The Yearbook World of Scott Geesey
from Jostens Yearbooks of central/northern Pennsylvania
ARCHIVE - OCTOBER 20, 2019
TIME FOR GREAT PAGE DESIGN: And Jostens and I Have The Tips You Need for Success
Hello! Here it comes, fall sports playoff time! Football teams have one more week of their regular season but some other sports like soccer, volleyball and field hockey have playoff games starting. Good luck to all teams out there!
This week is Media Literacy Week across the country, a week for school journalism programs to really shine. We've all heard about "fake news" and just plain biased stories out there, and there is a LOT of that. How do we regular folks know the difference? Smart instruction on recognizing true from fake is a start. Perhaps your school is marking this week with some special activities.
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 FIVE resources here to check out for assistance?
First off, be sure to check out the Jostens Yearbook Avenue home page at www.yearbookavenue.com. Scroll down a bit and 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.
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 20+ 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 viewing 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.
I've had a lot of fun creating my monthly Yearbooking Report video and podcast series, and page design is a subject we've covered. Check out my October 2018 update of The Yearbooking Report with a feature interview on design with Jostens creative manager Rick Brooks. Look for the link in the right column here or search YouTube for Yearbooking Report and find the episode from a year ago, it's still there. And listen to the entire half hour interview with the monthly podcast, quick link in the right column here or search Podbean or iTunes for Yearbooking Report.
And here's a sneak peek - my upcoming November episode will feature a great interview with Jostens yearbook ambassador and top instructor John Cutsinger who will share some great ideas on page design. Stay tuned...
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!