Uniting the themes of recruiting new staffers and taking on challenges, here’s the second installment of EIC Live.
Meet the amazing Casey Medlin, who was a three-staff student journalist at Cape Fear Academy in Wilmington, N.C. You read that right — newspaper, lit mag and yearbook.
She’s a student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has some awesome things to say about how her former life as a student journalist gave her people skills and leadership experience that really does translate into her real-world career direction. She shares how she has applied her journalism skills in internships while attending college.
This one is a gem, not just for your current staffers but also for your future recruits.
https://yearbookdiscoveries.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Editors-in-convo.jpg255640VARSITY YEARBOOKhttps://yearbookdiscoveries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Varsity_Yearbook_V-braid-1-1.pngVARSITY YEARBOOK2023-01-09 16:21:432024-04-11 13:53:20Leadership and the Real World
If you or your staffers were unable to join our adviser or editor roundtables this fall, you missed some great conversations.
We hope you got our invites to our roundtable series this fall, but if you missed them, no worries. We are happy to share some of the highlights from the Editors in Convo series.
Our first installment on coverage comes from Edward Garcia, a former Coverage Editor from the Cayuse yearbook at Walnut High School in Walnut, California. Edward shares some great advice for tracking student coverage and ways to generate new story ideas.
https://yearbookdiscoveries.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Editors-In-Convo-Edward.png4321268VARSITY YEARBOOKhttps://yearbookdiscoveries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Varsity_Yearbook_V-braid-1-1.pngVARSITY YEARBOOK2022-12-25 08:21:122024-04-11 13:53:21Superstar Editors Have the Best Advice
One of the most rewarding parts of advising is fostering leadership in young adults. It’s even better when you can convert a student who doesn’t see themself as a leader into a force of good in your yearbook space.
As your deadlines come and go, you are probably seeing some of those students move to the front of the pack and start to shine. Some of them will simply show you that they are organized and can keep cool under pressure. Another may raise her hand and tell you she is interested in a leadership position. So, take a minute and look around the room. And, while it’s your job to inspire and empower, your current leadership should also take on this noble calling. What a great set of leadership skills for them to learn, as well.
How do you make this happen? Here are some ideas:
1. Have your current, returning staffers fill out applications for the positions they want. You can use the resources in our curriculum in the Welcome section, including the Staff Interview Form and Job Application.
2. Plan interview appointments with every member of your staff. Start with returners and talk to them about their potential for advancement in their yearbook careers. For seniors and non-returners, treat them as exit interviews, where they have the opportunity to give you feedback on every aspect of the program. This is such an important career-readiness skill.
3. Treat the process of advancement as a business manager would. As homework, consider the EIC video series as a starting point for reflection — as deadline assignments ebb, these are a great way to get a grade in the gradebook.
4. Once new positions are chosen, make the training process part of your graded assignments. Mentorship sessions between outgoing and incoming leaders are an easy way to build relationships and teams.
Communication is key
This week’s Editors in Convo video features Madge Lister, a former editor from Casady School in Oklahoma City. She provides some great insight on maintaining open lines of communication on the yearbook staff. We can all take notes on Casady’s class organization and workflow, too.
The energetic and caffeinated Dan Mueller jumps right in with countless examples of graphic design inspiration. It all comes back to story and how you convey that visually.
Depth in design is Mueller’s favorite thing. He repeats it early and often that it’s all about depth — or layers. And don’t get him started on pull quotes…
Four ways to step up your type game
Vary these elements within your theme look to create contrast in typography.
Size
Color
Font
Case
He has some great tips about cutouts and the amazing background remover tool now available in Canva via eDesign.
After showing off tons of great yearbook work from the past year, Mueller does a PSA for Flipster and reveals some professional work. Magazines are great sources of inspo for yearbook. It could be as big as a feature or as small as a mod.
Be inspired by yearbook spread designs from across the country — and learn what makes them fresh. Watch the video.
Self-appointed font queen and all-around outstanding yearbook adviser Carrie Faust gets pumped for letter forms. After starting with “wooooh” she defines the terms surrounding typography.
Make sure to stay tuned until the very end of the video for some very cool inspo spreads.
Typography is by definition artistic. Faust says type should be designed just as much as other elements of the theme.
Spend time with it. Convey the message. Speak to the content.
Parts of type
Faust says to find the font poster in your kit and teach it to your staff.
Ascender
Baseline
Cap height
Counter
Descender
Set width
X-height
Types of type
It’s all about that serif. Carrie really breaks these down in the video.
Oldstyle
Sans serif
Modern
Slab serif
Script/Handwritten
Decorative/Novelty
She recommends locking down the “punk freshman” with only a couple font families. And, Faust talks about choosing contrasting type for display and mod headlines.
Fonts can make or break your book. You’ll be able to distinguish the different types of fonts, learn theories about how many fonts should appear in your book, and see how typography can drive your design. Watch the video. (Don’t miss out: Link expires on Oct. 15.)
Putting inspiration pieces to work in your yearbook
Decorated and dedicated yearbook adviser and advocate Mike Simons takes viewers on an impressively deep dive in his “Making It Your Own” session.
With numerous examples of professional work and how to use the “yearbook blender” effectively, he breaks down theme inspiration — both visual and verbal. Simons asks attendees to describe your theme like it’s a person. Those details should feed into your “pretty hunt.”
Steps for inspo success
Remember your final product should be an evolution — not a duplication.
Find inspiration everywhere. He lists several sites/sources in the video.
Copy the piece exactly. Seriously, like the whole thing.
Make your final touches. And, don’t forget to print it out.
Six ways to make the design your own
Color
Typography
Photo treatments
Shape and design elements
Type and photo packaging
Coverage and mod ideas
Learn more about how to turn examples you like into designs (and components) that work for your book, your school, this year. Watch the video. (Don’t miss out: Link expires on Oct. 15.)
https://yearbookdiscoveries.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/0827_Blog_Make-it-your-own.jpg7921440VARSITY YEARBOOKhttps://yearbookdiscoveries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Varsity_Yearbook_V-braid-1-1.pngVARSITY YEARBOOK2021-09-07 07:58:592024-04-11 13:53:28Making It Your Own
What a great way to break down tricks for better storytelling. And, how to create a yearbook people will actually want to read.
Mike Simons helps you discover new and creative ways to get unique stories and coverage in your book. He is a decorated and dedicated yearbook adviser and advocate from Upstate New York — and he has some stories to tell.
From where you’ve been, to where you’re going, he steps through the process with intention. Simons recommends getting to know your “two most important people in the school” — front office person and head custodian. And, that’s just a taste.
Spoiler alert: He does make it through all 22 (even though it’s close).
Here are the first five
Don’t worry, you can view the rest in the full video.
Take a look back: Check the last three years and look to avoid repetitive feature coverage.
Get organized: Are traditional sections for you? What makes sense for the year?
Host a roundtable: Gather. Talk. Record.
Look and listen: You should have the pulse of the school community. Be a creep — appropriately.
Take a hike: What do you hear, see, smell?
Learn more about these great tips for better story leads and angles in your book. Watch the video. (Don’t miss out: Link expires on Oct. 15.)
Whether you’re new to yearbook, or a new editor, Carrie Faust has some ladder pro tips to share. She’s been doing this YBK thing for a while and has lots of accolades to prove it.
First things first: What’s your coverage plan?
Types of coverage plans
Your content should lead your ladder.
Traditional: Topic-based ladder designed at the beginning of the year and doesn’t change.
Chronological: Time-based ladder is based on the calendar and allows for evolving school year.
Umbrella/Concept: Theme-based ladder is based on exploration and allows for complete customization throughout the year.
Faust’s staff has been using Chrono for years and stands behind it as a coverage technique. She’s also quick to praise Umbrella for being smart — but acknowledges it can be daunting for new advisers and staffs.
She says the planning should start on paper, then move to the computer whether it’s Google Drive or eDesign to put the pieces into place.
Finding coverage balance
Once you remove the ads, index and theme pages, break up the following pages like Faust recommends.
Find your story and tell it — with both your visual and verbal.
Rockstar yearbook advisers from perennial award-winning programs, Carrie Faust and Mike Simons take some time to talk pandemic probs before diving into what makes a theme tick. Covid shaped 2020-21, and yearbook themes reflected that fact.
Parts of a solid theme
Don’t forget to use various techniques to drive home your theme visually and verbally.
Voice
Perspective
Look
Tone
Feel
Coverage
Vibe
Features
The order of theme
Seriously, start with the voice then move to the vision.
Story: What are you going to say?
Words: How will you say it?
Pretty: How will you show it?
After touching on finding a theme, the duo shows off a college look book for inspiration. They can’t stress enough how good these pieces are because they target the same readers you do with your yearbook.
Later, they break down a few different examples, including Del Norte High School’s 2021 book because of how well the staff handled their theme.
See what makes a concept strong and take a deep dive into more themes to understand what makes them such powerful unifiers. Watch the video. (Don’t miss out: Link expires on Oct. 15.)
The drive-thru distribution was truly a different way to distribute books. I was extremely nervous about how it would work and also upset that my staff wouldn’t be able to be involved (district policy), so I had to come up with a way to still have them involved and yet adhere to CDC guidelines. I had each yearbook member come up with a way to promote the new yearbook distribution method and chose the ideas that I thought were feasible. The first step was to start promoting yearbook distribution day once we knew that the books were shipped, so two weeks before, I had each member start posting the date and times on their social media and then again a week before. My staffers received their books about three days before the rest of the school, so I posted pictures of my seniors with their senior gifts and books to help promote the book and hopefully get the school excited, while also using the chance to thank the seniors for all of their hard work the past four years.
Make plenty of signs and banners:
We planned for distribution day to be divided between classes. Juniors and seniors were from 8:30-10, and then sophomores and freshman were from 10-11:30. One of the ideas from a staff member was to have a banner made for the seniors. I had a large banner made that congratulated the seniors, thanked them for buying a book, and listed each of their names. The seniors seemed to enjoy it as I saw them taking pictures of the banner from their cars.
Add fun with DIY Snapchat filters:
We created a Snapchat filter that was active once the students drove on campus, and they were able to use it while in line to get their books. I had yard signs made that I posted along the drive-thru route that told them about the Snapchat filter. The filter was created by one of my students and was fun for the students. This is something that I will do again.
A final thought:
Overall, this method of distributing books was a hit. At a normal distribution day party, I usually distribute about 50 to 60 percent of the books. But with this new method, I distributed about 90 percent of the books.
Shelley Hunsucker // Riverview HS, Riverview, FL
I was so nervous about the drive-thru distribution, for so many reasons — not having my yearbook kids, distributing 700 books, what if it rained? — there were so many variables and so many what-ifs. It basically came down to this: we have to do it, so how are we going to do this in the most efficient way but still enjoy the process? Here are a few things we came up with that helped with the efficient process:
First things first:
Get a good group of people to help you! Choose people who are enthusiastic and want to see the kids. It’s helpful if they also understand the yearbook distribution process is about making memories.
Pre-prep EVERYTHING! With so many books, I could not put every kid’s name on each individual book (that’s insanity), so instead, I printed three copies of the distribution list and put them on clipboards, made car signs, inventoried my supplements, organized my name plates, ordered distribution banners from HJ, made sure admin knew I needed a table, tent, cones, etc. I ordered lunch for my volunteers and got the word out (all text, all call, social media).
The process:
We did seniors in the morning and underclass in the afternoon. We decided we’d rather get it done in one day since we were already out there and set up. We planned an hour break for ourselves to have lunch and to get a reprieve from the sun.
We set up a car line. Three volunteers had the distribution lists and went down the car line checking IDs and double-checking what items were bought. We had instructed students/parents to write their name on a piece of paper and place on the dashboard. Once the ID was checked, the volunteers placed a slip of paper that had a pre-printed product type on the windshield (YBK ONLY, YBK+NP, YBK+ALL) and the car moved to the tent. (NP = name plate)
At the tent, all product was ready for distribution. On a table, we had a large stack of books, World Yearbooks, autograph supplements and name plates (that had been organized and placed on a sticky note with names on the top and put in a box). The car moved forward, we took the car sign off the windshield and gave them the items noted. If they ordered a name plate, we knew what to look for because their name was displayed on their dash.
Later that night, I combined the lists into one so I could see who had not picked up their book and to verify numbers.
What went well:
The process itself went so well! Even when there was a longer line, it moved quickly and efficiently. Everyone seemed happy and got one-on-one time with the teacher/volunteers. If there was a question or an issue, the car could pull farther up not blocking the rest of the line so I could deal with whatever was going on and the line could continue. We got almost all 700 books distributed in that one day!
What I would have fixed:
The volunteers, who I was (and am) so thankful for, don’t know the product and process like our kids do! They don’t seem to understand the stress of numbers as well as our kids do (probably because our staff works on that book all year!) I would have liked to had more time to really explain the importance of accurately checking the lists. I also would stress the importance of having a computer and your receipt book to double-check sales. As always, people will show up and say they purchased but there is no record. Finally, administrative support was critically important.
Madeline Stone // Durant HS, Plant City, FL
First things first:
I have two big tips for distribution. First, a simple list format. Some advisers print so much extra when a simple list of names, grades and orders is all they really need. Secondly, I made a little graphic for my principal to explain (via email) how our distribution would work. A little extra, but visuals help.
Divide and Conquer:
Think of a fast food restaurant’s drive-thru. The most successful ones have multiple areas to distribute food. It allows those who want fresh fries to wait out of the way, while others who are just getting a drink to move on quickly with their day. Now apply it to a yearbook: break up your extra accessories and book distribution. I had two tables dedicated to just books. Parents/students would drive up, give their name and ID number, and my teacher helper would pass off the book and sign that it was received. If a student only had a book, they would drive happily off into the sunset.
If the student had any extras, they would be told what accessories they were and to drive up to the accessory table. We invested in yard signs (thank you, Amazon Prime) and clearly labeled each of our tables. Our accessory table helper not only had the name plates sorted alphabetically in front of them and books already wrapped in dust jackets, they also had a list of the students receiving extras to mark off that they were picked up. This could work with name-stamped books as well — keep those sorted alphabetically and away from the traffic of books without accessories.
Pro tip: Be sure to double check your personalizations before the big day. When a student ordered “Princess Pancake,” that’s cute, but if your helper doesn’t know who that student is, it can get frustrating. Write out the student’s full name on a sticky note and tape it to the name plate.
Communicate:
Thanks to our principal and a nifty program our district invests in, we can communicate with all students and parents directly. This system allows our administration to send out messages via email, text and phone by just using a student ID number. Before the big day, I sent my principal my eBusiness Excel document of buyers, and he sent out a message to those students and their parents about distribution.
After distribution day one, I sat down and deleted the students who picked up their books, and I sent him a new file with the remaining students. He sent out another message that day.
Don’t have a fancy system? Yes, you do. Use the Send and Sell feature in eDesign. Just make sure to change the header to “We’re in this Together” and write your message to include distribution details. In the recipient’s section, select to send to only those who bought a book. Done.
Final thoughts:
I think the only problem that I’ve had with distribution so far is not having an official cut-off date. I still have about 42 books that parents/students haven’t claimed. If I had an absolute last day from the beginning, I think it would have motivated people to come out earlier. Live and learn. (NOTE: Some schools also list a cut-off date from the start and reserve the right to sell books not picked up by the stated date. Other advisers may provide guidance for picking up books at the start of the next school year.)