~ by Karina Lopez, Yearbook Print Sales Consultant – Los Angeles | Southern California
By this time (end of November/beginning of December), you should have your templates finalized for this year’s yearbook! They serve as the foundational starting point for your book, and come with essential elements like fonts, colours, layouts, and placeholders already configured to streamline the creation process. By providing a cohesive look across multiple pages, templates will save you time on repetitive design tasks while still allowing for customization as needed.
When setting up your yearbook templates, consider the following tips:
- SET PROPER MARGINS: Adjust your margins to fit the specific size of your book. Proper margins will ensure that all content is well-aligned and visually appealing and will prevent any important elements from being cut off during printing.
- USE COLUMN GUIDES: Implement column guides to maintain consistent alignment and structure throughout your layout. This helps you organize content neatly and professionally, making the book easier to read and follow.
- SET UP TEXT BOXES: Apply the correct font styles and sizes to text boxes to maintain visual harmony. Consistent typography enhances the readability and aesthetic appeal of the book, and ensures it looks polished and cohesive.
- INCLUDE CAPTION BOXES: Ensure that each photo or graphic has a corresponding caption space. Captions add context and information, making your yearbook more informative and engaging for readers.
- FOLIO ARTWORK: Establish the placement for any folio artwork such as page numbers, school logos, or decorative items. This maintains a uniform look across all pages.
- LAYER NAMING AND LOCKING: Before you save your template, name necessary layers for easy reference and lock items you want to remain fixed. This prevents accidental changes and keeps your design organized, making it easy to update and modify as needed.
- ESTABLISH PHOTO HIERARCHY: Remember to make the dominant image the largest and consider placing it across the gutter for impact. This draws the viewer’s eye and creates a focal point in your design.
- WHITE SPACE: Use white space effectively to avoid clutter and make your content more readable. White space helps to highlight important elements and gives a clean, modern feel.
- FEEDBACK AND ITERATION: Gather feedback from students, teachers, and other stakeholders and make iterative improvements to your templates. This helps to refine the design and ensure it meets the needs of your audience.
By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be able to create templates that are both user-friendly and efficient. As the year unfolds, and content is gathered, it can be seamlessly added to the template, filling in the placeholders with actual content. This approach not only saves time but also ensures a polished final product that captures the memories and highlights of the school year. And don’t forget…Friesens DesignIt program has so many templates built in, so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel! See some of the newest additions here.
