IS A SYMPHONY

WHAT THEY HOPED

AND NOT JUST

COMPLETION WAS A

OF EXPRESSION THAT

THEY WOULD BE OR

JOURNALISM

POWERFUL MOMENT

EVERYONE SHOULD

THOUGHT THEY WERE.

STUDENTS.

FOR ME.

EXPERIENCE.

ASHLEY CLARK

24

PHOTO BY LEXI FLEMING

PHOTO BY JOSEPH ANDERSON

PHOTO BY TINA DANG

PHOTO BY BRIAN CLARK

THE PROUDEST

TERESA SCRIBNER, CJE BARBARA THOLEN, CJE LESLIE THOMPSON, CJE

Rising Star

Rising Star

Rising Star

Rising Star

East Bay HS Gibsonton, FL

Cleveland STEM HS Seattle, WA

Lawrence (KS) HS

Conifer (CO) HS

VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE TWO

YOUR YEARBOOK.

Whether your 2016 masterpiece is now complete and in the plant’s hands or you’re working to finish coverage of as much of the year as possible, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The year’s biggest group project has likely revealed some skills and talents you never knew you had, tested your patience and introduced you to people you’d never have met otherwise. Between brainstorms and production, deadlines and sales campaigns, you exemplified 21st century learning, compelling storytelling and new world media. We’re here to support and celebrate all your efforts because we love the process and the product. It’s true. Your yearbook is

OUR PASSION.