Hoofbeats
W.H. Burges High School, El Paso, Texas
Theme: “Flex”
Adviser: Patricia Monroe
Editor: April Hernandez
Yearbook representative: Candis Brinegar
In keeping with a general trend of black, simple books this year, the staff at Burges High School uses a hand-drawn approach of white lettering that spells out “FLEX,” along with a hint of wispy flourishes. Also popular has been sparse information on book covers, which practically guarantees a “tsk, tsk” from yearbook purists. But this simplicity also is elegant and understated, and it works for Burges.
Wisps become a little heavier, and draw from the most popular colors for this year’s books: purple, blue, green and earthy gold. Within and beside each flourish is an action word that spins off of “flex”: Adapt (student life), Grow (portraits), Stretch (sports), Bend (academics & clubs) and Change (ads & index). These words also become lead-ins for five captions on the left, which explain five horizontal, overlapping black-and-white pictures that are the dominant visual element.
Burges long has had a reputation for balancing creative use of white space with very structured grid design. The title page reflects this, using black as “white” space, a simple flourish graphic and a grouping of three pictures with three- to four-sentence captions.
Without dwelling too much on how Burges has capitalized on trends, the black-and-white simplicity of all elements on this spread complements the simple elegance of the theme and frames the book in an elegant — yet powerful — way. “Face it,” reads the headline, followed by, “Most of us hate change. This year we were hit with it all at once.” Short sentences give the copy a plucky, staccato rhythm.
Because regular spreads in each section are almost exclusively in full color, the stark white, reverse-type on black provides a clear visual contrast. These section dividers rely on simple, uncluttered phrases to complement simple design. Quotes from students support and explain the one-word theme spinoffs. On this page, it’s “Bend.”
This cross country spread is an example of solid design and a great display of varied photography. Especially noteworthy are the dominant and the corner images on the right page, both shot from a worm’s-eye view.
Even in the best yearbooks, the spreads that contain the editors’ notes and colophons hardly rank among the best examples of great designs. Usually, a bunch of elements that do not relate come together by default. But this double-page spread actually works, thanks to creative use of typography, color and interesting art.
By book’s end, the directive to “Adapt” has now become “deal with it,” in response to a year filled with change. Many of the examples of change — within the text — reveal some of the hardships students experienced. From a four-day unplanned vacation because of snow to the district’s “letting go” of 116 personnel, from teachers to aides, explained a year of hardships. But the book doesn’t end on a down note; instead, the right page is dominated by an emotional shot of two varsity football players embracing after winning during the last three seconds of a game.
