Hi, yearbook fans! My name is Layla Coyle, and I’m a yearbook specialist. I’ve worked on yearbooks in every capacity, from staffer to editor to sales rep. Here are 10 of my best tips for creating your most inspired, stress-free yearbook ever!1. There can only be one Editor-In-Chief…or two.If you’re sharing dominion of the yearbook with other people, choose just one to be your co-advisor. In my experience, sharing equal power over the yearbook among three people or more is always difficult, if not disastrous. Power struggles and hurt feelings always seem to ensue. A good alternative for larger teams is to appoint one or two heads and then delegate chairpeople for specific tasks, such as sales and photography. Don’t appoint two chairs for the same task if you can avoid it; unfortunately this tends to result in each chair attempting to push the work off on the other and ends up being more work on your plate when all is said and done.
2. If your yearbook boat is sinking and you need to kick one thing into the ocean to keep it afloat, make it the baby photos.Baby photos are a cute staple in many yearbooks, especially for elementary and K-8 schools. That said, if you’re on a time crunch or just feeling overwhelmed, nixing the baby photo page can be a great way to relieve some stress. In addition to the headache of chasing down each parent, you’ll often find yourself with photos of wildly varying size, quality, and composition. Creating a cohesive look out of such varied contents is no small feat. If you’re a first-time advisor, it might be best to leave this spread to the vets.
3. The more email reminders you send, the better.Even if you’re just starting your first-ever yearbook, you’re probably already aware of the enormous pressure that certain parents can place on you. Keep this in mind when you’re feeling guilty about sending your dozenth email blast to remind those same parents that they need to upload photos or buy the book. No parent can harangue you for not including little Suzy’s first birthday photo if you communicate your expectations early and often. Simply put, no amount of reminder emails is too many. The organized parents will take care of their yearbook responsibilities early on, the procrastinators will wait until the last minute, and the less-organized simply never will. There will always be parents in all three groups; you can only control your own effort.
4. Keep an egg timer by your desk.If you’re designing a spread, and find yourself spending more than 5-10 minutes on a single task—such as changing the headers on all your divider pages to a new font—stop and ask yourself if there might be a better way. Most yearbook softwares now have the capability to automate tasks like this. Call your representative and ask if there’s a faster method, or if they can help you with the task. A good representative will be able to help you find the fastest way to achieve tasks or may even be able to help you complete them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve spoken to advisors who confessed they spent five or more hours on tasks that could be completed instantaneously!
5. Pick up the phone and call your rep. A lot.It’s amazing how much certain advisors–myself included–will go through to avoid calling their representatives and asking for help. I’m here to tell you that no matter how silly or odd your question may seem, it’s not the strangest thing they’ve been asked. Not by a long shot. The next time you’re considering whether to contact your rep, consider how much time you can save by being decisive and calling right away. Then, look at the calendar. Remember: when it comes to yearbooks, it’s never too early and there’s never any time to waste.
6. The yearbook guardian angel you’re looking for? It’s here, and it’s called a proof book.If you’re short on time, or making your first-ever yearbook, you might be tempted to skip the proof book. I’m here to tell you: don’t. Regardless of the size of your computer screen or the quality of your eyesight, there will always, always, be design details you won’t notice until you’re holding the printed proof in your hands. My advice is to share your proof book with as many other editors and staffers as you can prior to your final deadline. The more eyes on it, the better. Think of it like trying on a dress at the department store…it always looks different once you put it on. Remember: you’re not the only one who’ll be wearing this particular dress! It will belong to your entire community. And they might get other dresses in their lifetime, but they’ll always, always have this one in their closet. It’s a big deal, is what I’m saying. Take the time to get it right.
7. The wheel is good. Learn the wheel. Then reinvent it.Another mistake I see many new advisors making is overzealousness. They’re so excited to make the book, and have so many original ideas, that they disregard traditional wisdom and try to blaze their own path right away. Look, don’t get me wrong…of course you should put your own spin on the yearbook. Of course you should have original ideas. But–and this is a BIG but–you need to learn to walk before you can run. You need to learn the rules so you can break them. When you have an original idea, bounce it off your rep. They’ll be able to tell you how easy or difficult it will be to achieve, and whether there’s already an existing system in place that would be easier to use.
8. Work the way you save.Regardless of which software you’re using, make sure you know its saving standards before you start to design. Do you need to manually save your design every so often, or will every update save immediately? Do automatic safety saves run in the background every few minutes, regardless of your input? Even veteran yearbook advisors aren’t immune to computer crashes and power outages, so it’s pivotal that every designer knows how to keep their work safe in any eventuality. If you’re working in a platform that requires you to manually save, you may want to set a timer when you begin designing to remind yourself to save your progress every 10-15 minutes.
9. Make a style guide, even if it’s just a napkin with scribbles.“Style guide,” along with “proof book” and “marketing materials,” is one of those yearbook phrases that new advisors tend to fear. Who can be bothered creating and designing an entirely separate project, just to record their color choices? Well, not me, I can tell you that much. Instead, as soon as I’ve designed so much as a single page, I grab my trusty Post-It notes and jot down things like what font I used, what size it was, what colors or color codes I incorporated, and any design cues I want to repeat throughout the book. Holding onto that one scrap of paper will make your life much easier in the long run.
10. Check your names. Then check them again.It goes without saying that it’s important to SpellCheck any written document prior to print production, but the #1 thing you really need to watch for is the one thing that automatic SpellCheck tools can’t save you from. No one will ask you to reprint 100 yearbooks because you misspelled “chemistry” in the body copy of a random activity page. But misspell a student or teacher name? Misspell the principal’s name? That’s about as bad as it gets. To check yourself, print extra copies of all your portrait pages and pass them amongst your teachers for re-approval. Give the principal’s page, if you have one, double- and triple-checks. The bottom line is this: A single misspelled name has spelled disaster for many an otherwise flawless yearbook. Don’t fall victim to the classic blunder! Check your names. Then check them again.
I hope you enjoyed ten of my top tips for yearbook advisors. Make sure to check this blog often for more trips, tricks, and yearbook information!