Wow! It was an incredible three days for Amplify, Balfour’s 2020 Adviser Training. We offered 70 sessions with ideas about coverage, writing and design in our new world. As we reflect on the workshop, three distinct ideas emerged.
1. Go chronological. This is not the year for a traditionally-organized yearbook. With the uncertainty of events and games, it doesn’t make sense to divide the book into traditional sections (student life, academics, people, clubs, sports). Organizing the book chronologically will allow staffs to plan for coverage as it happens. Whether you go weekly, monthly, by semester or season, a chronological approach will provide flexibility as the year changes and evolves. Check out these 2020 Balfour yearbooks to guide you in your chronological journey.
2. Revolutionize your design. With all the unknowns about classes, events and games, we do know it means fewer photo opportunities. Turn that challenge into a blessing. This is an opportunity to revolutionize how you’ve done yearbook, to completely change your look. Think more white space, fewer photos, more showstoppers, less collages. Take a cue from the professionals—utilize magazine-style design and multiple storytelling formats to share this year’s story.
3. Be flexible. All the Type A personalities will have to let go of their control issues. The ladder is going to change. And change again. We’ll be in person or virtual or both. At some point, we could shut down all over again. We’ll have to crowdsource for images, stories and ideas. We’ll need creative approaches to reach our audience and to complete pages. We’ll need to go with the flow—adapt as needed, change course as needed, start again as needed.
There are so many unanswered questions. But one thing we know for certain: it will be different. Embrace the change and the challenge. This is an exciting time in the yearbook world. It will be a year like no other. Let’s make yearbooks like no other.