Page count can be a dirty word in the yearbook industry. It’s how we compare programs or evaluate pricing. It’s also how we wow our readers. Peppering in showstopper spreads breaks up the monotony of photo collages, portraits, and team photos. These pages also fill your yearbook with even more personal stories and unique-to-this-year happenings. (And if we’re being honest, these last-minute ideas can help you increase coverage with ease.)
1. Interactive Pages
Drop-in yearbook spreads, such as about me pages make it effortless to complete the year’s story. You can customize the questions and prompts on these fully editable yearbook templates and give students even more space to share their POV on the year. If you don’t have a spread to fill, consider adding a sidebar so students can react to campus happenings.
2. Spirit Quiz
When Sequoia High School had over half a page to fill in their junior section, they added a teen magazine-style quiz. This spirit self-assessment featured eight additional students plus the school mascot while showing off what is uniquely Panther programming.
Make it Your Own
For your spirit quiz, determine which activities and behaviors define your student body and assign a point value. For example:
- Owning spirit wear +1
- Participating in a club +2
- Attending a musical or a sporting event +3
- Knowing the lyrics to the fight song or alma mater +3
- Serving the community+3
Use the scoring to affirm your community, even if it’s a one or two. A simple “we want to know you more” will go far for students trying to find their way.
3. Then and Now
We’ll save the yearbook-as-public-record soapbox for another blog. Know this: anniversary years are a great time to reflect on where your school community has been and where you are headed. Schools also use building projects, campus splits, and expansion projects to add reflective photos and copy to their yearbook pages. Does this sound overwhelming? A show-stopper spread in your theme copy or your people section is all you need.
In addition to featuring changes in the building, you can write about or share photographs from
- Teachers and coaches who are alumni
- Current students of alumni
- Famous alumni (ICYMI: alumni are a huge resource)
- The local historical society
- Past yearbooks
- Blueprints
4. Pet Spread
If you’re new to crowdsourcing, or in need of additional coverage, start with a pet spread. If we’ve learned anything from #caturday and #dogsofinstagram, it’s that sharing pet photos brings us joy and is a natural part of our culture. Case in point, when our design team asked the Treering staff to submit photos of their children and pets to use in sample spreads, the latter had nearly twice the submissions.
When your students crack their yearbooks open in five or 15 years, the sight of their furry, feathered, or scaly friend beside their artwork and activities truly captures a moment in time.
5. Art Showcase Pages
Student contributions extend beyond the field, club meetings, and stage. Those creative moments in the studio or during classroom art time belong on your yearbook pages. Also, like a pet spread, an art spread is a way to include those camera-shy students.
6. Fashion Page
Expression isn’t limited to canvas and ink: Yearbook Hero Grace Montemar said her school included a fashion spread because it “allowed Yearbook Club to spotlight classmates from various grades whose fashion sense stood out from the crowd.” Featured students expressed their style and their inspiration with interviews.
We love how this school asked students from each grade level to come to the photoshoot in a white shirt and jeans.
Do you have more easy ideas to fill pages? Share them via social and tag us!
