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Yearbooks
10 THE YEARBOOK TOP
30
CRITICAL SKILLS
While each yearbook is a unique creation, there are 10 elements that all great yearbooks have in common.
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Inclusive coverage featuring everyone at least three times.
7C’s | The game plan for a winning yearbook program By focusing on the 7C’s, your staff will have an awesome educational experience while producing an outstanding yearbook.
CLASS: Yearbook publishing is the ultimate, outcome-based academic experience equipping students with 30 skills in a wide variety of areas including journalism, leadership, technology, marketing, sales and public relations. COVER: It’s true, we do judge a book by its cover. Make a positive first impression on your readers by designing a unique cover. COVERAGE: Feature every student in the yearbook at least three times while presenting stories that reflect the richness, diversity and interesting elements of your school. Presenting those stories using a chronological approach makes sense for both your readers and your staff. CREATE: A dynamic yearbook reflects the year both in terms of content and personality. From a content perspective, effective visual and verbal storytelling results from stellar photography and specific, crisp writing. A relevant concept and contemporary design gives the yearbook its unique personality. COMMUNITY: In many towns, the entire community has a sense of pride and ownership in the yearbook. Engage parents, business owners and civic leaders. Business and recognition ads do more than simply generate income; they allow the community to show its support for the school and its students. COMMERCE: Like your counterparts in the professional publishing world, your staff needs to sell its product. A student business manager, with assistance from your entire staff, needs to create and implement innovative sales campaigns. CELEBRATE: A yearbook is a celebration of life, so why not host a meaningful, schoolwide distribution event that encourages yearbook signing? And be sure to celebrate your success along the way. There’s something to celebrate in the yearbook room nearly every day, so take a few minutes each week and reflect on your accomplishments.
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An appealing cover that makes a statement about your school and reflects the tastes of your students.
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Yearbook publishing — where students work collaboratively to visually
Relevant coverage that reaches beyond the walls of your school to capture the lives and interests of students.
and verbally document the
correctly spelled names, of all the people in the photographs.
The integration of critical
4. Identifications, with 5. Photos, including
those submitted by readers, that capture personalities and tell stories.
6. Interactive content
that engages readers by featuring polls, surveys and superlatives.
7.
Eye-catching designs and contemporary graphics.
8. Personalized
content including personalization on the cover, personal pages and recognition ads.
9. An accurate index. 10. Plenty of
autograph space.
story of the year — is the ultimate outcome-based academic experience for teaching critical 21st century skills. thinking, problem solving, effective communication and collaboration not only results in a dynamic and contemporary yearbook, but also these essential skills prepare you for life and work in today’s global economy.
JOURNALISM SKILLS Concept brainstorming Reporting Researching Copy editing Photo editing Graphic arts Public relations Media law Design BUSINESS SKILLS Budget planning Promotion and advertising Marketing Selling Customer relations Market research TECHNOLOGY SKILLS Business software Desktop publishing software Photo-editing software Online design Online research LIFE SKILLS Communication Leadership Time management Project management Problem solving Writing Photography Teambuilding Conflict resolution Public speaking
Concept CONCEPTUAL SPIN-OFFS | Rely on the concept introduced by the theme rather than on the words. CLOSING SECTION | Finishes the story of the year and brings the yearbook to closure. DIVIDER | Indicates a new section and provides design continuity throughout the yearbook. ENDSHEET | The heavy paper between the cover and the first and last pages that help hold the pages into the cover. OPENING SECTION | Introduces the story of the year and explains the yearbook’s concept. PARTING PAGE | The final page of the yearbook with a design similar to the title page; makes a powerful and final verbal and visual statement of the theme or concept. SPIN-OFF | Key words, phrases or ideas that support the main theme or catch phrase through word choice or concept and are used for each section of the book or content modules. These unify the book and highlight the coverage.
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An effective theme concept is recognizable, relevant and repeatable while setting the stage for dynamic verbal and visual
STORYTELLING Unique events and happenings inspire theme ideas.
Anything unique to a year inspires a yearbook’s theme — a change in a school building, schedule or curriculum; a celebration or anniversary in the school or community; a community event or bigger issue that directly impacts students. So can school or community traditions or the demographics of the yearbook’s audience.
They ask a question or make a statement; they reflect pride in the school or mark an important milestone; they make readers feel special. A theme that comes from a close examination of the immediate environment better reflects the school and the year than one that is dreamed up simply to be clever.
RELEVANT: Readers understand how the theme relates to their lives and school and to the year. The theme makes sense to them.
Verbal and visual stories supporting the theme concept run through the sections, often in content modules that are sometimes labeled with theme-related phrases.
Theme-related whole-book links expand coverage.
A good theme meets certain requirements.
REPEATABLE: The theme is expressed in language that speaks to readers. They can easily remember theme phrases.
A relevant theme concept inspires content.
A whole-book link is a theme-related content element such as a photo strip, a folio presentation, a listing or quote box that runs consistently throughout the entire yearbook. A whole-book link not only adds unity but also greatly expands coverage.
Theme statements are lighthearted or serious.
RECOGNIZABLE: Readers understand the concept and realize what the staff is trying to accomplish with the theme. Readers can identify the theme development pages.
GREATER THAN GRAND BLANC | Not intended to be snobbish, this concept set the stage for covering what pushes Grand Blanc students to be better than average, even better than good. Lines are a powerful unifying graphic.
SIX SQUARE MILES | This concept, inspired by the sixsquare miles that defines the school district surrounding Highland Park High School, is introduced with a graphic featuring six boxes of different colors that label content.
INDIVIDUALLY WE | This concept is introduced with a dazzling cover design beginning with “I am an individual” with first-person statements followed by “we” statements. Student names appear through the precision-cut “WE.”
YOU TELL ME | A loud, in-yourface concept allows for more student opinion, first-person accounts and featured quotes. Oversized elements, including the theme statement on the cover and quote marks inside are effective visual cool tools.
For a closer look at the Echo from Grand Blanc High School [MI], visit pages 26-27 of Look Book 10.
For a closer look at the Highlander from Highland Park High School [TX], visit pages 32-33 of Look Book 10.
For a closer look at the Pathways from Pinnacle High School [AZ], visit pages 44-45 of Look Book 10.
For a closer look at the El Paisano from Westlake High School [TX], visit pages 64-65 of Look Book 10.
The theme sets the tone for the story of the year.
A contemporary theme statement is more than a phrase on the cover — it provides a platform for telling the story of the year.
TITLE PAGE | The first page of the yearbook makes a positive first impression and provides critical reference information. THEME | A central idea or concept that sets the tone for telling the story of the year. Repeated throughout the yearbook on cover and endsheets and in opening, closing and dividers, it unifies the storytelling message of the book and gives it personality. THEME PACKAGE | The main areas where the theme concept is visually and verbally reported to the readers: cover, endsheets, title page, opening, dividers, closing and parting page. WHOLE-BOOK LINK | A concept-related content element such as a photo strip, a folio presentation, a listing or quote box that runs consistently throughout the entire yearbook or a section. A whole-book link not only serves as a unifying element, but greatly expands coverage.
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Content
Words add quotes, facts to the story VERBAL When verbal elements are visually appealing, readers are more likely to read them.
Words provide facts, figures, opinions and descriptive details. They tell the anecdotes about people and their experiences that readers like. The best yearbook writing focuses on people and uses their quotes to tell much of the story. Solid reporting adds substance to stories. CAPTIONS: Add information to photos. They can range from simply identifying and supplying minimal information for people in photos to serving as ministories telling the five W’s and H (who, what, when, where, why and how) and including quotes. FEATURE STORIES: Tell the five W’s and H. In the most common yearbook form, stories begin with a catchy lead followed by short paragraphs featuring meaningful quotes and transitional paragraphs containing facts and figures. HEADLINES: Attract readers to stories and draw them into pages. A well-written headline can summarize a story or highlight its focus. A headline should always contribute to the story and not merely label the page. Headline formats include primary and secondary. QUICK READS/INFOGRAPHS: Tell figures, facts or opinions in a visual, nontraditional paragraph style. They’re often packaged with graphics and photos. Figures: table, index, listing, stats, chart, scoreboard, pie chart Facts: fact box, listing, top 10, summary points, informational map, diagram, definitions, profile Opinions: quotes, question-answer, for/against, personal narrative, journal, advice Time: schedule, calendar, timeline Interactive: fill in, matching, connect the dots, color and object, check test, crossword puzzle, word search, quiz
Images tell the story with realism VISUAL Yearbook spreads that used to include five to seven photos now incorporate 20 or more photos of different types.
Some stories are best told visually. Images show emotion, action and reaction with great realism. Visuals can provide information in ways that words cannot. They can make it easier for readers to understand or relate to information. PHOTOJOURNALISTIC: These photos tell stories, show action and reaction. They provide a variety of subjects and points of view. Each photo should have strong content and be able to stand on its own as well as work with other photos to tell a story. REFERENCE: These are the portraits and group shots that provide a visual record of school enrollment and group or team membership. SCRAPBOOK: Although these photos feature posed subjects, and offer a more casual way to document students’ lives, they still tell stories.
Contemporary yearbooks often feature many photos per spread. Yearbook spreads that used to include five to seven photos now might have scrapbook photos and 20 or more photos of different types: Single shot is one image used to tell the story. Series refers to three or more photos showing the sequence of action. Collection is a group of related photos, each telling a different aspect of the story. Cut-out-background (COB) refers to removing the background, leaving just the subject. Mortise is a smaller, related photo that overlaps or is inset into a larger photo.
XXX ANGLE Xxxxxx | An angle narrowly defines a topic making specific verbal and visual storytelling possible. FEATURE STORY | A single-story approach packed with facts, figures, descriptive details, specific examples, quotes and poignant anecdotes. Journalistic feature stories use a catchy lead followed by short paragraphs featuring meaningful quotes and transitional paragraphs containing facts and figures. HEADLINE | The large type designed to attract readers to stories and draw them into pages. A well-written headline summarizes a story or highlights its focus. Headline components include primary and secondary. INFOGRAPH | Presents facts and figures, often poll and survey results, in a visual way that often includes illustrative art. PHOTOJOURNALISTIC PHOTOS | Tell stories, show action and reaction, provide a variety of subjects and points of view. QUICK READS | Typically short stories or groups of facts presented in a broad range of writing and design formats. Quick-read stories tell figures, facts or opinions. They can be chronologies or interactive formats. REFERENCE PHOTOS | Group shots and portraits that provide a record of the school population and the membership of organizations and teams. SCRAPBOOK PHOTOS | Photos of posed subjects offer a more casual way to document students’ lives.
Visual, verbal journalists must work together When editors, writers, photographers and designers plan and report a story as a team, many good things happen. Readers get more complete and focused stories that appeal to them while redundancy is avoided.
A story angle is more focused than the topic. When planning yearbook content, angles and topics are often confused. A topic is broad and often vague. “Jobs” is an example of a story topic. The topic doesn’t drive interesting visual and verbal stories. It’s vague and begs the question “What about jobs?” This is where the angle comes in. Possible angles on the topic of “jobs” might be working outside in the summer heat or working with children. Or, perhaps the impact of the economy on the teen job market. A specific angle provides essential direction for photographers and reporters. Focused storytelling results from a narrow story angle.
Angles drive decisions about verbal and visual formats. After initial brainstorming sessions to explore story ideas and fresh angles, yearbook journalists continue the process by listing all the sources they need to contact and the resources they need to access for information and insights. After interviewing, researching and examining all aspects of the story — including the before, during and after — the best visual and verbal story formats are determined.
ANGLE A topic is broad and vague. Focused storytelling results from a narrow story angle. Content determines the verbal and visual story format.
Coverage BLENDED CONTENT APPROACH | A coverage approach in which spreads are built on topics with coverage coming from all traditional content areas. CHRONOLOGICAL CONTENT APPROACH | A coverage approach that uses a time element such as seasons or months to organize the content. CONTENT MODULE | Portion of a page or spread with mini-design of photos and text; can be displayed with other content modules on a spread to present different angles on the same topic. COVERAGE | The story of the year told through complete, balanced, relevant and dynamic verbal and visual content. EVEN PAGE | Displayed on the left side of a spread. LADDER | A diagram or online tool used to plan content/coverage, deadlines and color. Also a place to list staff assignments. MULTI-SPREAD PRESENTATION | An important topic receives two or more spreads, allowing for in-depth coverage. MULTIPLE | Eight pages on one side of a press sheet, indicated by shading on the ladder; pages are printed in multiples. ODD PAGE | Displayed on the right side of a spread. SIGNATURE | A grouping of pages that are printed on the same press sheet and folded into a 16-page mini-booklet; signatures are bound to make a complete book. SPREAD | Most common allocation of space, two facing pages presenting a variety of elements to tell a story; even and odd pages appearing as a unit. TRADITIONAL CONTENT APPROACH | Sections focus on traditional content areas including student life, academics, sports, organizations, people, advertising and the index.
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The ladder diagram organizes content, color and deadlines A page-by-page planner and deadline tracker, the LADDER DIAGRAM is used to identify content, record deadlines, plan color pages and track pages submitted and proofed. The ladder is organized by spreads, MULTIPLES and SIGNATURES. The shaded pages indicate one multiple. The alternating white pages show another multiple. If you are using a multiple of color, the eight pages will fall on every other spread in the yearbook; they will not be consecutive. An ELECTRONIC LADDER is available on Jostens Yearbook Avenue, allowing staffs to define sections, label page content, assign staff members, indicate deadlines and specify color on the Web.
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Featuring each student in the book at least three times is critical
Set a goal of featuring every student in the school at least three times on the pages of the yearbook. While this might be challenging at an extremely large school, where the focus might become including every student at least twice, featuring every student three times is a realistic goal for most staffs. Most students are featured one time in their school portrait. However, since portraits are often fairly small, it’s essential to feature students in the yearbook two (or more) additional times in a way that reveals their individualism — showing what they think, feel, say or do.
LADDER DIAGRAM POSTER
TRADITIONAL CONTENT AREAS
Storytelling captures life in and out of school A comprehensive yearbook documents life both in and out of school in several key areas: STUDENT LIFE: Covers activities in and out of school that directly affect students’ lives. It is a place to look at students as individuals, not as members of classes, clubs or teams. ACADEMICS: Covers curriculum-related experiences wherever they take students. SPORTS: Covers interscholastic competition and other athletic activities involving students.
PEOPLE: Covers students, faculty and staff in photos that serve as the record of the school population and in feature stories. ADVERTISING: Is dictated by budget and policy and can include business and recognition ads. INDEX: An alphabetical directory of every person, team, group, advertiser and topic featured in the words and photos on the pages of the yearbook.
ORGANIZATIONS: Covers the activities of school groups, emphasizing the value of membership and experiences.
YEARBOOK SECTIONS
Organize content in a logical way for readers TRADITIONAL: Sections are provided for the traditional content areas, which include student life, academics, sports, organizations, people, advertising and the index. CHRONOLOGICAL: Content is presented in the order in which it happened during the year. Student life, academics, sports and organization coverage is presented sequentially and is often organized in four major seasonal sections — summer, fall, winter and spring. Since portraits and group shots don’t have a time element, they are placed in a “people” section.
BLENDED: Spreads are built on topics with coverage coming from all traditional content areas. For example: the topic of travel could include stories on vacations from student life, field trips from academics, on-the-road games from sports and competitive events from organizations.
Design
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Anatomy of a Spread DROP CAP | Serves as an entry point into the story; font matches secondary headline.
PRIMARY HEADLINE | Large, catchy and enhanced with color; makes a verbal connection to the dominant photo.
DOMINANT PHOTO | Noticeably larger than the other photos; design further emphasized by partial cut-out background.
SECONDARY HEADLINE | Provides information to supplement the primary headline.
CONTRAST | The variety (in size, format, shape, weight or color) that creates a dynamic design and sparks visual interest to keep the presentation lively. DOMINANCE | Achieved by making a content element significantly larger calling attention to itself and becoming the focal point. The dominant element, often a photograph or collection of photos, should be important enough to justify this treatment.
CONTENT MODULE | Presents four photos and an expanded caption on hip hop dance.
EXPANDED SPACING | A “rail” is used to separate the dominant photo from the other content modules.
COB PHOTO | Stands for cut-out background photo; the cut-outs are placed on a pale color block to define the space.
ECHOING COLOR | Pulling a distinctive color from the photographs, especially the dominant, and repeating it for typographic and graphic elements across the spread to promote visual unity. EXPANDED SPACING | Generally a “rail” of 3 to 6 picas running vertically or horizontally and used to separate or isolate content. EYEFLOW | The natural movement from left to right with the content elements moving the eye into the center and/or toward other key elements. The goal is to keep the reader moving from element to element.
[Duncanville High School, TX]
EYELINE | An imaginary, horizontal line of 1-pica spacing used as a unifying device. The eyeline runs across the two facing pages, visually linking the spread.
STORY | Words provide facts and quotes.
FOLIO/FOLIO TAB | Indicates the page number and content; features a small photo to add reader interest.
TIGHT SPACING | Related photos are touching for visual unity and to save space.
CONTENT MODULE | Display four quotes and photos, highlighted with a pale color.
CAPTIONS | Placed to the outside; above, below, left or right of photos.
EYELINE | Horizontal alignment of elements across the design links the pages into a unified spread.
GRID | A framework of vertical or horizontal columns used for organizing and aligning content. GUTTER | The center of the spread, where the yearbook is bound with thread and glue into the spine. Typographic elements should not be placed in this area. HIERARCHY | A design technique that creates order and indicates importance through size and placement. LINES | Thick or thin, most often straight, used vertically or horizontally, lines are measured in points. MARGINS | Establish boundaries for the content; they provide a border of white space along all edges of the spread.
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Pull out section
your school’s best yearbook ever!
blueprint for creating and marketing
A page-by-page, deadline-by-deadline
Yearbook Planner
School
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IMPACTFUL CHANGES •_ Renovations: •_ Bond elections: •_ Policies: •_ Anniversaries: •_ Staff changes:
CHERISHED TRADITIONS •_ Mascot: •_ School colors: •_ School motto: •_ Words on school seal: •_ Key words in fight song: •_ Popular events/dances: •_ Rival: •_ Noteworthy programs:
JUST THE FACTS •_ School name: •_ Location: •_ Enrollment: •_ Grades: •_ Years as a school: •_ Age range of students: •_ Boys | Girls | Co-ed •_ Rural | Suburban | Urban •_ Public | Private •_ One word that describes our school:
Before jumping into brainstorming theme ideas, take a few minutes to complete this school profile.
SCHOOL PROFILE
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Spin-offs for content modules:
Advertising Spin-off:
People Spin-off:
Organizations Spin-off:
Sports Spin-off:
Academics Spin-off:
Student Life Spin-off:
1. 2.
Yearbook Theme/Concept:
From the suitable theme phrases or concepts listed in step two, select the one that best represents the tone for the theme and the story of the year. Use key words or the concept from the main phrase to generate spin-off phrases for each section.
SELECT A THEME CONCEPT
Referencing the data compiled in the School Profile column, generate a list of 12 phrases or concepts that capture the personality of your school. For best results, focus your brainstorming efforts on the most significant fact. Consider alliteration, assonance, oxymoron, antonym, cliché, homonym, onomatopoeia, pun, rhyme and synonym when crafting a verbal statement.
BRAINSTORM
Concept | Theme Planner
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FRONT COVER The following should appear on the front lid: • Yearbook title • Year of distribution • Theme statement • Theme-related design and possibly photography
Theme-related visual elements that are introduced on your cover include: • • • • •
The following reference information generally appears on the backbone: • Yearbook title • Year of distribution • Volume number • School • City/state [optional]
SPINE
Depending on the cover process used, the back lid might feature: • Theme-related design and possibly photography
BACK COVER
The cover should make a positive first impression and sets the stage for the story. The concept might be boldly introduced on the cover or previewed in a more subtle way. The cover design should set the tone for the concept.
VISUAL COOL TOOLS
Cover Planner
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Theme-related visual elements that are incorporated into your endsheet designs include: • •
VISUAL COOL TOOLS
• • • • • •
Front Endsheet Planner
If applicable, explain how the design of the back endsheet differs from the front.
BACK ENDSHEET
Endsheets are the heavy pages between the cover and the first and last pages. The endsheets transition the reader from the cover to the inside pages. The front endsheet often displays the contents listing while the back endsheet frequently displays the staff listing and colophon.
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Parting Page Planner The parting page is the final page of the yearbook and should complete the story of the year while linking it back to the yearbook’s concept. An effective technique is to design the parting page to reflect the look of the first page of the yearbook — the title page.
The first page of the yearbook makes a positive first impression while continuing to introduce the yearbook’s concept. Reference information, while important, appears as secondary content on the title page: • Yearbook title • Street address, city, state • Year of distribution • Phone number • Volume number • Enrollment/enrollment classification • School • School website
Parting Page Planner
TITLE PAGE PLANNER
Title Page Planner
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Theme-related visual elements that are incorporated into your opening/closing include:
VISUAL COOL TOOLS
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Opening & Closing Planner The opening begins with the title page and introduces the story of the year and explains the yearbook’s concept. The closing concludes the story of the year and wraps up the yearbook’s concept. The design of the opening and closing spreads are often variations on the same design.
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Theme-related visual elements that are incorporated into your dividers include:
VISUAL COOL TOOLS
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The dividers indicate new sections and provide continuity throughout the yearbook by reflecting the concept verbally and visually. For consistency, it is common for the same divider design to be employed for each section.
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Divider Planner
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Primary headline specifications:
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Section Planner
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Primary headline specifications:
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A yearbook for every student
Fall
Distribution
Back to School
Winter
Yearbook Sales Goals:
Design
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PICA | A unit of measurement in graphic design equal to one-sixth of a inch, used for measuring the width and height of content elements. PLANNED SPACE | An area of space that separates and frames, attracts attention to content and gives distinctive, pleasing appearance to the design. Adds unity, movement and emphasis to a spread. POINT | Increment used to insure precise design measurement. A point is 1/72 of an inch and is used for measuring typography and rule lines. PROCESS COLOR | The primary colors of cyan, magenta, yellow plus black used in full-color printing.
STEP ONE | Begin by establishing column grids, an invisible vertical framework that will hold the content. All content elements fall within the column grid without stopping in the middle. While some designs feature just eight columns across the spread, more columns provide greater variety in photo and content module sizes. For this design, an 24-column grid is used. The columns are spaced 1-pica apart, often called standard spacing.
STEP TWO | The most powerful storytelling image makes the best dominant photo. Following the column grid, the dominant photo is the first element placed on the spread. To serve as a focal point, the dominant is noticeably larger than the other photos and is placed in the center of the design. If the photo crosses the gutter, care must be taken to be sure that faces and other significant content does not land in the gutter where the pages are stitched and glued.
STEP THREE | Allow the dominant photo to guide the placement of an eyeline running horizontally across the spread. The horizontal alignment created by placing elements above and below the eyeline unifies the single pages into a spread. For best results, avoid placing the eyeline in the exact center of the design since this will divide the spread into two equal portions, which isn’t visually interesting.
STEP FOUR | The dominant photo is a powerful visual element that directs the eye on the design. With the strategic placement of the headline and story module, the dominant photo pulls the reader into the design and directs eyeflow towards the headline. For flexibility, the columns are often combined for displaying the stories and captions. In this case, five columns are combined for the story .
STEP FIVE | Secondary photos are placed around the dominant photo. Contrast is achieved by using a variety of modular shapes and sizes. Care is taken to maintain the eyeline and to follow the column grid. As a result, a consistent use of standard spacing separates most of the content elements.
STEP SIX | Captions are placed within the column grid and to the outside rather than between the photos. To avoid confusion, captions should be adjacent to the photos they describe. Just as with the story, the column grid is used to maintain a consistent width for the captions. Two columns are combined for each caption.
RAIL | Expanded spacing used to frame or separate. Created when a vertical column or a horizontal grid is left empty or mostly empty. READER ENTRY POINT | A point at which a reader starts to read copy or look at visual elements on a spread. Multiple entry points draw in different types of readers. STANDARD SPACING | Generally 1 pica, is used as the default spacing for consistency. TIGHT SPACING | Generally 1 to 6 points, is often used between photos or other related elements for visual unity and to save space. TINT | A screened area of ink (colors or black) used for a background, lines and type. Black tints yield a range of grays. THREE-PEAT GRAPHIC STRATEGY | A graphic technique incorporated into a design at least three times for visual unity. UNPLANNED SPACE | An area of space that detracts from content, weakening the design. Gives the appearance of disunity to the design. WHITE SPACE | An unoccupied part of a design; so named because the white background is visible. All white space should be planned and includes margins, interior spacing and rails.
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STORIES
Yearbooks depend on photojournalism—the art of telling meaningful stories with action images
Photos show who, what, when, where, why and how. CONFLICT OR CHALLENGE: The photographer anticipates the moment, place or interaction that illustrates the struggle or pain or determination important to the story. CHARACTERS: The people who are important to the story are introduced. SETTING: The photographer takes the reader to where the story happened. DETAILS: Photos show the details that would be difficult to explain in writing. EMOTION: Photos show expressive body language, close-ups of eyes and mouth, interaction between people.
Photos show energy. Action: Photos capture the action; they stop it close-up. Reaction: Photos show expressions and include subjects that tell the story. Sometimes a reaction is more interesting than the action just before it. Relationship: Photos show the interaction between subjects. The photographer looks for eye contact.
A variety of shots all contribute information to a story. PERSPECTIVE: A wide shot shows an overall picture of an event or scene. It introduces the reader to the story. A medium shot brings readers closer to the action and tells more of the story. A close-up or detail shot focuses on a single, interesting subject. FORMAT: A variety of both horizontal and vertical photos covers a story more effectively. SUBJECTS: Varying the number of people in the photos tells different stories. A photo might show a single person, a couple, a small group or a large group. SEQUENCE: A complete visual story results by shooting before, during and after the event or activity.
Photojournalism CENTER OF INTEREST | Primary subject that catches readers’ attention first. Should be the focal point or dominant element within the photo.
RULE OF THIRDS | Dividing
COMPOSITION | Position or arrangement of the elements in a photo; content of a photo.
frame. Where the lines intersect,
CROPPING | Editing the image area to be reproduced. Cropping enhances a photo’s visual impact by removing dead space from the sides, top or bottom.
fall in a hot spot, a more dynamic
FRAMING | Composing a photo so that the subject is surrounded (framed) by content—sky, ground, people—that highlights the subject. LEADING LINES | A photo composition technique in which real or imaginary lines in a photo lead the eye to the dominant element, primary subject or center of interest. NOISE | An undesirable electronic pattern in the dark areas of a digital photo. PHOTOJOURNALISTIC PHOTOS | Tell stories, show action and reaction, provide a variety of subjects and points of view. PHOTO EDITING | Brings together photographer and designer and involves selection, cropping, sizing and the display of photos to optimize storytelling. REFERENCE PHOTOS | Group shots and portraits that provide a record of the school population and the membership of organizations and teams. REPETITION OF PATTERNS | A photo composition technique in which texture, lines or other visual repeats in the photo. RULE OF THIRDS | A method of dividing the photograph into thirds vertically and horizontally creating four intersection points. The main subject falls into one of the intersecting points, a little off-center in the photo.
the image into thirds vertically and horizontally guides the placement of the subject in the visual “hot spots” are created. By striving to have the subject photo results. Avoid centering a subject in the center boxes of the grid. [Megan Rountree, Westlake High School, TX]
FRAMING | Shooting from inside the object the student works on allows the photographer to dramatically frame the subject through the opening. The subject is positioned with the rule of thirds in mind and occupies the left points of the grid. [Gareth Patterson, Bryant High School, AR]
FILL THE FRAME | Sharing earbuds and smiles, the photographer got close so the subjects fill the frame and a distracting background is minimized. The intensity between their shared expressions keeps the viewer’s attention focused on the subjects. [Jordan Guttenberg, The Birch Wathen School, NY]
EMOTION IN MOTION | This image captures the strong disappointment of the players. The placement of the two most intense players on the right rule of thirds grid frames the rest of the team and provides entrance into the image’s focal point. [Rachel English, Shawnee Mission East High School, KS]
Writing THE PARTS OF A STORY
ATTRIBUTION | Giving proper credit to the person who made the quoted statement. Material that is not common knowledge or states an opinion needs to be attributed.
By Mallory Summers
CAPTIONS | Text blocks accompanying photos that add information. Captions answer readers’ questions about the people, the action and/or the reaction in a photograph. Can range from identifying and supplying minimal information for people in photos to serving as mini-stories telling the 5 W’s and H and including quotes. Also called cutlines.
Duncanville High School, TX
chaperones and school rules applied.
POINT OF VIEW | The perspective from which a story is told. Most journalistic stories are written in an objective, third person (he, she they) point of view. The writer’s personal opinion is not present, unless the story is clearly labeled as an opinion piece or personal narrative (first person, I, we). In traditional feature stories, opinion should appear only in the direct quotes from sources.
LEAD | A catchy first paragraph sets the tone and angle; piques interest
TRANSITION | Provides specific facts about the event: when, where, how
to arrive before 1 a.m. when the doors were locked. A $10 admission fee and a picture identification were required to get in.
Senior Catherine Bartlett said she thought the party started too late.
“I am not a good driver and can’t see when it is dark, so driving out there
that late was a little problem for me. I think we should’ve had to arrive there by 10 p.m.,” said Bartlett. “I think that we would be a lot safer, and less people
HUMAN CONTEXT | Readers like to read about people not events QUOTE | Opinion is expressed using the exact words of a participant
would be at risk of getting in a car accident.”
After a night of playing pool, dancing, bowling and playing video
games, students were worn out when the festivities ended at 6 a.m. The only
TRANSITION | More facts including a list of key activities
way a student could leave earlier was to have a signed permission slip from a parent. [Duncanville High School, TX]
LEAD-IN | A short, catchy mini-headline or introduction to the caption. It makes the photo-caption connection without having to use direction-giving words like “above,” “left” and so on.
The Jan. 20 all-night party at the Irving Triangle Bowl was the first
official senior-only activity. The doors opened at midnight and students had
EDITORIALIZING | When the opinion of the writer is included in what is supposed to be an objective, journalistic story.
LEAD | The opening sentence or paragraph of a story, introduces the story, sets the tone and angle and grabs reader interest.
It was just like any other party — loud music, laughter, junk food
and unlimited soft drinks — with a couple exceptions: teachers served as
CONCLUSION | The final sentence or paragraph that ties the end of a story back to the lead; gives a story a sense of completeness.
FEATURE STORY | A single-story approach packed with facts, figures, descriptive details, specific examples, quotes and poignant anecdotes. Journalistic feature stories use a catchy lead followed by short paragraphs featuring meaningful quotes and transitional paragraphs containing facts and figures.
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“Being able to leave whenever I wanted was definitely good,” senior
Vanessa Guzman said. “By 4 a.m. I was pretty tired and worn out from all of the
QUOTE | Another viewpoint presented using the exact words of a participant
fun, so I decided to leave shortly after then, to go home and get some sleep.”
Seniors enjoyed an unlimited supply of pizza, hot dogs, nachos and soft
drinks, much to the delight of senior Tiffany Fletcher.
“By the time I arrived to the party I was starving and I hadn’t eaten
dinner yet,” said Fletcher. “The pizza was so good.”
1
TRANSITION | More facts listing food and introducing another person
2
CONCLUSION | Final paragraph of a story that might refer back to the lead; this story ends with a quote
4
should be written in past tense
paint mental pictures for readers.
3
often, stories should be written
sentences and paragraphs are
since information is presented
Descriptive nouns identify
in third person (he, she, they)
easier to read. Writing should be
after the fact. Active voice
individuals and groups by the
from an objective point of view.
clear and concise. Paragraphs
verbs let the subject take action.
actions they take (“musicians”
The writer’s opinion, called
could be as short as one or two
Passive voice and forms of
in place of “students,” for
editorializing, has no place in
sentences.
“to be” should be used only
example). Having people reveal
a story, unless it’s a personal
when necessary to emphasize
themselves through words and
narrative. First person (I, we)
or to prevent awkwardness.
actions reduces the need for
might be appropriate in those
When strong, descriptive
adjectives in describing people.
cases. In journalistic writing, any
verbs: Stories
NOUNS: Visual nouns
POINT OF VIEW: Most
verbs are used, adverbs aren’t
opinion should appear in the
as necessary.
quotes of others.
PARAGRAPHS: Short
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PRIMARY HEADLINE | The main headline. Uses a few well-selected, creatively designed words to capture readers’ attention and deliver the dominant message as well as an overview of the page content. QUICK READS | Typically short stories or groups of facts presented in a broad range of writing and design formats. Quick-read stories tell figures, facts or opinions. They can be chronologies or interactive formats. QUOTES | Word-for-word statements from sources, showing a reaction to, an explanation for or an interpretation of an activity, event or issue. Quotes with full attribution (person’s name, year in school or other identifier) add human interest to a story.
Writing CAPTIONS | Report relevant mini-stories Captions do not serve the reader when they simply repeat what the reader can see in a photo. To be effective verbal elements, captions should add to what is obvious to a reader. Names are essential.
Captions answer readers’ questions about a photo. Anyone who looks at a photo has at least one question that can’t always be answered visually. When they look at a photo, readers want to know the five W’s and H (who, what, when, where, why, how). The caption should be there to give them that information; names are essential.
Caption writing requires reporting.
SECONDARY HEADLINE | The second tier of information in a headline that adds specific information or details; often written in sentence style.
Photographers should be encouraged, if not required, to get essential information such as names and to write down other observations that could be used in a caption. Or, reporters accompanying photographers could take the notes.
STYLE GUIDE | Spells out the rules for writing as it applies to the yearbook. For consistency in writing, everyone on staff should refer to a general style manual and to one created for their book.
Caption writers should contact the people in the photo and, through mini-interviews, get direct quotes and background information. Another source of material for captions is the interview and research notes compiled for the other stories on the topic.
TRANSITIONS | Details (facts and figures, descriptions) that give context to quotes and make them more meaningful. Transition paragraphs inform readers and help them understand what sources are talking about. Transitions contain the set up for the next quote.
Direct quotes from individuals in the photo add depth. When direct quotes are used in captions, these first-person accounts bring photos to life and add a human perspective. As in stories, direct quotes are preferred over indirect quotes. Not all captions require or call for the use of quotes.
THREE-STEP HEADLINES An effective headline should hook readers’ interest, guide them into the verbal-visual story and tell them what the story is about.
[Whit Pruitt, Bryant High School, AR]
FORMATS | Offer storytelling flexibility Caption formats range from identifications to mini-stories.
ID caption: Identifies individuals and offers a brief explanation of the photo’s content. SUMMARY CAPTION: Highlights the most important aspects of the five W’s and H. EXPANDED CAPTION: Answers the five W’s and H and provides additional details, often direct quotes from individuals pictured.
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FLAG FOOTBALL. Senior Mark Bellman, four-year letterman. FLAG FOOTBALL. To the roar of the home fans, senior Mark Bellman leads the varsity players onto the field against rival University High School in the last game of the district season. For the first time in eight years, the team advanced to regional play-offs shutting out the Tigers, 21-0. FLAG FOOTBALL.To the roar of the home fans, senior Mark Bellman leads the varsity players onto the field against rival University High School in the last game of the district season. For the first time in eight years, the team advanced to regional play-offs shutting out the Tigers, 21-0. “When I was injured in the third game of the season, I just knew my senior year would be the biggest bummer ever. However, when my teammates unanimously voted to let me lead them onto the field the rest of the games, I knew I was still a part of the team and became its biggest fan and cheerleader from the sidelines,” said Bellman, a four-year letterman.
2
that describe and relate to the
key words from step one,
3
story topic. The more colorful
brainstorm rhyming words for
two, craft words and phrases
and expressive the words, the
the words from step one that
that creatively capture the story.
better. Brainstorming in teams
have strong storytelling merit.
In addition to rhyme, consider
List 10 to 15 key words
From the list of
Using the list of key
words from steps one and
of two or three is often helpful.
other literary techniques
Looking at the photos and
including: alliteration,
reading the story often helps
assonance, oxymoron,
build the list of words. For our
antonym, cliché, homonym,
story on the importance of cars
onomatopoeia, pun, rhyme
to teens, we have brainstormed
and synonym.
16 words.
Marketing Steps to selling your yearbook and building a tradition
1 2 3 4 5
Deliver the experience WHAT | Products, price, sales goals WHEN | Back to school, fall, winter HOW | Online and in school
Create buzz at school AWARENESS | The yearbook is on sale URGENCY | Don’t miss out! FUN! | The yearbook is cool
Create buzz at home AWARENESS | The yearbook is on sale URGENCY | Reserve your copy now! CLEAR STEPS | How to order the yearbook
Run the campaigns PROMOTION | Keep up the momentum VISIBILITY | Make it easy to buy TRACKING | Enter sales in Yearbook Avenue
Deliver the experience DISTRIBUTE | Make it an anticipated event SIGN | Messages from friends make it personal CELEBRATE | The school year and your amazing yearbook
BENEFITS | The reasons customers have for buying the yearbook. While one feature of the yearbook is that it has great photos of many friends, the benefit to the customer is that looking at the photos is fun and images will evoke memories for many years. BUDGET | Expectations for expenses and income; takes into consideration the plans to make the yearbook appealing to customers and the costs of producing it, plus related expenses. DIRECT MAIL | A marketing tactic that uses a sales letter or promo piece mailed to potential customers. DISTRIBUTION EVENT | A special activity for distributing and signing yearbooks. EXPENSES | The costs associated with producing a yearbook. FEATURES | The physical and emotional aspects of the yearbook product that interest potential customers. Answers to these questions are features: What is on the cover? How many times am I pictured in the book? How many pages are in the book? How much color is used? INCOME | Amount of money coming in to meet expenses, including income from yearbook sales and advertising revenue. MARKETING | Strategies that communicate the yearbook’s features and benefits to potential customers. RESEARCH | Reveals what yearbook buyers want and need. Surveys and focus groups can produce helpful information, but personal contact often provides the best opportunity to determine what students want in the yearbook. TACTICS | The marketing strategies used to inform potential customers about the yearbook, including point of purchase, direct mail, email, telemarketing, personal reminders, flyers, videos, announcements, direct marketing and websites. Tactics are matched to the needs and demographics of potential customers.
DELIVERY DAY | A distribution celebration not only builds excitement about the yearbook, it builds school pride and recognizes the adviser and staff for their work. Regardless of the format of the event, yearbook signing should be a key component.
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From direct mail to point of purchase displays, there are many tactics available for reaching potential customers
Marketing magic Strategic marketing means matching tactics with the needs and demographics of customers.
CLASS PRESENTATIONS: Staff members make presentations about the yearbook and distribute order forms.
POINT OF PURCHASE (POP): A prominent display of the cover, theme and features of the book should be inviting, intriguing and accessible.
PERSONAL REMINDERS: Postcards add a personal touch by informing students or parents of the exact pages on which the student will appear in the yearbook.
E-MAIL/DIRECT MAIL: A sales letter or promo piece, perhaps included in the school newsletter, is sent to potential customers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Broadcasts on a school radio station, public address system, school news channel or local stations could be used to get the word out.
VIDEOS: In a school with an internal television network, a video promotes the yearbook. TELEMARKETING: Staff members phone potential customers to connect features to benefits and ask them to buy. FLYERS: A flyer or order form stuffed into lockers gets attention.
DIRECT MARKETING: The yearbook company contacts students or parents, allowing them to buy directly from home. ONLINE: A website makes it convenient for customers to purchase.
4 key campaigns Creating the urgency to buy at four different times during the year leads to stronger sales. BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN: Early sales help build momentum and generate yearbook buzz. Take advantage of registration and parent night events to launch book sales. FALL CAMPAIGN: In the fall, school spirit is high and there are lots of events and activities underway. Capitalize on that emotion and involvement for your biggest campaign of the year. WINTER CAMPAIGN: This is the last chance to reserve a copy of the yearbook. This message has to come across clearly in all promotions. DISTRIBUTION SALES: Make distribution an enjoyable experience that includes signing yearbooks. Sell extra copies, usually at a higher price than for preorders.
Yearbook & ReplayIt Time Capsule
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