Yearbook Playbook

DEVELOPING A THEME A yearbook theme is a verbal and visual message that tells the story of the student body and school year. You will want to find a theme that is reflective of the year, but also fun and inviting!

VISUAL THEME What visual elements will help me best convey the message/tone of my verbal theme? What attitude/ personality does your verbal theme have? Is it bold? loud? thoughtful? intense? relaxed? fun? chaotic? Considerations • A strong visual theme will help you guide the meaning of your verbal statement and ensure your theme is recognizable throughout your book. • Your cover is your school’s first impression of the story of the year. You should clearly see and feel your theme here and allow it to carry throughout. • Colors, graphics and fonts that relate to the year can create a stunning, eye-catching approach to unifying the book. Consistency is key. - Pick Fonts, Colors, and Graphics that help complement your visual idea. - Templates, backgrounds and clikart can be a great starting point to help piece together your look. • Refer to Planning Kit: Fonts, Color Swatches, Template Catalog.

PRO TIP: Have students collect common phrases they hear in the hallways or see in magazines or on commercials, etc. Those could be potential yearbook themes! Use this list as a starting point to coming up with the verbal theme that will best fit your school’s story. • Facts about your school: location, mascot, colors, etc. • Recent changes at your school: schedule, classes, size • Current trends that affect students: student activism, environment issues, technology, etc. • Clothing styles and trends • Common phrases students use: remember to keep these school-appropriate Guiding Questions • If your school was a person, what would they be like? What would they dress like? care about? not care about? • What are kids at your school proud of? • What do kids at your school look forward to? • What do other schools say about your school? How does it stand out in your community? • What one word would you use to describe your school? • How would you describe a typical school day to a friend who goes to another school? YOU DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER... UNLESS IT’S A YEARBOOK! VERBAL THEME Begin with the verbal, then move to the visual. You’ll want to draft your theme statement first and then begin visualizing what that will look like. Considerations

PRO TIP: Spend time looking at visual inspiration from magazines to get ideas on graphics, colors and layouts that you like. Search the internet for any design inspiration that matches what you want to verbalize. Ultimately, you want to find what sparks the interest of the staff and build ideas from there.

Drake Middle School Arvada, CO

Shawnee Mission East High School Prairie Village, KS

10