Yearbook Ideas??

I am working on a yearbook for my son's elementary school via the web program. This is my first year.

Anyone else out there create yearbooks? What is the most challenging part of the book for you? What do most kids like to see in the books?

Thanks for reading,
Tracy

I did our grade school yearbook for 3 years. A couple of things I learned.....kids love love love snapshots better than the school pics. We put as many snapshots in there as we could fit. Even on like the sports team pages, we worked in action shots.

One year, we had each kid sign their name to a piece of paper. We scanned them in and made borders with the signatures on the class pages. We printed their name under the pics but made a solid border around all the pics with their signatures. The kids really liked that especially several years down the road.

Other than that, the only advice I have is take a camera with you EVERYWHERE and recruit other Mom's with good photography skills to take pictures at events that you can't be at. You'll never regret having too many pics.....you will cry the blues if you don't have enough.

Have fun!!

Thats sounds really fun..adding their signatures.

I was thinking of doing a page or two just with 6th graders.

Anymore ideas or suggestions out there??

I'm on year 3 of my school's yearbook. I have come a VERY long way! What publisher are you using? We use school annual. Last year we changed from black and white to color and it was a HUGE hit! We actually got the color ones for a dollar per book more than the B&W ones. I use my own backgrounds rather than the stock ones. I make a black border around the page where I'm going to tile the pictures in. I do very little blurb/writing (that takes too much time and no one really wants to read it!). I've asked kids to take pictures and email them to me. For the most part these are 8th graders who do it. They're good at it. I get pictures at all the dances. I have a title page with the graduating class picture. I hold a cover contest (winner gets a $25 target gift card and free yearbook). The back cover is the signatures of all the 8th graders that goes on the back of their 8th grade tee shirt. Ummm......

Sections- title page, staff, teachers, students (by grade), spirit week, fall festival, halloween, winter dance, valentines' dance, science camp, basketball (I ask the coaches to email me pics), valley days, science olympiad, kite day, dr. seuss day, school play, band/choir. EVERYTHING! I like to leave a page or so at the back of the book for autographs.

Also, think about selling ad space. Figure out the per page cost (mine's $200) and then break it down from there (half page $100, 1/4 page $50, business card $25) You can also sell them in advance for a lower price ($15 for us) and then raise the price after christmas break ($20 for us). Presales help you figure out how many books you need to order. I usually order about 50 extra (I have over 100 extra from last year- we're selling them for $5 each at events all year) to have for kids who "forgot" to order.

Ok- I have rambled enough..... feel free to contact me for ideas/help. It's fun!

Identify the kids in the candid pictures. They change so much in appearance and they will not remember who is who years later-- even by the time they hit high school. Have fun!