The Yearbook World of Scott Geesey
from Jostens Yearbooks of central/northern Pennsylvania
ARCHIVE - OCTOBER 22, 2017
TIME FOR GREAT PAGE DESIGN: And Jostens and I Have The Tips You Need for Success
Hello! For those attending I'm looking forward to the Pa. School Press Association (PSPA) journalism day at Penn State Altoona this Friday the 27th. It will be a great three hours in downtown Altoona as students from across the region listen to some great speakers and learn some new ideas for their student journalism.
It's district playoff time for area soccer teams this week. Good luck to all of those teams in the neighborhood entered in their respective divisions. And districts for football, volleyball and cross country running aren't that far down the line.
And for my fellow Penn State football fans, the BIG game is now Saturday vs. Ohio State. I knew the Nittany Lions could handle Michigan, too obvious. But Ohio State? No idea. Let's go Lions!
Good yearbook page design is not random or haphazard. Need some help?
Just about every staff is getting very busy with their page creation right now, and spring yearbook schools should be VERY busy. Yet it's the rare teenager who is what I call a "design expert." Every staff, and many advisers, need a little extra help when it comes to designing the look of their yearbook.
How about FOUR resources here to check out for assistance?
First off, I mention to everyone that Jostens Yearbook Avenue online or our YearTech software has so many ready-made page templates for your use it's amazing. Using a template means you're following basic design rules because our design professionals never do anything random. Instead these great templates have a variety of elements following many of the basics such as dominant elements, a solid eyeline, column design and modular items, etc.
And here's a basic idea - using templates means much less time making boxes on pages and much MORE time focused on content, the most important part to your yearbook readers. In my 18+ years as a yearbook representative I've noticed that by far the biggest time waster for staffs is page creation - I've seen weeks and even months disappear as kids work a page again and again and again. Using templates means your pages will look great and you'll spend a LOT less time doing it.
Of particular note, check out the cool and easy to use modular design templates in both YTO and YearTech. Modular design is gradually gaining in popularity as you tell a story in parts, but with many elements in those parts. Modular pages make for interesting reads that your students and parents will value for years. Here's my familiar mantra - "how many stories will you tell this year?"
Then there's the Digital Classroom on Yearbook Avenue, a fantastic resource for any Jostens adviser and staff. In the search bar there just enter "page design" and watch a host of links and resources pop up on your screen. It could be videos, or class lessons, or tutorials. Students also have access to the Digital Classroom so be sure to check that out - for page designing or any yearbooking topic.
If you're determined to create your own page designs, where can you get some advice to your students on how to do it? How about my instructional video on Basic Yearbook Page Design? In 17 minutes I'll show your staff all the tips you need to create your own pages so let me do the teaching. Click on the videos link in the left column, turn on your speakers and watch away.
But along with that be sure to check out the Jostens yearbook creative website Yearbook Love at yearbooklove.com. If you haven't yet discovered this cool resource NOW is the time and check out the material on page design. There you'll find tips for better layouts, files you can download and use in your yearbook class or club, instructive videos to watch, even tie-ins to the new Common Core and 21st Century Skills standards.
Use the search feature on the Yearbook Love website and enter "design" to find a lot of great information to use with your group. Especially check out the section on modular design, something few students or staffs do. Learn how to "build" a page or spread and why it could really improve your effort..
The bottom line here - page creation should NEVER be random, yet that's how many staffs create their book. Advisers, just allowing your staffers to be able to create their pages any way they wish is a recipe for trouble - inconsistent coverage, little to no variety, little to no writing, and not giving your yearbook buyers their money's worth.
Remember what I tell yearbook kids all the time - your yearbook will last for the rest of your LIFE. Years from now do you want folks checking our weak looking pages? Of course, no one wants that. And it doesn't have to be that way when you use the resources that Jostens and I provide you. Let's make a GREAT book this year!