December 02, 2019
COVER DESIGN
As the old saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. While this proverb is good advice to follow when judging people, your yearbook is another matter entirely. The cover of your yearbook is the first thing people see. It needs to attract attention while engaging people to pick up the book and look inside.
Remember a great cover design with an impactful and well-chosen complementary cover treatment can go a long way in boosting the appeal of the yearbook, build up your yearbook culture in your school and increase your yearbook sales.
At this stage you should have your theme chosen and an idea on how that theme will translate onto the cover. Do you have someone elected or delegated to design this year’s cover? Are you opening your cover design up to the yearbook class or other classes (i.e. art or photography)? Or are you having a school wide cover contest? Make sure that whoever is designing it has detailed instructions about the cover measurements and information you would like included.
Keep the following in mind when building your cover. Your front cover should include the school name, logo or motto. The book name, like a newspaper or magazine may have a publication name. Include a phrase or design that introduces and conveys your theme. Don’t forget the year!
The spine should have the year as well, but may also have the volume number, the school name and the book name.
The back cover often gets overlooked but by adding something to the back cover you give your book a finished look. Make use of this space for the school logo or motto. Maybe the design on the cover wraps around or use the space to wrap up the theme.
One final thought, your cover sets the tone for the yearbook. It speaks for the rest of the book and should give your reader insight as to what the pages have in store for them.