10 TIPS FOR DEVELOPING A THEME OR CONCEPT
YOU CAN’T PULL A THEME OUT OF A HAT. TAKE A MOMENT WITH THESE BRAINSTORMING SUGGESTIONS TO PICK THE PERFECT UNIFIER FOR YOUR SCHOOL THIS YEAR.
- List what is unique to your school this year.
- Check the list of themes here. But, make it work for you.
- Make sure it is memorable and flexible enough to be developed into sidebar mods.
- Keep the visuals – type, colors, shapes and patters – consistent throughout the book.
- Decide how to carry the theme through the book. Put it on the cover, endsheets, title page, opening, dividers, mini-magazine, sectional graphics, folios and index.
- Develop mini themes for coverage mods within traditional or unique sections.
- Create mock-ups of the theme pages and hang them around the room. Live with the theme for a few days to decide on final details.
- Brainstorm coverage ideas to use throughout the book and promote the theme/concept.
- Create a stylebook to ensure consistency. Consider all type treatments for headlines, copy, captions, mods, profiles and folios.
- Incorporate the theme with sales campaigns to hint at the theme/concept without giving it away.
YEARBOOK STAFF
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Every year is different, but here are some helpful descriptions to get your yearbook staff functioning the best.
Adviser
Trains the staff to create the yearbook, but does not to do it for them.
Editor
Supervises overall content and development, but also helps with day-to-day tasks.
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Layout Editor
Creates, edits and finalizes all aspects of layout design.
Photography Editor
Ensures all events are assigned to photographers and coordinates image upload.
Copy Editor
Trains staff on AP and staff-specific style, then reads all copy for consistency and accuracy.
Index Editor
Supervises creation, formatting and submission of the index from start to finish.
Designer
Completes design assignments to be submitted to editors
Copy Writer
Brainstorms story ideas, interviews, researches, writes and edits assignments to be submitted to editors.
Staffer
Completes all assigned tasks to be submitted to editors.
Business Manager
Develops budget and organizes book sales campaigns.
Advertising Manager
Organizes ad campaigns and supervises creation of ads spreads.
Social Media Manager
Manage the staff social media sites to promote sales.
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