As part of our “The Essentials” series, we present the required elements of yearbook. Today, we’ll focus on dividers.
The dividers, or division pages, provide one of the most integral roles in a yearbook. Physically, they play a structural role, dividing the book into sections (traditional, chronological or thematic). The two-page divider introduces the new section, often with a simplified design that emphasizes photography and minimizes copy.
For their theme “the little things,” McNeil’s yearbook staff used the word “little” as part of a section spinoff on each monthly divider. They opted for a single photo with a full bleed and featured quotes from students reflecting on summer travel.
The division pages are also an opportunity to carry out the theme visually and verbally. Staffs tie their design to the concept’s look, using the same colors, graphics and typography seen on the cover and earlier in the book. Verbally, staffs may choose to give the section a spinoff name that connects to the theme.
On the endsheets, North Kansas City High School featured all the spinoffs for each section of the book, verbally connecting to their 2021 theme, “blank slate.”
In addition, designwise dividers tend to rely on bold layouts with larger and less photos and less copy. Often staffs will only have a dominant photo, caption and the section name. Other options include featuring a quote or a table of contents for that section.
An extended contents list is a nice touch when an earlier table of contents only features the main sections and page numbers. This reader service allows the audience to instantly know all the coverage in the section. Less common these days is copy about the section, which can tend to be generic and challenging to write. Many staffs have opted to run a quote or several quotes that connect to the photography and the section.
In their chronological book, Venice High School ran a table of contests on each of the semester dividers.