Tips for Creating a Great Yearbook
By: Wayne T. Barksdale
Creating a yearbook can be a fun and rewarding experience. Here are six tips for making sure your school has an awesome yearbook.
1. Select the right company to meet your needs.
Selecting the right yearbook company to capture your school's memories is the most important part of the process. During your selection process, we recommend that you ask a ton of questions. Don't stop asking questions until you get clear answers that you completely understand.
We recommend that you interview more than one provider so that you have a point of comparison.
How do you make sure that you are using a legitimate company with experience in the field? Find out the answers to some of these questions:
* What else do they do?
* How many yearbooks do they produce?
* How many employees are dedicated to the yearbook process?
The technology that your yearbook publisher can provide will often affect the quality, delivery time, and price of the book. Finding out the capabilities of your provider upfront will eliminate unwelcome surprises during the creation of your yearbook.
2. Explore the methods for building the book.
Find out what options you have for building your book. There are two industry standard methods for building a yearbook. An oldie but a goody is the traditional scrap booking method, commonly known as cut and paste. This is the recommended method for those of you using a yearbook committee or with limited experience with the PC. This method uses traditional layout boards and acetate pages. The quality can be terrific if the photos are terrific. Bear in mind that there will be minor sacrifices to quality because the pages are scanned in order to print them.
The second method is the digital method. The programs to build your book digitally are varied. You could use a digital or online program from your vendor, or you could use standard publishing software programs such as In Design, PageMaker or Publisher. This method offers the most flexibility with creative layout and quality. Because you are not scanning pages, you have no loss to the quality of your photos. This is the recommended method for a single user that is adept with technology and likes to create using advanced programming knowledge.
3. Consider the price.
It's not always all about the price. The size of the book (how many pages) and the quantity ordered (number of books) will affect the price quote. A small local printing company may offer the best price, but perhaps they may not be able to offer the services that will make the process easy, enjoyable and fun.
Some things to consider as you look at price are paper quality, binding style, and whether you'll print in color or black and white. We recommend a minimum of 80 lb. stock for your text pages coated both sides and 8 point cover stock for your cover. We also recommend that you laminate your cover so that your students can enjoy the book for years to come.
4. Find out what kind of customer service is provided.
What kind of support can you expect from your provider? Are they easy to contact and do they respond quickly? What about their follow-up? Do they provide easily understandable yearbook kits with full instructions? Does the customer support staff seem well-trained and helpful?
Make sure that you are communicating with your publisher throughout your process. If the publisher understands your needs and expectations before they begin printing, they will more likely deliver the product that you expect. Honoring the publisher's deadlines is also a great tip in getting your product done well and on time.
5. Research the process.
One of the most important questions to avoid disappointment at the end of the school year is when the book will be delivered? Production of a yearbook usually takes between five and eight weeks from the time that you turn your book in. How late can you provide the product to get the needed turnaround is a question that you need clearly answered. The later the deadline, the more spring sports and activities can be included in your book .
Another important aspect of delivery is the proof process. Be sure to ask for a proof. Make sure that you receive a rough draft of your yearbook for your review prior to printing. Review your proof carefully. Have at least one other person review your book for errors. Once the book is printed, it is very challenging to make corrections.
Finally, hit your publisher's deadlines with product and proof to avoid last-minute mishaps. We have seen yearbook coordinators frantically distributing books in the last hour before summer. It's not a fun way to begin vacation.
6. Have fun!
The more fun that you and your students have while building your yearbook, the more awesome it will become. Have a contest in the school for the cover design and reward the winner with a free yearbook.
Also try getting as many members of the student body, faculty and administration as you can involved in the process. Collect photos from the uncommon as well as the standard activities all year long. Select a theme that reflects the individuality and pride of your school. Use humor where appropriate. Every student loves the funny photos. Also, don't forget to add collage and autograph pages to add some personal touches.
Wayne T. Barksdale is the director of sales and marketing for Barksdale School Portraits, www.barksdalephoto.com .
Product Roundup
Picture This
Picture This Yearbook Services has a commitment as a yearbook publisher to provide quality yearbooks to even the smallest schools and organizations at affordable prices. With an emphasis on customer service, the company strives to make the yearbook experience a positive one. The Picture This yearbooks and directories are custom designed for a each school or organization. Clients can either ship photographs and copy or digital files, and the company's staff will do the rest. The school or organization can have as little or as much input into the book as they wish, with a variety of flexible packages available.
www.PictureThisYearbooks.com
Friesen Yearbooks
Friesen Yearbooks has pioneered YBDirect, a way to utilize the advanced tools of the Internet to connect schools directly with the Friesen plant. YBDirect means direct, timely and helpful service, without the costs and delays of a middleman (the sales representative). Friesen's account executives are always a phone call or mouse click away from dependable, helpful service. This unique model saves schools money and time. YBDirect places no restraints on the software that customers use in the school or the amount of assistance a school receives. This direct service and savings, combined with Friesen's 100 years of printing experience, means schools get award-winning yearbooks.
www.ybdirect.com
Lifetouch Publishing
For the past eight years, Lifetouch has been a pioneer in Web-based yearbook creation. The WebEase program is designed with schools' yearbook needs in mind. Advisers and students in thousands of schools throughout North America have enjoyed the excitement of creating the entire yearbook online--anytime, anywhere. Because the book is created entirely online, the yearbook comes alive instantly--no more sending in materials and waiting for weeks to see the final result. Organization tools make it easy for the adviser to control access to various sections of the Web site and to ensure that students are on track in completing assignments. Complete design flexibility and photo management tools make creating a yearbook fun and easy.
www.lifetouch.com
Walsworth Publishing Company
Walsworth, an American, family-owned yearbook company, has 70 years of printing experience. The company provides service and products that enable advisers and students to create superb yearbooks every year within budget. A local yearbook representative and a customer service representative at the printing facility work to establish trust and provide schools with the personal service they need. As a leader in yearbook technology, Walsworth's advanced systems help schools create yearbooks on a desktop or online and submit them with ease, with technical support personnel available to assist when needed. The company also shows schools ways to enhance the yearbook without breaking the budget.
www.walsworthyearbooks.com
Taylor Publishing Company
Taylor Publishing Company is one of the nation's largest elementary to university yearbook publishers. Each year, the company helps thousands of private and public schools produce high-impact yearbooks. Taylor provides state-of-the art technology, educational resources and flexible programs. The company's goal is to make the yearbook experience fun, easy and educational and to provide students with yearbooks they will be proud of for years to come.
www.tayloryearbooks.com
Herff Jones
Herff Jones, a leader in the yearbook industry for 85 years, prides itself on providing exceptional quality, service, tools, educational materials, and training that make the creation of a yearbook easier and more effective. Herff Jones offers many technical support tools, like Adobe InDesign CS support and Internet-based Online Page Creation and also has curriculum-based yearbook instructional materials, like the Guide to Yearbook Journalism www.yearbooks.biz
Yeardisk Creator
Yeardisk Creator is a powerful digital yearbook authoring tool. Your school can produce a professional, multimedia yearbook on CD or DVD, and you can include all of your videos, audio files, PowerPoint presentations, documents and much more. The Yeardisk Creator software suite consists of three easy-to-use, purpose-built applications designed to give you excellent results. Bring all those head shot photos to life with Yeardisk Profile Builder. Build optimized slideshows with Yeardisk Slideshow Builder. And bring your entire project together, customized the way you want it with Yeardisk Creator. You control every aspect of your project. www.yeardisk.com
Expressly-Yours
Expressly-Yours Yearbooks, a division of Express Press, has been in the printing business since 1978. The school yearbook division specializes in printing books specifically for the small school market-mainly those ordering 500 or fewer books-including many Christian schools. Expressly-Yours handles both full-color and black-and-white books, with soft or hard covers. With a fully digital work flow, the company can accept files over the Internet. Online software allows multiple users to work on the design of the book, all at the same time.
www.expressly-yours.net
