As part of our series, “The Essentials,” we’ll discuss the required elements of yearbook. Today, we’ll focus on the index.
It might be the most banal part of the yearbook, but it’s an essential one. The index is a reader service that provides vital information about who and what are in the book. And while we may loathe putting one together, our readers love flipping to it to find out how many times they’re in the book. So, let’s give a little love to the overlooked essential—the index.
The index should:
- Include all people, clubs, classes, events and sports featured in the book. Consider listing the clubs and sports in bold to make them stand out.
- Run in four to six columns of text on each page. This compact style will allow more information to be included in less space.
- Check for misspelled names or duplicate entries. Preferably, run the index numerous times during the year to avoid this, but regardless fix mistakes so the same student isn’t listed as three different people.
- Run in a small, easy-to-read font. It’s perfectly acceptable to run the index in 7, 8 or 9 pt. We urge you not to run it in 10 or 12-point type. Also, use the most readable version of your typeface.
- Feature division letters before each section of the alphabet. Strive to make the letters large and noticeable. Think about running the index letters in a theme-related font or emphasis type. Adding photos or quotes that connect with your theme and feature more students are smart content and aesthetic decisions.
- Add secondary coverage that breaks up the columns of names and page numbers. Connect the coverage to the theme and include students who purchased a book, but aren’t in it elsewhere.
The Bard, Hill Country Christian School’s yearbook, features several connections to their theme, with large division letters in their font and secondary coverage linked to the “It’s about time” theme. As a reader service, they used boldface type for classes, clubs and events within the index and then collected that info in separate sidebars for each group.