Walsworth Yearbooks

Theme

Voices

Adviser

Robyn Fisher

Editor

Drew Brent

Walsworth sales representative

Leta Hankins

If you do a spread on your yearbook class, consider using it as an example of what you do. The staff at Yelm marked all of the items on the page, showing readers yearbook terminology. The copy, captions and photos work together to demonstrate the hard work and fun that goes along with producing the yearbook. The angle of the informal class photo, and the cut-out background, adds to the whimsy of the image.

Theme

We ( )

Adviser

Janella Mildrexler

Editors

Hannah Zoeller and Sarah Morton

Walsworth sales representative

Jeff Wood

Let photo content drive spread design, and remember rules of photo composition. In a spread covering an a capella charity concert, a photo of each a capella group is included plus smaller candids of the headlining group. What makes the horizontal photos so successful is that they are all the same size and follow the rule of repetition. Notice most of the singers in each photo are dressed alike and are in similar positions with similar facial expressions. However, towards the middle of each photo the repetition is broken with an individual who stands out, pulling your eyes there. Repetition is more effective when something violates the pattern.

Theme

The Bright Side

Adviser

Lindsay Ireland

Editor

Anna Gonzalez

Walsworth sales representative

Dale Thompson

Yearbook staffs must always be prepared to alter their ladders when unexpected events impact the school community. The Tucsonian staff covered how students were affected by the shooting that killed six and wounded 13, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Staff photographers went to various memorials to the victims, and a stunning vigil photo was used as the backdrop for the spread. Reactions of students and President Barack Obama’s visit were covered in two Q&A mods, and “The Bright Side” theme was seamlessly incorporated in a mod about Giffords’ remarkable recovery.

Theme

Leave Your Mark

Adviser

Sarah Millard

Editors

Suzie Djordjevic, Danielle Edwards, Lara Martin, Chelsea Massa and Anna Tori

Walsworth sales representative

Nora Guiney

Look in any teen magazine: the amount of copy is shrinking, while the pages teem with quote boxes, cut-outs, infographics and quickreads. The Cougar Tales staff capitalized on this trend and covered five clubs on one spread in a unique way. The colors, graphic elements and varying font sizes pull readers into the easy-to-read snippets that get many students into the yearbook. Other trendy design elements include the cut-out photo over a yellow screen, the layering of the headline fonts and the quiz.

Theme

(note)worthy

Adviser

Megan Hughes

Editors

Jordan Boucher and Stephanie Griffith

Walsworth sales representative

John Kelley

Move your theme elements from the cover into the book. With the theme “(note)worthy,” the opening begins with a call to “take notice” of the people at school and the moments that are not always in the forefront. The emotion-filled dominant is of the fans, not the football team. Graphic elements of images of loose-leaf paper, scribbles and tape simulate a page from a student’s notebook. Handwriting fonts replicate the theme. These elements appear again on the divider spread, “Worth the Effort,” and in the academics section.

Theme

Tell Me Everything

Adviser

Krista Shields

Editor

Kelsey Johnson

Walsworth sales representative

Jared Wojtas

Spice up the academics section with topical coverage versus the usual department-by-department spreads. Here, the Shadow staff examined the importance of art classes in students’ lives, starting with quotes from them in the story. In the photos, students from four art classes are depicted with their different media, showcasing the school’s art curriculum. A mod titled after the theme, “Tell Me,” includes three mug photos, tilted and with different color backgrounds. Finally, student artwork filled the letters of “creativity” at the page bottom, bringing in color and more artwork.

Theme

Be Bold

Adviser

Johanna Sergott

Editors

Bryan Becker, Danielle Goss and Kaitlin Arnold

Walsworth sales representative

Natasha McGlinn

Ad design should reflect the fonts, colors, graphics and style of the rest of the book; making the advertisements visually appealing will also increase sales. The Caxton staff was able to put several photos in their parent ads without looking cluttered by layering photos at angles over a dominant photo that filled the ad space. The same three playful theme fonts are used, and the five colors on the spread live in harmony because of repetition, use of screens and outlining photos, effectively highlighting the parents’ messages and the adorable photos they submitted.

Theme

Streamline (life real simple)

Adviser

Jenny Proctor

Editors

Tyler Kirkland and Macaylee Jones

Walsworth sales representative

Jim Channell

Avoid cliché sports copy by finding new ways to cover the sport. The Kaleidoscope staff examined their JV cheerleaders’ season “in retrospect,” asking the girls to comment on their sport, relationships, stunts, routines, mistakes and season. This angle works perfectly with fall cheer because there are no scores to report, unlike competitive cheer, and the quotes should be more interesting to read than a copy block. Another advantage of this approach is that more students get in the yearbook. Note how the dominant photo echoes the idea of memories.

Theme

Just Saying

Adviser

Maxine Lazar

Editors

Rachel Walter and Hailey Boerema

Walsworth sales representatives

Missy Green, Adam Livesay and Jenna Fabick

The people section provides ample space for entertaining and creative coverage through copy or modular design. Choose topics that relate to current events, fads or news relevant to each grade. This spread in the senior portraits included a college roommate quiz. On the left is an eight-question quiz with multiple-choice answers; on the right are the results, paired with a cut-out of a student who fits each roommate personality type, posed with an object representing his or her personality, and a quote.

Theme

Push

Adviser

Brit Taylor

Editors

Sarah Ankli and Destanie Hoppe

Walsworth sales representatives

Missy Green, Adam Livesay and Jenna Fabick

Nothing draws the reader into a spread like an action-packed dominant photo. To do this, spread designs must be flexible and allow the designer to see the photos first. In this swimming spread, the photographer perfectly captured the motion of a swimmer, down to the droplets and splashes of water as he reaches up for air. The designer effectively cropped the photo so the swimmer is almost jumping out of the page. The headline copy reflects the photo’s action and is combined with a mod layered over the “dead space” of the photo.

Theme

The Trip

Adviser

Rick Lanning

Editors

Alexa Cummins, Michael McKinney and Molly Monet

Walsworth sales representative

Anthony Perez

While the index must be a complete reference source, it is one final place to incorporate theme and get students in the book who have not been pictured yet. The Profiles staff carefully edited their index, bolded the names of spreads and sections and included their advertisers. Their index is also fun to look at, with the book’s playful fonts and colors. With each initial letter is a cut-out of a student with that letter starting his or her last name. The student was carefully posed to be incorporated with the letter’s shape – no small task.

Theme

For the Taking

Adviser

Alan Ritchey

Editors

Elly Hutchinson and Molly Nicholson

Walsworth sales representative

Mary Kay Kimmitt

For maximum impact, match the visual with the verbal when writing headlines. Ideally, the headline should relate to the body copy and what is happening in the dominant photo. The Chrysalis staff took this a step further by incorporating cut-outs in the design of their headline for the JV cheerleading spread. Their body copy explained how hard their cheerleaders worked, despite criticism that cheerleading was not a sport. The headline expressed this with the words “a jump” and the cut-out pictures of a cheerleader doing a flip.

Theme

The Land

Adviser

Gabriela Rosillo

Editor

Kaley Diep

Walsworth sales representative

Michelle DiSimone

Find ways to liven up the student life section by reimagining spreads on topics such as cars, fashion and siblings. In light of the economy, the Les Mémoires staff examined how students looked good for less, using a layout that looks like a fashion magazine. They photographed several students with varied fashion tastes and used red dots to identify the most expensive item in each ensemble. The price tag at the left corner identified the total price. Even more fun, each student is in front of a white background posed to capture his or her personality.