Fusion
Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Fla.
NSPA Pacemaker Finalist
Theme: adaptation
Adviser: Brit Taylor
Editors: Matthew DeBonis and Madison Smith
Walsworth representatives: Missy Green, Adam Livesay and Jenna Fabick
The 2010 Fusion looks well-loved. A light brown background, graphically “stained,” provides a base for a collection of doodles. These doodles, interwoven with swirls, begin on the back cover and narrows into a stripe that crosses the front cover. A silver line runs through the doodles and spells out the name of the book, the date, and outlines the theme word: “adaptation.”
Theme pages focus on individuals who have had to adapt to changes at Hagerty High. The opening spreads tell the story of two students who share the mascot duties. These two were adapting to new leadership roles after the school’s very first senior class graduated after four years of being in charge. This opening copy also addresses another change, this one felt by the whole school: a switch from a traditional schedule to block schedule. These stories fit the theme, “adaptation,” very well.
Clean, consistent designs and hand-drawn doodles meld professionalism and a touch of high school charm to create a visual message that is appealing to the Fusion’s audience: students at Hagerty High School.
Spin-off titles for the sections of the 2010 Fusion each end in “–ion” and relate to the theme “adaptation.” These titles include reaction (features), modification (campus life), variation (people), transition (community) and transformation (sports). This spread, the campus life division, tells the story of junior Sami Alaidi’s adjustment to the new schedule and introduces new clubs at Hagerty.
Doodles that match the cover graphics but specifically relate to each section are overlaid onto full-spread photos for each division spread. These graphics help carry the theme throughout the book and add interesting details to division pages.
The Fusion staff looked for stories that showcased the resilience of students at Hagerty High School. This feature in the campus life section focuses on leadership changes throughout the school. The dominant story explains how students adjusted to changes in the leadership of the music programs. This story is accompanied by a photo collection that expands the content of this spread to the school’s ROTC program.
Large, well-chosen dominant photos and clean, thought-out design on story pages make the 2010 Fusion stand out as a professional-quality yearbook. Graphic details draw readers’ eyes to the sidebar.
The graphic details on each division spread are unique to that spread and relate to the spread’s content. This spread, for the sports — or transformation — section, includes a graphic of a finish-line ribbon alongside a story about a student whose attitude was “transformed” on the track. The choice to use division pages to tell student stories allowed the Fusion staff to cover more students and tell a more inclusive story of the school year.
The final spread of the 2010 Fusion addresses the biggest chance for adaptation that students at Hagerty High School will face: graduation. This wrap up includes an acknowledgement that underclassmen will also get the chance to adapt as they take on the full responsibility and advantage of the changes established during the 2009-2010 school year.
Graphic elements on this spread lend it an air of celebration. The entire book, to this final spread, follows a consistent design plan and tells the story of the year through interesting stories and beautiful photography.
