In order for your yearbook design team to have every picture they could possibly need is only going to happen if you take the pictures. Taking lots of pictures may seem like a given when it comes to high school yearbook requirements, but you would be surprised what those students in charge of taking the pictures will find to do instead of their duties.

Here's how it breaks down: Your yearbook is only going to be as good as you make it. You're in the yearbook class, and it's your responsibility to take those photographs. If you ever find yourself in the position of being one of three students who are supposed to be taking pictures, assume that you are the only one who is actually bothering to take the pictures.

An event only really needs one photographer to capture everything clearly. The problem that occurs these days is that the photographer becomes too engrossed in the activity at hand, and forgets to take the pictures! Whether you are cheering for the team at the Homecoming game, or texting your friends, you're missing photos that could be vital for the yearbook design.

It is important that you understand that simple concept. If you don't take the pictures, they can't be in the yearbook. When the principal takes a pie to the face, you don't want to be nose-deep in your smart phone. He will have the pie tin off and be wiping the whipped cream away before you can turn your camera on.

If you assume that you are the only student who is taking your photography duties seriously, then you know that the pictures will be there when the time comes. When it turns out the other two students were taking pictures too, then you will have plenty of angles to pick from. If not, at least you managed to capture that priceless moment where the principal was cringing as the pie was in mid-air.

Whether you are carrying your own personal digital camera, or using one that the high school yearbook committee has provided, you need to know how it works. Take the time to get familiar with the camera before the big event comes around.

Understand how to change the settings, turn off the flash, and which light means low batteries. This intimate knowledge of your camera, even a borrowed one, will make a difference in the photos available for your yearbook design team.

And while we're at it, we here at Expressly Yours can't stress to you enough the importance of using an actual digital camera for taking those yearbook design photos. Yes, we know your cell phone has a camera. What your cell phone doesn't do is zoom, adjust shutter speeds, have easy to operate flashes, or create pictures in a usable yearbook format. You'll find that whole useable format part to be slightly important for your high school yearbook creation.

One of the most exciting aspects of putting your school yearbook together is picking or designing the cover. Since a book is often judged by its cover, your school yearbook covers really sets the
tone for everything that’s inside.

So when you’re faced with such a huge responsibility, how do you come up with the perfect design? With practically endless options, how do you match the yearbook cover to the personality and culture of your school? It can be a little mind-boggling, but hopefully these tips will point you in the right direction.

Classic or Creative?

Depending on your school, you may want to choose the cover accordingly. If your school is a
very traditional establishment, you might want to select a yearbook cover that reflects a more
classy, dignified image. A darker color with embossed text, perhaps including the school’s creed,
is a good way to reflect that traditional, established identity.

On the other hand, if your school is known for being a hub of creativity and artistic expression,
you’ll want something that reflects that school spirit. Take a little time to think on your school’s
identity and culture, and try to reflect that on the cover you choose.

Standard or Unique?

If you’re short on time (or creativity), there are plenty of stock options available to choose from.

Many school yearbook providers will have a huge assortment of standard covers to choose from,
and it’s very likely that you’ll find something that will work well for your school. This option will
certainly save you a lot of time – which you can then invest in great content.

Of course, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can really go wild and create something outstanding

for your school yearbook cover. The options are virtually limitless. If you decide to get creative
with your school yearbook cover, there are a few ways you could go about it:

1. School art competition – Set a time period for students to submit their own original artwork in a
school-wide art contest. You can choose to set a theme, or just let your students get creative with

it. Have students and teachers vote on the best cover design.

2. Class portraits – Schools will generally take group portraits of the various classes at some
point in the year. These are usually included in the yearbook, but they can make a great cover as
well.

3. Photo collage – There are likely many amusing photo ops throughout the school year. Select
some of the best moments from the year – big sports events, great performances, etc. – and
design a collage with those great pictures.

Text or Script?

Finally, you’ll want to match your text style to the cover you’ve chosen. If you’re going with a more
traditional design, you won’t want some funky, artsy font style. Conversely, if you’re applauding
your students’ artistic expression, don’t choose a font that will come across as stuffy or too
conservative.

With each decision, your goal should be to accurately represent the culture, personality and life
of your school, its students, and its history. If you keep that in mind, your yearbook cover is sure to be a success.

Yearbooks are a way for many to remember the moments they shared in school, and the people they shared those moments with. Having a dull yearbook that doesn’t represent your school and your graduating class will only lessen the long lasting emotions from this book, so choosing the perfect yearbook layout and yearbook design is extremely important.


Yearbook Design

Yearbook design might be the most important factor within the entire process. You must be extremely open-minded with the overall design, and not limit yourself to anything.  One of the best ways to start thinking of design options is to pass out a survey to all the grade levels within your school. Start polling the results and see if anything is overlapping with many of the responses. Yearbooks are generally segmented by grade so you could have a different yearbook design for each grade section depending on the responses. 

Another direction you could go with your yearbook design would be to think of 5 to 10 of the biggest events that have taken place during the school year and decide which events can be portrayed on paper. Choosing the biggest events will bring back great memories when someone connects with the yearbook in five, ten, or even 30 years down the road.

Yearbook Layout

Yearbook layout goes hand and hand with yearbook design, and when both done correctly you will have a yearbook to remember. There are many things that go into yearbook layout but here are a few of the more important ones:

-Each page should only have one main topic. Don’t try to fit multiple themes and things onto a single page because it will seem cluttered

-Don’t be afraid to leave white space. White space can make an image stand out even more sometimes.

-Don’t mix to many fonts onto the same page. Its best to use one main font per page or your book can start to look unprofessional

Follow this quick tips and suggestions and you will be on a great start to making a yearbook that will always be remembered, and reflective of your graduating class!