Catamount
Crosby High School, Crosby, Texas
Theme: “You were there”
Adviser: Alice Hoy
Editor: Sierra Baumbach
Walsworth representative: Heather Moore-LaBorde
Drawing visually from the popularity of photo booths, the staff uses a vertical photo strip on its cover. Among the black-and-white and red spot-colored images is a photo subject in silhouette; alongside is the declaration “you were there,” challenging readers to insert themselves. Also in red are three lines wrapping around the bottom of the front and back cover.
The element of four vertical pictures continues from the cover, along with the visual of the hand-drawn red arrows and handwriting font. The book is organized by season instead of traditional sections, with each of the four photos illustrating a season rather than using candid photography. The three lines are here also, but now they are red, black and gray.
The silhouette person reappears on the title page and stands out even more with the application of UV coating. Red integrates with gray (appears to be around 70% black), adding a sophistication that is lacking with pure 100% black-and-white graphics. The lines are here again – in red, black and gray at the top and all red at the bottom.
Clearly, what stands out about this opening spread is the continued use of the gray, with red and 100% black used in the text as well as in graphics. The silhouette morphs from a person into the school mascot. The white background ties into the dramatic white space used on the title pages and endsheets. Theme copy tells readers “You lived it. You breathed it. You embraced it. You were there,” with the red arrow pointing to a cluster of color photos on the opposite page.
Gray appears on the second opening spread in the form of a double-page, black-and-white photo that bleeds off all sides. The copy continues in the same font, and uses both white and red. Three parallel lines appear again, in addition to the cover, endsheets and title pages, and help give the spread structure. Instead of a black silhouette, the dominant figure in the two-page photo appears in color, wearing red. The copy continues to define the theme, using specific examples, followed by the phrase, “you were there.”
Again, four photos appear as one graphic element, alongside a dominant photo. Red is the dominant color in photos, and both color and black-and-white photos provide stark contrast. As with previous pages, UV coating is used on photos as well as on bold, black type in the copy block. The writing continues using specifics, and serves to preview the section “fall” very well.
What sets this book apart is the integration of a calendar that weaves throughout coverage of each season. The UV coating and design elements reveal it to be an extension of the theme visually as well as organizationally, with a nuts-and-bolts guide to chronology within each season. There is so much content on these pages, it’s almost overwhelming to think of the work involved. But the design keeps it neat, easy-to-digest and includes a black silhouette that continues to invite the reader to put him/herself into that place (“you were there”).
Not only is content arranged chronologically, but it appears in slots for daily coverage. This structure makes details paramount; there’s literally no room for over-generalized copy. By breaking down the year day-by-day, there’s a visual place for bulleted lists, photos and quotes. The approach is used effectively on this Homecoming spread. What is essentially a collection of alternative coverage becomes the dominant coverage and provides information readers will appreciate with time.
A single-page closing serves to tie in the theme one last time, and is simply done. Once again, the theme and graphic design is consistent using colors and fonts.
