How to Create a Memorable and Consistent Theme for Your Yearbook

Yearbooks are enduring chronicles of our school experiences, preserving memories and friendships. Great and memorable yearbooks are created with tremendous planning, effort, and creative ideas. 

In this blog post, we’re excited to highlight a couple of valuable resources that unlock the journey of creating a theme for your yearbook that can be remembered for years to come.

You should start by checking out our Balfour Square called Visual Theme below. It walks you through the journey of creating and committing to a visual theme for your school’s yearbook.

If you’re unfamiliar with Balfour Squares, it’s a collection of useful one-page mini-lessons regarding the key elements of yearbook production: coverage, copy, design, theme, and photography. 

Tip: You can download the Balfour Square on Visual Theme at studio.balfour.com. Click on the “Start Here” banner on the home page, then scroll to the Staff Recruiting, Development, and Training section. Click on Balfour Squares (PDF) and it’ll download a zip file with all the Balfour Squares, including the one we discussed today. 

Extra tip: For a more in-depth overview, you can also check out more resources about building a theme for your yearbook. You can find these by clicking on the "Education" tab and under "Teaching Resources", click on "Classroom Slideshows and Worksheets." To access the theme-related content, click on "Theme" and it will direct you to a page with a collection of content (see below): 

There are plenty of resources for you to use on that page, however, you can check some of them out below: 

• Slideshows: 
• • Theme development: It discusses the main aspects of a theme and the areas that it should be present in within the yearbook. 
    
• Worksheets: 
  
  • Master Style Planner: This master style planner helps you visualize the "big picture" of what the yearbook elements (such as the cover, the title page, division pages, etc.) will look like together. You can download the full worksheet online at studio.balfour.com. 
    
    
  
   
  • Getting Started: If you're having trouble getting started and have "writer's block", this worksheet can help you and your students brainstorm ideas for the theme for your school's yearbook. 
    
    
  • Make 'Em Say Wow: Fill out this worksheet to help visualize and create visual-verbal harmony in your yearbook theme.
  • Theme Worksheet: This worksheet can be used as an in-class exercise to help assess and ensure the theme is truly being depicted in the yearbook. 
    
  
    

You can take full advantage of the wealth of resources available at studio.balfour.com. Whether you're looking for a refresher or some guidance in a specific area of yearbook production, studio.balfour.com is your go-to source. Explore, learn, and create unforgettable yearbooks with confidence!