Magnificent morsels: everything’s better with food pages

Donuts. Pizza. Ice cream. Whether it’s snacking in class or munching late at night, we love dishing on our favorite foods. Let’s turn our love affair with food into a testament of tastiness.

One of our favorite yearbook trends in the last few years has been the advent of food pages. They’re popping up everywhere, from dedications to donuts to fast food favorites. If you’ve never made a memorial to magnificent morsels, maybe it’s time to dig in.

(Left) Fort Zumwalt North’s food spread is a mash-up of favorite spots, including coffee, tacos, chicken, pancakes and yogurt. They also have a fun sidebar comparing mac and cheese from two different restaurants. (Right) Klein Collins High School asked students about their dream ice cream sandwich and featured bubble teas and cold concoctions.

Food spreads are a great addition to student life sections of yearbooks. They provide a fun diversion from the requisite pep rally and Homecoming coverage. They also add a layer of whimsy and imagination, giving designers a chance to show creative flair with an original, showstopper design.

In terms of design, the prevailing trend has been to use cutouts of the food, accompanied by student quotes. However, there is no trend when it comes to the topic. We’ve seen snack spreads, fast food ones, breakfast pages, dessert designs, and spreads with all types of food.

(Left) Bowie High School centered their food spread on places students could visit during their 44-minute lunch break. In addition to cutouts and quotes, the staff included how far the restaurant was from the school and the price for the item. (Right) Anderson County High School took a morning approach to their food spread. They focused on donuts and coffee to jump start a student’s day.In addition, they included a sidebar on healthy snacks and a poll on the favorite meal of the day.

If space is an issue, consider running your food idea in the people section. This allows you to still have a fun topic, but save space. This could turn into more coverage if you ran a food topic in each grade level of the people section.

Inglemoor High School took an inventive twist on the food spread by running a poll in their people section. They surveyed 100 students to ask their opinion about pineapple on pizza. With the pizza cutouts and poll results, they added cutouts of students and their thoughts. Including actual students with the results gave a more personal touch to the statistics, making it more likely to draw attention. Moreover, by staying attune to popular culture debates, Inglemoor allowed their audience to weigh in on a popular topic that was sure to encourage additional discussion.

(Left) In the freshmen section, Bridgeland High School focused their food coverage on students’ favorite snacks. (Right) Inglemoor High School devoted a page in their people section to the pop culture discussion of pineapple on pizza.

As you plan food coverage, don’t forget about the liquid side of the conversation. Students are just as passionate about coffee, smoothies, Sonic drinks and sports drinks. Maybe favorite beverages become their own showstopper spread or get added to the people coverage.

On a similar note, don’t forget about water bottles. Aluminum water bottles and Hydro Flasks are all the rage right now and can make for creative and fun coverage. Plus, it’s another way to squeeze additional students in the book, especially those not involved in clubs and sports.

(Left) In their underclassmen section, Vista Ridge High School focused on coffee, featuring caffeinated options and polling students on their favorite types. (Right) Anderson County created a wow, showstopper spread for water bottles. Including mugs of the students provided a personal connection.