The design of the front cover should include the theme, the logo and
the year of the book. For easy reference, the copy on the bound edge, or
spine, of the yearbook should include the name of the school, the city,
the traditional name of the yearbook (for example, The Bronco or The
Purple and Gold), the year and the volume number.Theme, Logo and Color
The theme of a yearbook is a word or phrase that pulls all parts of the
book together in a relationship that reflects something special about this
year at this school. The theme says something unique about the staff, the
school and this one year. A yearbook’s theme helps tell its story. Readers
will notice the theme before they open the book. It will set the tone for
their impression of what is inside. The theme influences the design and
the colors the staff chooses for the cover.
The logo is the graphic that portrays the theme visually. The logo
shows the theme through design or typography, sort of like a brand
name identifies a wearer’s choice of jeans or the stylized check mark
identifies Nike products.
Themes are trendy. Like fashion, they change quickly. Sometimes
a cliché can be adapted, or a current ad campaign, television show,
popular song or movie triggers an idea. Sometimes a special event, such
as an anniversary or a new addition to the school, can become theme
material.
One school chose “Messin’ with the Best” as its theme to talk about all
the inconveniences caused by a major construction project at the school.
Another school used “New and Improved” to show how an addition to the
school added new classes and faculty, as well as bricks and boards, to the
building. One staff used “XXX Rated” as its theme; the book’s divisions
were “eXtraordinary,” “eXtra special,” and “eXceptional.”
Sometimes a cliché like “Just When You Least Expect It” will work
for a year when the unexpected happens. It’s also exciting to make
a cliché unique by adding a twist such as “In One Year and Out the
Other.” Anniversaries beg for special themes: “Etched in Gold,” “A Not
So Traditional Year” or “This is What 40 Looks Like.” The media, adver-
tisements and package labels are good places to look for theme ideas.
“Contents Under Pressure,” “One Size Fits All,” “After These Messages,”
“Behind the Scenes” and “Seasoned to Perfection” have been used as
unique yearbook themes.
Choose the theme as early in the year as possible. The organization
of the book may depend on the theme. A theme focusing on the indi-
viduals in the school might call for placing the mug section at the front
of the book with the student life section. A seasonal theme might orga-
nize events in time periods. A theme that emphasizes academics would
encourage greater focus on that section.
The theme should be the central focus of the cover where it is identi-
fied through words, graphics, photos or illustrations, and color. Inside
the book, the theme is established by a photo and caption on the title
page. Theme reinforcement is carried throughout the book in words,
graphics and colors. It may appear on the endsheets, the heavy paper(^406) MIXED MEDIA
theme
in a yearbook, a word or
phrase that pulls all parts
together in a relationship that
reflects something special
about this year at this school
logo
the graphic or visual element
that represents the theme
endsheets
heavier paper pages immedi-
ately inside the front and back
covers of a book; endsheets
bind the cover and the pages
of the book together