New yearbook advisers often struggle with yearbook spreads. Experienced advisers look for ways to take their books to the next level. Here’s a tip sheet full of ideas to create a better yearbook. Not everything will work for every school. Take what you want; leave the rest, and don’t try to do everything at once. Just working on one or two strategies at a time will help you improve your book.
Layout:
- Include a dominant photo. Best photo on the spread.
- Cluster your photos – don’t scatter them.
- Use uniform internal margins between photos.
- Bigger photos in the middle. Smaller photos/elements on the outside.
- White space in the corners. Don’t trap white space.
Photos:
- Strive for the correct exposure.
- Use candids whenever possible. Two eyes, one ear, action, and emotion.
- The dominant is the best photo on the spread. 2-3x bigger than the other photos. It often crosses the gutter.
- Leave some nose room when cropping photos.
- Arrange photos so people are looking into the layout; not off the page.
Copy:
Dos:
- Specific is 1000X better than general.
- Write in the active voice.
- Opinions go in quotation marks.
- Commentary is factual.
- Write about what was special/unique to this year.
Photography:
- Go early, stay late.
- Take more than you need.
- Photograph before, during and after events.
- Get some wide angle and close-up shots.
- Look for moments, wait for the perfect time, then take several.
Interviewing:
- Interview the right people.
- Suggest a specific time when requesting an interview.
- Do some research before the interview.
- Verify your research in the first set of questions.
- Ask open ended questions.
