THEME
Light vs. darkness. Nature vs. technology. Fate vs. destiny. Good vs. evil. The underlying themes of “Star Wars” are woven into the story, giving it meaning. And while yearbook themes are not quite as dramatic, they do follow the same Star Wars logic.
Find inspiration in these award-winning yearbooks. See the smart theme choices and strong visual and verbal connections throughout the books.
We know the drill: Put the theme on the cover, endsheets, opening & closing, dividers and the index. But the latest innovative trend is an expansion of the theme: specific pages devoted to the concept.
Before developing a theme, you have to come up with an idea. If you’re stuck for where to start, consider new avenues for finding inspiration. We’ve got four new options to get you thinking.
Yearbook lovers, theme projects are one of the smartest ways to jump start next year’s book. They allow your staff to mull over different concepts, seeing how the ideas grow and develop. It’s a chance to date a couple of themes before you make a commitment.
Theme is the glue that holds a book together. As part of our “The Essentials” series, we’ll share the basics of theme.
Who will your 2022 book be? Harry Styles? Kate Middleton? Once you know who your book is, you can clearly establish your theme’s personality.
As schools prepared for 2021 yearbooks, they faced a gloomy realization: the pandemic was far from over. Refusing to wallow in that depressing reality, a fascinating trend emerged. Yearbooks featured energetic themes, bold colors and fun graphics.
It’s easy to showcase the theme on the cover and early pages. It’s tougher to carry it later on, especially on reference pages like the group shots and team photos.
For Nike, it’s a swoosh. For FedEx, it’s bold letters forming an arrow in the white space. For Starbucks, it’s a lovely siren on a green, black and white circle. These companies’ logos are iconic because of their visual appeal. Yearbook theme logos should be, too.
When imagery or graphics work alongside the copy, they tell the story in a more impactful and meaningful way. As yearbook advisers, we take cues from the pros, and adapt ways to implement this strategy throughout our books to create more meaningful visual stories.
Colors. Graphics. Typography. But there’s more to theme development than pretty colors and fonts. A theme should be showcased throughout the book—visually, verbally and conceptually.
An entire page dedicated to pandemic themes.
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically impacted all aspects of life. Why shouldn't that be reflected in our theme choices? If there's any positive in our current circumstances, it's the very cool, innovative theme possibilities.