On Tuesday July 20 at 11pm EDT/PT, MTV will premiere a new weekly series called “If You Really Knew Me” based on the Challenge Day program. Each episode will be shown on MTV multiple times during the week and streamed on MTV’s website.
“‘If You Really Knew Me’ is an incredibly authentic and compelling docu-series that takes us on a 24 hour journey through a high school’s social transformation. It shows us what happens when kids from various cliques decide to break down the walls that divide them and commit to change,” said Tony DiSanto, President of Programming from MTV. “It’s an intense and dramatic experience, but ultimately uplifting and universally relatable for all of us who have gone through high school or are about to.”
Each episode takes place at a different high school with its own set of issues and its own unique set of cliques. In the series premiere, viewers go inside a Northern California school divided by race and cliques, a symptom of a newly-diverse student body that has grown from 500 to 2,400 students in just 10 years. As the season progresses; the show profiles a variety of schools struggling with everything from cyberbullying to small town rumor mills.
Discussion Guides (sponsored by Herff Jones) can be downloaded from the Challenge Day website at: http://www.challengeday.org/mtv/.
What’s this got to do with yearbooks?
We all know that yearbook sales are directly related to school spirit. If your school is not participating in Challenge Day, maybe Yearbook could sponsor it! Visit the Challenge Day website for more info: http://www.challengeday.org/how-challenge-day-works.php
Teambuilding is key to an efficient yearbook staff. Try watching the episodes together as a group, and downloading the discussion guides. Download the discussion guides here: http://www.challengeday.org/mtv/
If your school is already participating, don’t forget to cover it in your yearbook! Make sure to interview the participants for their point-of-view!
Angela’s side note: I participated in a Challenge Day as a high school student (A LONG TIME AGO), and it was definitely worth it. Let’s just say a lot of tears and hugging were involved. I highly recommend it!
Our favorite short cut key. Also known as “undo,” this combination can be used in InDesign, eDesign, Word, most email programs, and after taking a really hard test that you didn’t study for (although we don’t know where to find the keyboard to perform that last one). Other helpful keystrokes include:
Ctrl/Cmd + S = Save
Ctrl/Cmd + C = Copy
Ctrl/Cmd + V = Paste
Ctrl/Cmd + P = Print
Arrow keys to nudge elements
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “Z” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
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Yearbooks.biZ (that’s “biZ” not “com)is where you can find new ideas to keep your creative juices flowing. Just because this is our final card, doesn’t mean we don’t have more to share. At Yearbooks.biz you’ll find sample covers, endsheets, themes, spreads, divider pages, sales tips, writing lessons, and much more. Go ahead–take a look. Just tell everyone you’re doing “research.”
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “Z” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
You know ESPN hosts both Summer and Winter games of Extreme Sports with events like skateboarding, BMX biking, street luge, snowboarding and snowmobiling. Well, what about the Yearbook X-games? Once the book is done, have an X-Game Celebration after school. Have staffers sign up ahead of time for events like these:
Big Wheel Slalom
Skateboard Paddling
3-legged Cross Country Skipping
Nerf Skeet (Frizbee) Shooting
It’s a great way to burn off all that built up stress, and it’s a great prelude to a nice Yearbook banquet where winners receive their medals along with the other staff awards. Or, be really X-treme, and ask ASB if you can host the Yearbook X-Games for the whole school over a couple of lunch periods and have students pay a dollar or two to participate. Instead of gold medals, give away golden tickets to your yearbook signing party!
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “X” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
No, thank you, we don’t need a tissue. x-height is a typography term referring to the height of the body of lowercase letters, not counting ascenders or descenders. Typically, this is the height of the letter x in the font (hence the name–now do you get it?), as well as the u, v, w, and z. Why is it important? When two typefaces are set in the same point size, one often looks bigger than the other. Why? Because bigger x-heights make a typeface appear larger. Differences in line weight and character width also affect the letters’ apparent scale. When choosing fonts for captions, by-lines and other smaller bodies of text, checking x-height can help with readablilty.
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “X” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
If you’ve been paying attention in math, you know it’s the horizontal axis on a graph. How is it relevant in Yearbook Land? Well, designing on a grid is basically using a graph. If you know the X axis of an element (what pica the bottom of the element rests on), you can line up other elements on the same line or equidistance away. It’s very handy when using internal margins less than a pica wide. Both Adobe InDesign and HJ eDesign have places to input the X (and Y) values for individual or multiple objects to ensure exact alignment.
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “X” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
Pop Quiz! Can you name the 5 W’s? Do you know how to use them in copy and captions?
Who is it about? Include first and last names and grade.
What took place? For Captions, include what they were doing before, during and after the photo.
When did this take place? Don’t include the year–we already know that!
Where did it happen? Was it on campus/off campus? Although, you never have to say at “HJ High….” We know that, too!
hoW did the events come about?
Remember that you use some, but not all, in the opening sentence of your copy and captions. Then, cover the rest in the remaining copy or in other captions on the spread.
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “W” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
Granted, we trust you are all responsible and thoughtful students, but sometimes yearbook programs do things that just make you say, “What were they thinking?” Things like allowing student to put grisly hunting pictures in their senior ad or use a quote from Hitler for their personal statement. Some schools have even landed in the news for seemingly insignificant things, like the female senior in Florida who wanted to wear a tux for her senior portrait and the superintendent said no. All this leads to one point: have policies for your book to avoid controversy. A few suggestions:
Dress code for senior portraits?
How would the yearbook handle a student’s death in the middle of the year?
What kinds of pictures can be used in a baby ad?
How does the yearbook select the person for a dedication?
The more you have in writing, the less likely you’ll need to scramble for an answer when the situation arises.
We already told you why we don’t like orphans (if you forgot, just look at the O card). Now, we are delighted to tell you why we hate widows, too. What is a widow? It’s the last line of a paragraph that falls on the beginning of the next page or column, thus separated from the remainder of the text. The moral of the story: Don’t leave a sentence hangin’. Make sure it always has some company so it isn’t left stranded at the the top of the page all alone.
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “W” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
We all have one–although some of us have”American Idol” voices, and some of us have only-for-the-shower voices, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Each yearbook, each theme, each body of copy has a voice/personality, too. And each year, the voice of your yearbook should be different from the year before. It should reflect the individual voices of students, teachers and administrators on campus as well as the voice of the yearbook staff. How do you do that? Follow these tips:
Get more individual voices in the book by including more quotes
Include profiles of people who have stories to tell, and let them tell their story in their own words
Create secondary packages that are quote-based. For example, ask a question (What’s your best friend’s most annoying habit?) and print the 5 -7 best answers
Run quotes along the bottom of your class pages to incorporate as many voices as possible
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “V” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
You know how sometimes you just don’t get it, and someone says, “Do I have to draw you a picture?” Well, sometimes a visual is a much more powerful form of communication. How does that translate in yearbook language? Easy! Try graphics to enhance your story.
Create graphs to show comparisons (Number of students who use iPhone, Blackberry, flip phone, slider phone, etc.)
Use large graphic numbers to show participation (Fall Play/Musical spread–number of actors, stage hands, set designers/builders, choreographers, musicians, lighting technicians, sound technicians, etc.)
Make tables or grids for scoreboards instead of just lists
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “V” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
Isn’t it funny how you can talk to your friends, text, IM, pass notes, and generally blab for days non-stop but then when you sit in front of a computer screen to write, you get brain freeze? Relax! Writing is just talking, um, written down. So have fun with your words and let the creativity flow during a class brainstorming session. Or have small group competitions for story ideas, headlines, and extended coverage that relate to your book’s theme. So, if the book is “Here’s Looking at You” try:
Seeing is believing
See what we mean?
Worth a second glance
A view from the top
Looking good
Now see this
A sight to remember
Visions of victory
Stare down
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “V” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
Tired of orange/yellow gym photos? Over/under exposed photos? Here are some tips to get your photos to shine in the perfect light!
Automatic settings do not always give you the best exposure.
Be aware of your light sources. Light behind the subject gives a dramatic silhouette effect while light to the side often gives long dramatic shadows.
Use a minimum ISO of 200 for daylight shots and minimum 800 for evening or dimly light interior shots. Note: The higher the ISO, the more “grainy” the photo.
The slower the shutter speed (1/60 of a second), the more exposed the shot or the less light necessary. The faster the shutter speed (1/500), the less exposed the shot and the more light needed.
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “U” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
Yes, we know, YERDS and Advisers are very under appreciated, but there are other individuals on campus who deserve some appreciation, too — whether it’s a note, a gift card, or a nice acknowledgement at a staff meeting.
The custodian (who cleans up the classroom after the pizza parties on your late work nights)
The secretary (who answers a million and two questions about yearbook)
The counseling department (who runs off all the class lists and always knows what class someone is in)
The IT person (who answers all your panicked phone calls when the computers are whacky)
The bank clerk (who collects all the money from book sales, ad sales, parent ad sales, and fundraisers AND pays your bills on time!)
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “U” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
How do you make this year’s yearbook unique from all the books of previous years? Use the following 5 brainstorming questions when developing your theme:
What will be different about the year? (i.e. construction, new clothing requirements, new administration, etc.)
What outside influences have affected the school? (economics, new boundaries, changing demographics, etc.)
Describe your school using one adjective.
Describe the people who attend your school in one word.
What is the first thing you notice when coming on to campus?
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “U” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
So your pages are nearing completion and all that’s left is that pesky index and the calla– . . . colon– . . . cloho– . . .
colophon
Yeah, *that* thing.
So what is a colophon?
It’s a recorded history of your book; what was behind the memories; how you created this publication. It includes as many details as you want or as few as you need, but try to be accurate. If your rival school picks up your 2010 book and is overcome with envy when they see your cover, tell them all that went into making it: the fonts, the colors, the cover material, foils, and embossing. This way they can do it for their 2011 book and YOU can take all the credit!
Many schools combine the colophon with thank yous and farewelsl to key people. Remember the particularly helpful teachers who didn’t yell at your 63rd interruption, the secretaries who helped you identify over 300 students, the custodians who cleaned up your deadline pizza parties, parents who brought all the junk food needed to get through the year, and your ADVISER! These people are more important to the creation of your book than the 100 lb. paper.
Check out a few examples here and bask in the glory of a job well done!
Not a laughing matter, but can result in a lot of smiles. Tweets, Tweeps and Retweets are the basis of communications on Twitter, the social network site second in popularity only to Facebook. If you are not using this powerful tool yet, here are three reasons to become a tweeter:
Status updates of 140 character or less. No Farmville, Mafia Wars, or “What Shoe Are You?” news feeds to sort through (like that other site). Just the facts in every tweet (post).
Thousands of professional designers, photographers and artists post tips, tricks and tutorials free for you to view and use as mini-lessons.
Great way to communicate with other yearbook staffs, professional YERDS, and your school community about what your staff is currently working on, coming events, and yearbook sales.
While you’re there, follow The Yearbook Ladies at Twitter.com/YearbookLadies
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “T” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
OK, we know today’s students were born with a computer mouse in their hands, but when it comes to school technology, you’re pretty limited due to necessary restrictions from the school district. That’s why establishing a positive relationship with your school and/or district IT person can make a HUGE difference in the success of your year. As soon as possible each August, contact the school or district IT person and discuss the following:
Any newly installed firewalls
Installation of all software necessary for page production (including fonts, Adobe Flash, and any supplementary program software)
Permissions
Yearbook server locations, accessibility and size
Then, remember to nurture this relationship throughout the year with a birthday card, a thank you note, or an offer to buy lunch. It’ll go a long way in keeping your computers glitch-free!
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “T” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
It’s the single page following the front endsheet, and it needs to convey some important information, both visually and verbally. Your theme graphics from the cover and front endsheets need to appear in some form on this page, and all of the following:
Theme title
Year of publication
Yearbook name
Volume number
School name
Complete address (street, city, state, zip)
School telephone number
School fax number
E-mail and/or website address
Enrollment
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “T” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
Just because it is a sub head, it doesn’t mean that it is any less important than the main headline. Here are all the reasons why the sub headline can be the star of your copy package:
They help to make the typography on your spread interesting.
Gives further information as to what the copy will be about
They can be fun to write, which makes them fun to read.
Here are some examples from some of our Showcase books (available on yearbooks.biz):
Small Town Fun:So Much to Do, So Little Square Footage (Aberdeen HS, Washington)
Seeing is Believing: Old Saint Nick Pays a Visit to Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove HS, Texas)
Victory!:Competition or Not, Students Feel Like Winners (Robinson MS, Virginia)
*This entry is part of “The Yearbook Ladies’ A to Zs of Yearbook”
project. If you’d like to download the “S” card, go to the “Adviser
Resources” section of www.theyearbookladies.com
We’d love to hear from you! Share your questions, comments, and ideas below…
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