Stop worrying about the blank space, baby. Because we’re feeling ’22. Yes, we’re channeling Taylor Swift. Her catchy song titles inspire us to fill empty pages. …Ready for it?
As Taylor would say, everything has changed. Thankfully, the beloved singer-songwriter’s positive energy sparks creativity. Taylor Swift’s prolific songwriting motivates us to whip out yearbook pages. Because we know all too well you’re behind. Here are three creative ways to start spinning spreads like Taylor spins hits.
1. Cutouts are your friends
An oldie, but a goodie, cutouts make yearbook life SO. MUCH. EASIER. No events to cover? Can’t get to a club meeting? Gone back to virtual? Lean on cutouts.
Have staffers photograph objects on white (foam core, paper, posterboard, etc.) to make the cutout process even easier. Take portraits on solid backgrounds. Consider dedicating a day; send your entire staff out to roam the school, photographing people and objects. If needed, ask students to submit photos. Throw the cutouts on a spread, arranging in a pleasing manner. Add a couple of quotes and you’re done.
Cover a multitude of student life topics via cutouts, especially fashion and food. Think sneakers and boots, coffee and Sonic drinks, watches and bracelets (this amazing blood drive spread could easily transform into wristwear coverage).
Cutouts also lend themselves to covering academics, clubs and sports in an innovative way. Photograph projects or objects that visually represent the classes or sports. Pennant cutouts provide innovative design for a college spread. And don’t forget the simplicity of a profile spread, simply using people cutouts. This sports profile layout is one of our favorites. This clubs spread innovatively features organizations without photographing an event or meeting.
Cutouts of students and their projects make this academic spread an easy and cool design from Katy Junior High.
2. One (photo) and done
If photographing individual objects and cutting out multiple items makes your head spin, consider a flat lay photo. Bring together all the objects for one glorious photo taken from above. (Studio lights or a ring light make these images look magnificent.)
It might be a compilation of what’s in your bag or game day essentials. The flat lay content could feature sports uniforms, student keychains or board games. Consider a series of showstopper spreads on essentials by season—summer, fall, winter and spring. Think sunglasses and flip flops for the summer layout, scarves and boots for the winter spread.
Oak Grove High School ran a series of seasonal essential spreads, including this winter one with a poinsettia, an Elf on the Shelf and winter attire.
Food is probably one of the most popular flat lay choices. Turn it into a staff bonding activity and have everyone bring in their favorite fast food or local takeout. Even your cafeteria’s best options can create an appetizing flat layout. (Since trays are usually white, try photographing on a darker background.)
Another one and done photo option is to let a single candid image hold the page. Go full bleed or bring it to your external margins for a crisp white border. A hallway pic (with a slow shutter speed) could feature statistics on the school population, tardy numbers and how long it truly takes to get from point A to point B. Adorn a photograph of the front of school with interesting facts and figures about clubs, sports, grade levels, classes and so on. A single picture from a theater, music or dance performance could add compelling bonus coverage to your fine arts’ pages. Little Rock Central High School dedicates several spreads each year to the one photo concept, highlighting their stellar photography.
Sometimes, less really is more.
In 2018, Seven Lakes High School featured a lone photograph of the main entrance with data about the school.
3. Forgo pictures for text-only spreads
We’re also a big fan of the latest trend—pictureless spreads. Let your typography do the talking. The most population iterations feature quotes, showcasing students’ thoughts on everything from the pandemic to senioritis. (They’re also ideal for expanding your theme concept past the traditional theme pages.)
Other font fabulous layouts might focus on slang, numbers or one-word answers. A facts and figures spread could utilize big numerals to emphasize important data (remember, one of the functions of a yearbook is it’s a record book). Sprinkle in some varying font weights, sizes and splashes of color, and you have a dynamic design with zero images.
Text-only spreads like this one from Bridgeland HS can create compelling design. Despite zero pictures, this pandemic layout won an Honorable Mention for NSPA’s 2021 Design of the Year award, in the COVID-19 Reporting category.
Ideas aplenty
You might have noticed quite a few links along the way. We’ve linked to 23 spreads (including the images) that could inspire your content. If you’re hungry for more inspiration, check out hundreds of examples on the Balfour Exchange, our one-stop shop for all things yearbook. The yearbook spread examples are divided by category (student life, people, clubs & sports, etc.).
BUT if that’s not enough, we’ve crafted a coverage idea PDF with brand new ideas for 2022. It features more than 115 topics.
Are you feeling ’22 yet?
Sure, everything has changed, but this is an opportunity to make your wildest (yearbook) dreams come true. So, shake it off and start planning. There will be no blank spaces, baby!
