Most yearbook companies will provide you with a ‘ladder’ or ‘page planner’ poster that can be put up in an area for all to see throughout the year. Have students give careful attention to how many pages are allocated to each section. For example, you may decide to place an increased emphasis on a section like sports or plan on more pages for advertising. Do your planner in pencil since it is subject to change as the year progresses.
Next, take envelopes that represent each facing page, number them, and identify at the top of each what the contents of the pages will be. As stories and photos are collected, they can be placed into the envelopes and be ready for when layout commences. On your planner you might even want to start a coding system like “P” for photographs and “S” for story. In so doing, a quick glance will tell you what the status of a page is.
With all the above planning completed, the next priority is usually getting new students up and running with some competency in photography. After providing necessary instruction, give one or two photo assignments that each student has to complete. Provide time frames for each and follow the shooting with some group critiques of image strength and weakness. Start with easier outdoor shooting and build towards indoor assignments which may require flash. Postpone photojournal coverage until students acquire mastery of exposure and basic composition.

As mentioned in previous editions of the Canadian Yearbook Review, there are some excellent internet sites that provide great instruction on all aspects of photography. The Kodak site is on our links page.

When you get to Kodak's home page, scroll down to ‘Taking Great Pictures’ in the site directory. On this page you will find the topic ‘Beginning Composition’ with their on line tutorials. The six guidelines they provide are an excellent starting point to get students thinking of composition.

Agfa also has an excellent site and they are also on our links page.

On Agfa's home page, locate the tag ‘Home and Leisure’ and when you click on this page, locate ‘Photo Courses’. Here you will find 35 lessons. Lesson 17 deals directly with photographic composition.

If you have access to the internet in your school, have students look at these sites. It will prove to be a rich resource of information.

Well, enough said regarding good organization. If you incorporate some of the above ideas, you will be surprised how well students proceed with work.

Remember that the book is completed in stages. Focus on specific signatures and establish deadlines for their completion. By taking on manageable tasks your book will progress at a positive pace.

As this takes place, don’t hesitate to take some time to occasionally celebrate with a pizza party. Food is a great motivator.

*This article is from our newsletter, Yearbook Connections. You are welcome to print and use it for teaching purposes.*

One of the common concerns of yearbook representatives is collecting copy from schools within prearranged time schedules. It can be appreciated that with the hundreds of schools they co-ordinate through their printing facilities, this is very important. Furthermore, the number of pages in a book does not necessarily relate to delays in copy competition. Some large books easily get their pages completed on schedule while smaller books sometimes struggle. What is the difference?

Organization can be a key factor. Time spent in September and October getting organized will pay large dividends in student performance as the year progresses.
Actually, good organization starts a year in advance. It is always a good idea to try and get students to follow through from one year to another. In so doing, they come into a new year with some very valuable experience that can be shared with new students. This can save you hours of work. Keep your thoughts tuned to the new students and watch closely for those who show leadership potential, are positive in outlook, and make ongoing contributions.

Reward students with the responsibility and recognition of being editors and co-editors in subsequent years. Such students should be encouraged to attend summer conferences that most yearbook publishers sponsor. At such times, they can form great friendships with students in other schools and start acquiring the knowledge and skills to get your book off to a good start.
Advertise your first yearbook meeting to the entire student population and identify common meeting times. In advance, talk to some of your return students, especially your editors if they have been selected. Have them chair the meeting so they acquire pride and responsibility for the book. After all, it is a student yearbook.

At the first meeting, get the names and phone numbers of all in attendance and arrange a convenient meeting time for future meetings. Talk about items that go into yearbook production. Some suggestions are:

     • theme development
     • signatures
     • time lines
     • photography
     • layout
     • cover design and end sheets
     • footers

Get out some books from previous years and circulate them around the room. Students love looking at old books. They get a lot of laughs and at the same time start looking at ways to produce an even better book.
Now, brainstorm ideas for a theme for your new book. Use an overhead projector or chalk board and jot the ideas down. Don’t be judgmental at this time. Just let the thoughts flow. Sometimes you can appoint a reporter and have groups of students share themes they have come up with. Narrow down and select one theme. You might find yourself combining several ideas into the final theme. Once this is done, cover design, end sheets, and page footers can be started. If you are doing your layout with desktop publishing software, page templates can be started.

Next, get your editors to look at the flow of the book and decide what pages are dedicated to each section. At this point, it is nice to have signature breaks coincide with each section. In so doing, a grouping of pages can be sent in to your printer so they can proceed with proofing and printing.