Treering Blog

In honor of the season of giving, Treering will match up to thirty yearbook donations per school account. From Tuesday, December 2, 2025 through Tuesday, December 31, 2025,  one community book donation equals one Treering book donation. Editors can re-assign these books to teachers, promoting students, the principal, or students in need.

How the donation match works

1. Enable the Book Donation option on the dashboard
2. Let your campus community know 'tis the season to share the (yearbook) love
3. Re-assign the yearbooks so recipients can customize or order non-custom books to hand out

This promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2025. Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2026.

The Fine Print

• Maximum of 30 donated books will be matched per Treering school
• Promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2025
• Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2026
• Donations may not be combined with any other promotions
• Donated yearbooks cannot exist on ship-to-home, invoiced, or PO orders; credit card or PayPal orders only
• Ordering donation books will not be available for After Deadline Orders

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People often ask about the process behind creating yearbook themes—how we come up with ideas, what inspires the designs, and what steps go into making them both creative and versatile. To help answer those questions, I’ve gathered the most common ones I hear, along with insights into how we approach theme development.

– Allison Vecchio, Design Director

– Ashlyn Wong, Associate Graphic Designer

Q: What’s the first step you take when creating a theme for a yearbook?

Allison: The very first step is listening. We start with focus groups, inviting editors and advisers to react to early design inspiration and share what excites them. That feedback becomes ourcompass—it points us toward where to explore next. From there, the design team dives into inspiration.

Q: Where do you look for inspiration?

Allison: Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere—online platforms like Pinterest and Designspiration, opening credits in films and series, the type treatments on city signage, or the latest work from leading agencies like Pentagram. We also keep a close eye on current graphic design trends. Those pieces come together in a mood board, much like a collection of magazine tears, so we can see the direction starting to take shape. We cast a wide net at first, then refine and narrow down as we go.

One of the biggest themes actually came directly from our users during a focus group. The Gallery theme idea originated in a focus group session where a few customers described looking through a yearbook as feeling like walking through a gallery.

And, the idea for Gallery was born!

My most recent spark came during a trip to Madrid, where I visited the Museo del Prado, and the Museo Reina Sofía. My creative mind expanded tenfold viewing works by the old masters whom I studied years ago, such as Caravaggio, El Greco, Fra Angelico, and Heironymus Bosch.

Q: How do you decide what to design?  

‍Allison: Our process is customer-focused and data-driven. After running focus groups, we analyze the usage data in our application to see which themes are trending across schools. We combine that with customer feedback to understand why something resonates. Once we have that insight, the design team begins exploring themes that can work across different grade levels and schools.

Many questions come into play when we think about what to design. Does the theme make sense for all genders? Will it look too feminine, or too masculine? How can we achieve a healthy balance? Is this primarily for an elementary school, or could it be designed in a manner to apply to all grade levels?

Q: How do you choose your color palette and typography to match the theme?

Ashlyn: Color and typography decisions always begin with exploration and testing. We build out several palette and type combinations, then test them — dropping them into sample spreads, pairing them with backgrounds, and checking legibility. We look at how bold or neutral tones interact with student photography, and we make adjustments based on feedback from internal collaboration. It’s a cycle of experimenting, testing, and refining until the theme feels balanced and cohesive.

Q: How do you create the artwork?

Allison: In our focus groups, customers told us they wanted the same collection of graphics across every theme. We set out to do this by working with illustrators to create bespoke artwork. Finding the right illustrator takes time. We review portfolios until we find one whose aesthetic aligns with the concept. For example, with the Gallery theme, we partnered with illustrator Ekaterina, whose warm, approachable style was a perfect fit. She created more than 100 illustrations that together gave the theme the feeling of walking through a gallery.

Q: Which past theme are you most proud of and why?

Ashlyn: The focus groups revealed that records and decades were popular, and we really wanted to give our users a full, cohesive theme that could synthesize these concepts. For the Record stands out because it challenged us to unify five distinct decades into one cohesive theme. Although we hit roadblocks and had to pivot several times, the final product was something fun, flexible, and unique. I’m proud of the way our team was able to not only fulfill our customers’ requests despite challenges, but problem-solve to create something revolutionary.

‍Allison: The themes that stand out most for me are the ones I see schools using again and again. Dream Big is one that always gives me the feels. It carries the charm of a children’s book, with richly illustrative backgrounds I created in Photoshop. Small details—a child holding a kite or soaring into the sky—symbolize limitless potential, inspiring students with the idea that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

With nearly half of US states banning cell phones in the classroom, many advisers reached out for creative solutions for collecting yearbook photos. Student cell phones can have cameras that capture photos as well as or better than traditional cameras, and have become a cost-reducing factor for yearbook teams. As more schools create and tighten policies governing cell phone usage on campus, we need practical solutions for yearbook class.

The yearbook’s mission remains unchanged.

Take heart, yearbook creators, when parent volunteers weren’t permitted on campus, we pivoted. This is no different. [FWIW, I’m imagining being on a horse, like William Wallace, as I type this.]

via GIPHY

The quick response

The easy solution is to grab some point-and-shoot cameras for yearbook students to have on hand or a few iPad Pros, if your school permits it. Focus the first few class or club meetings on the basics of composition. 

Another solution is photo training with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Explore aperture (depth of field) and keep track of what ISO and white balance work for specific locations on campus, like the dreaded gym pics, which always look straight out of the 1970s with the yellowed floors and fluorescent lights.

If you don’t have budget constraints, check out our recommendations for yearbook gear.

Capital expenses aren’t for every yearbook team. Additionally, neither of these solutions addresses how to get you and your team everywhere—you can’t. Adding avenues for school staff, parents, and students to contribute photos will grow your reach.

Create a submission pipeline

Photo drop campaigns should be part of every post-event communication from your yearbook team. Did fourth grade take a field trip to the zoo? Reach out later that day to the parents and teachers who went for their snaps. 

Keep in mind, the easier it is to share, the more results you will receive. Also, limiting yourself to one or two avenues will simplify your back-end organization.

Yes, this approach might require more planning and follow-up than in past years. Remember, the systems you build now will benefit your yearbook program long after the initial challenges are resolved.

Photos from Teachers and Staff

While we cringe at asking our classroom champions to do one more thing, the thought of not celebrating their outstanding work is far worse. Work with your campus administration to add Google folders to the school’s shared Drive.

There should be a folder for each teacher and school-wide folders for holidays, recess, specific school events, lunchtime fun, assemblies, etc. 

Photos from Parents

Many of the advisers in Treering’s Official Facebook Group say they have room parents responsible for in-class photos. Additionally, parents are often present at outside events such as concerts, field trips, and games. Partner with them for photos of

• Off-campus event and athletics photos
• Candids from carpool, pick up/drop off
• First day
• Any dress-up or spirit day
• Summer and winter vacations
• Homework and student art

In addition to a shared folder to which parents can drop images, share an email address. 

You can even send targeted asks after events: Hey Fatima, It was great to see you at the Science Fair. Would you please send me 2-3 photos of Jackson and his friends so I can include them in the yearbook? Thank you! 

Full disclosure, any time I see parents taking photos of their children, I ask them to email those photos to me on the spot. 

Shameless.

Photos from Students

If your yearbook program has a class or club component, creating photo assignments is one way to secure photos from students. The last thing you want to do is just tell a student, “Go take photographs of science.”

Many schools employ a beat system, assigning students to specific grades, clubs, and sports. This is a way to monitor coverage while teaching communication and project management. Students connect weekly with their contacts (coaches, teachers), find out what is happening, and take photographs of events.

The beat system also serves as accountability: if Erika’s beats have empty content folders in week three, the editorial team needs to redirect her efforts.

If you need help providing photo support, explore

• 5 photography mini lessons
• Classroom photo tips

The key to success lies in early, frequent, and clear communication with your entire school community. When staff, parents, and students understand the goal and their role in achieving it, collaboration becomes smoother and more sustainable.

Explain why the cell phone ban affects yearbook coverage, what kinds of support you need, and how you’ll collect photos. Then, keep the conversation going:

1. Remind teachers of upcoming photo ops
2. Update parents with specific photo requests
3. Train students to use alternative tools and plan ahead. 

The more proactive you are, the fewer last-minute gaps you'll face.

Making a yearbook with Treering's online software is as simple as drag and drop. Options such as portrait autoflow and auto layout make anyone look like a professional designer, and integrated professional tools, including a color picker and page designer, give you the flexibility to create from scratch.

Watch a brief software demo.

What Editors Love

Teachers, parents, and students enjoy using Treering's free online creation software to collaborate on their yearbooks. They also enjoy

• Flexible deadlines
• Three-week turnaround
• Custom pages
• No order minimums
• Ease of use

Why Principals Choose Treering

School administrators and the front office team appreciate

• No contracts
• Inclusive pricing: 100lb. paper, software, curriculum, bulk shipping to school, themes
• E-commerce tools that collect payment and show real-time order reports
• Fundraiser capabilities
• Parents can order after the deadline (no one ever misses out!)

Yearbook captions provide the context and information to help tell the story behind each photo. They explain what's happening, who is in the picture, and why it's significant. Without captions, many images may lose their meaning or context. Conversely, it is not a storytelling photo if you cannot write about it.

Try this: open your middle school yearbook and try to name all the people on page 24. Can you do it without looking at the captions?

Three types of yearbook captions

Ident captions

Also, called ID captions, they do just that: identify who is in the photograph. Often used in photo collages, ident captions preserve the names of individuals for posterity and historical record. At a basic level, knowing the names of the individuals can make the yearbook content more personal and relatable, and, from a student’s point of view, their name equates to their mark on your campus community.

Summary captions

These captions tell a brief story or narrative related to the photo. They engage the reader by presenting the photo as part of a larger, unfolding story by answering who, what, when, why, where, and how in a sentence. Summary captions are always written in the present tense.

Start by being Captain Obvious and use the why and how to give readers more information.

Expanded captions

Writing an expanded caption for a yearbook involves providing more context and detail about the photo. It’s journalism. It requires practice. It’s a skill. Each expanded caption is a three-sentence story that adds depth to your spread and supports the whole year’s narrative.

Expanded captions have three parts, four if your yearbook has a lede.

How do I write expanded captions?

Because writing is a process, each of the following steps takes time and attention to be effective.

Step 1: observe and analyze the photograph

Identify key elements, people, objects, and actions using who, what, when, why, where, and how. Be sure to consider the emotions, expressions, and details within the foreground and background of the image. 

Verify names and activities before moving to the second step.

Step 2: prepare interview questions

Use open-ended questions to gather more information, opinions, and insights from individuals. Find out what happened before and after the photograph and the relationships between the people in the image. Remember, it’s better to have to cut down content than scramble to fill space.

The goal of your interview is to provide additional context and meaning. Showing up and saying, “Give me a quote for the yearbook,” isn’t going to achieve that.

Step 3: put it all together

What not to do

Avoid editorializing and jokes. It’s not your job to critique what is happening (Romero’s awesome painting) or change the narrative (Is that Bob Ross? No, it’s Ezekiel Romero). Your job is to report. Quotes should be used to convey the feelings or reactions of the people involved.

Get more caption help with the writing module in Treering's free curriculum.

By adding captions—ident, summary, or expanded—you not only describe the photo, but also provide a deeper understanding of the moment and its significance, making your yearbook more engaging and informative.

Like its namesake, evergreen content stays fresh for a long time, unlike the tie-dye loungewear we are still trying to forget. While you should definitely include polls and trends in your yearbook (it is the story of the year after all), open-ended interview questions (such as the 40+ we are giving you below) should remain in your repertoire for three reasons:

For ease of use, we organized these interview questions by yearbook section. Grab your editorial team and create your list!

Student Life

Because some of your formative moments occur outside the classroom, be sure to include all that goes into the school day.

Campus Life

Routine

People

These questions make great sidebars to go along your portrait pages.

Milestones

Interests

Academics

Athletics

Bonus: Trending Topics

Add content on the following to complement the evergreen content in your yearbook.

For even more interviewing tips, check out the yearbook storytelling module from Treering's free curriculum.

When “outsiders” think of yearbooks, they imagine little beyond the portrait pages. They see the obligatory blue background and big grins that accompany a moment in time many of us, as students, dreaded. (C’mon, we all didn’t receive the Glamor Shots by Deb experience!) Since this is a part of students’ permanent record, it's a necessary component. It is a part of the historical record of the school year. It’s also not our students’ favorite. Long ago, this adviser decided to decrease the size of yearbook portraits, while increasing specialized content. Here are three ideas to break up your portrait pages by adding rich, personal content.

1. By the Numbers

Use stats and surveys to provide a quantifiable portrait of the students pictured on your pages. Begin by understanding what is important to your students and then ask questions. For example, if your school’s focus is on health and wellness, break down how students and staff contribute to that goal by including content such as

Pair the numbers with photographs of students engaging in the activities and quotes for an even more personal approach. What does it mean to be a part of a community so encouraging of physical activity? How do students balance their school work with tournaments and performances?

2. Keep Content Class-y

Grade spreads in your portrait section are ideal for academics or class-specific coverage. Highlight the unifying aspects of school life, such as class trips or advisory periods, and then ask students about their individual experiences with each. Grade sections could also include:

3. Get Personal with Portraits

Personality profiles and student life modules both create opportunities for an inclusive yearbook by targeting lesser known students or students with interests outside school-sponsored arts and athletics. These content modules add voices to the portrait section of your yearbook!

Take advantage of the additional space you'll create by shrinking portraits to pull out more content from your student body.

A yearbook theme isn’t just layout, graphics, fonts, and a color palette. It’s about storytelling. A developed theme goes beyond the visual, guides your coverage decisions, and sets the tone for the book. 

Treering’s design team listened to many schools’ stories during their spring focus groups. The first wave of themes reflected the visual package most schools wanted. This second one expands to add the verbal.

‍For the Record

Exploring decades from the 1950s to the 1990s, “For the Record” taps into nostalgia. With a two-page style guide of decade-specific graphics, colors, and fonts, yearbook teams can create their own “greatest hits” of the school year. 

Adding storytelling elements such as student-created playlists or superlatives presented as album covers will make your memories feel like an anthology.

Additionally, the focus groups of middle and high school advisers asked for less busy backgrounds and more texture. Usually, people would balk at "just" two backgrounds. However, having these consistent threads is why each section works as part of the whole.

Focus group participants also wanted layouts that emphasized hierarchy and had room for captions and copy. The design team gave yearbook teams this plus flexible options within this theme. They can

• Differentiate sections of the book by decades
• Use one decade to create their own throwback look

Top Secret

The declassified look at the school year is one of the most powerful storytelling mechanisms: 

• Showcase hidden gems on campus
• Use photographic clues on divider pages to make small things part of something bigger
• Deconstruct campus happenings with “mission report” sidebars

This theme builds on collage-style design elements—stamps, photo frames, textured backgrounds—but updates the look with a contemporary aesthetic. It draws from the mission vibe while keeping the layouts approachable and fun. And it works for any level of school:

• Elementary school: use playful stamps, oversized labels, and bright textures to highlight classroom memories and fun facts
• Middle school: lean into detective-style layouts such as “case file” spreads on clubs and activities
• High school: take a sleeker approach with dark backgrounds, sharp typography, and subtle textures that nod to spy dossiers without feeling gimmicky

Students will feel like they are all in on the secret together.

(Yes, this theme inspired our team: we applied some of the elements to National School Yearbook Week 2025’s programming.)

Dream Bigger and Leaving an Impression

Another focus group finding is the appeal of art styles as visual themes. The design team introduced “Gallery” in the first wave, followed by two artistic takes, “Dream Bigger” and “Leaving an Impression.”

The powers that be at Pantone called out neutrals and soft naturals for the Color of the Year 2025. The “Dream Bigger” theme leans into this popularity, offering soft washes of color and flowing shapes that stand in contrast to the textured, thicker brushstrokes of Impressionist paint used in “Leaving an Impression.” 

Whereas “Dream Bigger” is ethereal and reflective, “Leaving an Impression” is bold and dynamic. It’s a theme designed with flexibility in mind, especially for K-12 schools. 

For younger grades, it offers high-collage layouts that make it easy to include as many students as possible while keeping the design polished. For upper grades, it supports modular design, which means layouts can be broken into smaller, contained units of coverage. With modular design, every spread can tell multiple stories at once, building a richer picture of school life.

Both of these artistic themes make the perfect canvas for seeing how this year is part of a larger journey.

Student stories and voices matter. Your yearbook theme should provide a lens through which your readers can examine them. Treering can help with a collection of over 200 pre-designed themes.

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With Proclamation 5703, former President Ronald Reagan made yearbooks even more celebration-worthy by setting apart the first week of October for “appropriate ceremonies and activities” to recognize the creators and the power of a yearbook program. Treering intends to do just that during National School Yearbook Week, October 6-10, 2025.

Download the 2025 schedule

This National School Yearbook Week, we will crack the code on yearbook design, sales, and organization. Here’s your briefing.

‍Yearbook Confidential: your briefing

Yearbook creators will have declassified access to live training, photo contests, and giveaways. (If you’re super in love with the vibe, check out the Top Secret theme that just dropped for your yearbook.)

‍Yearbook contests

There are six ways to win: one week-long yearbook Bingo game and five daily Facebook giveaways. 

‍Monday, October 6

Bingo begins. Download your unique bingo card and play along. We’ll “call” words via Meta stories (see them on Facebook and Instagram). The first verified Bingo winner will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR camera with an 18-55mm lens. Get the full Bingo rules here.

Additionally, yearbook creators can share their favorite fall photo to our “Operation Autumn Aesthetic” Facebook photo contest. The strongest storytelling photo will win a $50 gift card.

‍Tuesday, October 7

Share your insider ideas for photo organization on our daily Facebook giveaway post. HQ (aka Treering’s marketing department) will reward one adviser at random with a $50 gift card.

Meta stories for our week-long Bingo game will continue.

‍Wednesday, October 8

Another $50 gift card is up for grabs. We want to see your yearbook squad. The most creative team photo wins the daily Facebook post challenge. 

If a verified Bingo winner has not come forward, we will increase the calls. 

‍Thursday, October 9

Share your yearbook space, class, or desk on our daily Facebook post for the chance to win. The type-A, TikTok-inspired, and completely unhinged–we want to see them all.

‍Friday, October 10

Close National School Yearbook Week 2025 with your best sales tips or ideas for a chance to score a $50 gift card on our Facebook post.

‍Live training

Treering Live (TRL) is Treering’s flagship event. During National School Yearbook Week, TRL will have all the design training, coveted prizes, and organization inspiration that yearbook advisers have come to expect. 

‍What to expect at Treering Live: not-so-top-secret training

With your free registration, Treering Live: Yearbook Confidential features 19 sessions over two days. The programming spans from adviser basics to an interactive photography session. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join HQ for intel, ideas, and a little undercover fun. 

The schedule, like Treering, is fully customizable. 

‍Tuesday Sessions

1:00 pm PT: Opening session

1:10 pm PT: Session 1 - choose one session to attend

• Top 10 questions new advisers ask
• Yearbook design trends
• Teaching yearbook: curriculum overview

1:50 pm PT: Session 2 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Live demo: portraits
• Adviser roundtable

2:30 pm PT: Session 3  - choose one breakout session to attend

• Photo tips
• Live demo: yearbook style guides
• Getting more students in the book

3:10 pm PT: Session 4 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Anatomy of a yearbook 
• Teaching yearbook: theme

3:45 pm PT: Closing session 

Wednesday Sessions

1:00 pm PT: Opening session

1:10 pm PT: Session 1 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Building your team: yearbook jobs and recruitment 
• Treering design tools
• Photo journalism (interactive session)

1:50 pm PT: Session 2 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Yearbook mistakes to avoid
• Live demo: upgrading portrait pages

2:30 pm PT: Session 3  - choose one breakout session to attend

• Top 10 questions parents ask
• Live demo: from good to great

3:10 pm PT: Session 4 - choose one breakout session to attend

• Live demo: page templates
• Teaching yearbook: writing

3:45 pm PT: Closing session 

All sessions will be available on the Yearbook Club Replay, so you can re-watch those a-ha moments and catch any sessions you missed through May 2026.

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Mission parameters: Bingo rules and FAQs

The National School Yearbook Week 2025 Bingo winner must be 18 or older and a Primary Chief Editor or Chief Editor at a US Treering school for the 2025-2026 school year. No purchase is necessary to participate.

By participating, you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to treering.com, social media, and mass media.

1. How do I get my Bingo card?

On Monday, October 6, each player will receive an email to download a card. Each one is a unique card with a number. Save your card—you’ll need it to claim a win.

2. How will clues be called?

A third-party Bingo randomizer will randomly select words, which will be announced via Meta stories (Facebook and Instagram) and in the Zoom Events lobby during Treering Live.

3. How do I mark my card?

Print your card or track digitally. Mark off words as they are called. 

4. What counts as a Bingo?

We are playing classic Bingo: a straight line of five words (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal).

5. How do I claim a win?

Email marketing@treering.com immediately with your name, Treering school, and card number. The first valid email received is the winner.

6. What happens after I email my win?

We’ll verify your card against our called words. The first valid email received is the winner.

7. Can more than one person win?

No, only the first verified winner counts.

8. What if I lose my card?

No problem, just download your card again. You may have missed some words; jump on our socials to get caught up.

9. How many rounds will we play?

There will be one round of Bingo from October 6-10, 2025.

10. What are the prizes?

The winner will receive a Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR camera with an 18-55mm lens. Treering will ship the camera directly to the school address associated with the winner’s Treering account.

11. Do I have to shout, “Bingo?”

We aren’t going to stand in your way if you want to do the Bingo Boogie. Just remember to be the first to send an email marketing@treering.com with your name, Treering school,  and card number to claim the prize.

12. Can I play if I join late?

Yes! All of the words announced via Meta stories will remain for 24 hours. You’ll just start marking from the current clue onward. 

13. I’m a content creator. How can I share what I’m doing for National School Yearbook Week on social media?

Tag Treering Yearbooks (@treering on Facebook, @treeringcorp on Instagram and TikTok) and use the hashtags #NationalSchoolYearbookWeek, #NationalYearbookWeek, #YearbookWeek, #YearbookBingo

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Social Contest Rules

The National School Yearbook Week 2025 photo contest winners must be 18 or older and a member of a Treering school for the 2025-2026 school year. No purchase is necessary to participate.

Valid posts must include an original photo. No AI images allowed. By participating, you have verified the approval of others pictured, and you approve Treering to use your name, write-up, and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to showcasing on www.treering.com, sharing on social media, and sharing with media.

The photo criteria will be based on its creativity, relevant emotional impact (humor is more than acceptable), and overall aesthetic appeal.

If you have any questions, contact us at marketing@treering.com.

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Nearly 30 years later, National School Yearbook Week remains a time to reminisce and a time to look forward, hopefully with a few wins for you and your yearbook program.

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Ever flip through a yearbook and feel like every page was designed by a different person? (Spoiler alert: it probably was.) That’s what happens without a style guide. A yearbook style guide is your rulebook for keeping fonts, colors, and writing consistent so your book feels polished instead of patchwork. It sounds like a design hack, and in reality a yearbok style guide safeguards your theme's brand. Once it’s in place, your yearbook team can stop trying to remember what point the headline font is and get back to creating great coverage.

Wait, what is a yearbook style guide?

Think of it as a playbook and your staff training manual. Your style guide covers two big things:

• Visual theme: fonts, colors, and graphic
• Verbal theme: tone, voice, how you list names and grades

With those basics locked down, your team won’t waste time asking, “Do captions need periods?” or “Which blue are we using again?"

This guide, encompassing design and writing, ensures a unified style while serving as a coaching tool for your team during the layout and design process. Beyond that, it acts as a visionary tool, allowing early development of a creative direction for your book. By providing clear instructions on elements like fonts and colors, the style guide liberates your team to focus on what truly matters, developing coverage ideas, capturing compelling photos and quotes, and crafting stellar layouts. Again, it’s the key to eliminating distractions and letting creativity flourish.

Design: the visual part of your style guide

Often called the visual component of a yearbook theme, design is what people see. Here’s where yearbooks most often go off the rails:

1. Fonts
2. Color palette

If you’re going to do that, though, you need to cover all your bases and not leave room for interpretation. To do that, focus on locking down font choices, color choices, and how specific aspects of your layouts should look (like whether all photos need captions and, if you have a caption, what that looks like).

Choosing a Font Palette

With hundreds of fonts from which to choose, resist the temptation to use more than three. Everyone has a preference (#TeamGaramond). Here’s the thing, though. Constantly changing them impacts your readers’ ability to comprehend what’s happening, according to science. Yearbook fonts should complement each other.

When you pick them, define their use:

• Headings and subheadings
• Body copy and captions
• Accents, such as folios, pull quotes

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Yearbook fonts can make or break your yearbook design

Start here to use typography to further your theme. Learn how to choose fonts and add them to your style guide and improve design hierarchy.

Choosing a Color Palette

Focusing on readability is the first step to choosing font colors. The secondary objective will be using color to enchance the mood of your theme.

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If that feels intimidating, using one of Treering’s 300+ themes gives you access to a proven color palette.

Verbal: the second part of your style guide

Design isn’t the only place things can get messy. Writing needs consistency too. Otherwise, your book will feel disjointed from page to page, like an awkward game of telephone. A few simple rules in your style guide will prevent that.

News sources, including yearbooks, use The AP Stylebook to govern writing mehcanics. Instead of investing excessive hours in an in-house style guide creation, we recommend leveraging the comprehensive AP Stylebook with minimal adjustments for your yearbook.

Instead, focus on tone, voice, using a simple outline. Ensure consistency by reviewing each section of copy against your agreed-upon style.

Tone

‍How should your yearbook sound? Fun and playful? Serious and academic? Pick one overall mood so your coverage feels intentional.

Voice

‍Think of voice as personality. Will your headlines be straightforward, such as "Basketball" or a little casual with some humor sprinkled in? Choose a lane and stay there.

Names and grades

‍Standardize how you list students’ grade levels. For example: Jordan Smith (11), Jordan Smith ’28, or Jordan Smith, a junior. Pick one format and apply it everywhere. These small choices add up to a polished, professional read.

Slang

Be careful here. What feels trendy now might be confusing in a few years, or even alienating to som students reading today. Stick to everyday language unless it’s universally understood.

Spending a few days on your style guide might not feel as exciting as brainstorming cover art or getting set up for photographing the Homecoming Court, but it’s the move that makes everything else easier. A solid style guide locks in your theme, keeps every page visually and verbally connected, and saves your team from endless “which font?” debates. Put in the effort up front, and you’ll walk away with a stronger theme, smoother workflow, and a yearbook that feels intentional from cover to close.

Confession: academics photos used to be my least favorite. There is so much glory in snapping an action shot from a soccer game—those are the photos that bring the likes and shares. Well, what if we approached classroom photos the same way? Using the tips below, your classroom photos can be just as exciting.

Tip #1: focus on the reaction

Miley was right: it's the climb. When we showcase the day-to-day, it provides meaning. A-ha moments, in-process projects, and brainstorming sessions are just as important as the end results. Have your camera ready for laughter during a monologue or the face of concentration during a science lab.

Tip #2: angles aren’t just for geometry

Of the problems with "work" photos is students' faces tend to be pointed at the desk. My yearbook adviser used to say, "Zoom with your feet." Here are some quick ways to do just that.

Use your environment

Desks provide epic leading lines and a captive crowd adds depth and excitement. Above, the combination of depth of field and a crouched position shows the rapport of classroom teachers during an in-service. Use the crowd the next time you are photographing classroom presentations, calendar time, and open house.

Up, up, up, and away

The birds-eye angle (right) shows the same students and adds the intensity of their work by showing copious notes and study materials. The angle works well for groups studying together as well as individual students drawing or reading.

Tip #3: make a list and check it twice

Because you can’t be everywhere, enlisting the help of your teacher comrades is one way to increase both content and coverage. Share this list of ideas with faculty and staff to give them ideas (or else, you’ll be drowning in group shots).

Just like the yearbook represents the entire school community, the academics section highlights the bulk of a student's in-school day. It shows the distinctives of each department. It showcases students’ work. It covers the diverse learners on campus. You can divide coverage by

Special considerations for including exceptional learners

To paraphrase the Student Press Law Center, yearbooks cannot separate or denote students as members of special education programs because it is a part of their private student record. Always check with your district to see if they have a specific policy.

So, grab your yearbook team and get in the classroom to apply these photo tips. Your academics section will thank you.

You thought yearbook class was just putting pictures on pages. Then a roster arrived. Then the expectations to meet state and national standards for ELA, CTE, and 21st Century Learning.  Cue migraine.

The yearbook heroes at Treering know the difficulties new advisers face (shameless plug: that’s why we’ve created a contract-free, flexible yearbook solution) and we’ve created six weeks-worth of material for your yearbook class.

If it’s your first year advising, select one or two areas on which to focus. As your program develops, deepen those areas and add a new growth target.

For example, year one, you may want to focus on theme development and photography. Year two, expand those areas and add storytelling captions. Year three, further develop your writers with feature stories. Repeat after me, “I won’t do it all! I won’t do it all!”

Week 1 goal: build a mission-centered yearbook staff

Teambuilding

Every day, do something to help your team grow in familiarity with one another. Start with something simple, such as Birthday Lineup followed by some cake. To reinforce all the new names, Hero-Shambo is a raucous way to inspire team spirit while putting names to the faces.

Spend some time understanding personalities as well. Free online tests can provide discussion start points. Debrief either by grouping students who scored similarly and have them discuss what resonated with them and potential misconceptions. Groups could even create a poster or mood board reflecting their strengths.

Theme development

As your year, and your book, should be focused on telling the story, theme development is top priority. Start with a SWOT analysis. Then list all the changes, new initiatives, and differences that make this school year stand out from the last five. Are you doing a building project? Did you add an international program? Is there new leadership? Did you merge with another school? Is this the first senior class that’s gone all the way through from kindergarten?

How can you convey this story this year?

Many times, our students come up with a catch phrase and want it to dictate the content. Your story—whether you have a visually strong, photographic book, or a journalistic yearbook full of features—should lead your look.  Our Yearbook Theme Curriculum Module can help.

Photography

There are five beginning photo exercises in Treering's blog. Spend some time getting to know your team's cameras before jumping in. This may also be time to involve the editorial staff: assign an exercise for each to learn and facilitate.

Reporting

Start asking your yearbook students a question of the day. (If you have a large class, you may want to poll 3-5 students each period for time.) Before the next class, your yearbook students should ask that same question to three other students (no repeats). If you have 12 yearbook students, that’s 36 student quotes you can include in a sidebar each day, 180 each week! Use a Google form to input responses and track respondents. This not only increases coverage possibilities, but it warms up your student body to be pursued and peppered by your yearbook students!

Week 2 goal: set and slay yearbook goals

Photography and design

Begin the week with a photo scavenger hunt. Use the results to introduce your procedures for file naming conventions, uploading, and tagging. Model how to design a spread with their snaps.

Introduce yearbook vocabulary then grab some magazines to play a grown-up version of show and tell. Reward students who can find eyelines, ledes, and serif vs. san serifs fonts!

Further demonstrate the principles of design and get in your yearbook software to recreate some of the layouts you loved in the magazines. You should be in your design application 2/3 of the week so your staff gets comfortable.

Teambuilding

Since focus this week is on goal-setting, use communication games such as Blind Polygon or adapt Minefield for your classroom. In both scenarios, identify the goal and evaluate what worked and what didn’t when you are finished. 

Revisit the personality profiles from week one—what effect did they have on students’ problem-solving and communication?

Theme development

It’s also time to revisit your SWOT and story-of-the-year brainstorm. Think of your senses: how does it feel, sound, smell, and look? (Don't worry, we're not going to encourage tasting your yearbook!)

Determine tangible ways to convey the story of your year. In the Design Module, we talk about color and fonts. Both are two key visuals to harness the essence of your theme.

For example, If your yearbook theme is Move Mountains, you are going to want to use colors and fonts that are bold, signifying strength.

Reporting

Continue your question of the week, and evaluate the process. Where are students struggling? 
If fear is a hindrance, watch Jia Jiang: What I learned from 100 days of rejection. If it’s procrastination, watch Tim Urban: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator. In your debrief, develop concrete strategies such as a few scripted lines or a schedule.

Marketing

Make it a point to consistently market your book and your program. It's possible to plant proverbial seeds for next year's staff in September!

Week 3 goal: build your team’s toolbox

Teambuilding

Begin holding weekly staff meetings. In these meetings, discuss event and photo assignments for the week, when your next deadline is, and have every staff member give a 15-second update of their work. A simple, “Here’s what I’m doing, and here’s what I need to do” will keep it focused. You're building a culture of accountability.

Editors can also lead the meeting by using the first 15 minutes of class to develop a skill: photographing in classrooms with fluorescent lights, sharpening images in Photoshop, cropping images, etc.

Reporting

Evaluate the question of the day. Have students put last week's action plan into play? What percentage of the student body has been asked? Discuss with your staff where you will begin incorporating these quotes and what questions you can ask to tie-in with your yearbook theme.

Start a word graveyard: on a prominent bulletin board, list “dead” words and phrases. Have a reason why you’re dumping one: for example, many athletes will say their team is a “family” as will ASB, the dance company, the math department, etc. Teach interview skills to develop this: what drives your bond? Tell me a way a teammate was dependable. What traditions do you have that make you like a family? Get the story.

Design

Develop your style guide and decide which elements (e.g. bleed, color overlays) will enhance the story you are telling this year. Your editorial staff should begin building templates in your design software. By the end of the third week, your entire team should be comfortable doing basic tasks in your design platform.

Week 4 goal: progress!

Teambuilding

Using comics or stock photos, create Comic Creations. Then, with a partner, students should list three questions they could have asked to get the quote. Use your word graveyard and our Five Common Topics as needed to build stronger questions.

Teach the expanded caption using the Comic Creations quotes. You may want to first show NSPA’s Terrible Leads as a non-example before modeling your own yearbook gold.

Theme development and design

Evaluate your style guide and templates using NSPA’s design checklist; adjust as necessary. This is a good time to pause and remember our mantra: “I won’t do it all! I won’t do it all!”

Use an idiom dictionary to create spin-offs for your theme. Let’s return to our Move Mountains theme. For recurring modules, you could use:

Photography

By now, your students should be photographing class activities, school events, and sports practices and competitions regularly. Have your editorial team select some photos of the month to show on a projector. Discuss, as a group, what made the photographs standout in their composition and storytelling. Elicit advice from the photographer. Share top photos on social media with a call to action: “Want to see more? Buy a Yearbook!

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Social media serves a double purpose: market your program and your yearbook!

Marketing

Create a social media calendar and assign posts to students. Each post should be approved, in writing, by an editor and another student before going live. You may want to utilize a group messaging system or a shared document to track approval and content.

Week 5 goal: momentum

Teambuilding

Before this week’s staff meeting, ask an editor and a staff member to each select a Yearbook Hero to celebrate. Share the love on social.

Introduce peer evaluation by partnering two students, equipping them with a rubric, and asking them to evaluate a strong example of design. Because it’s “easy” to critique something weak, this forces students to understand why a layout works. 

Allow students to sign up for one-on-one sessions with you, and possibly your editor in chief,  during class where they can have undivided coaching.

Theme

During your next editorial meeting, ask the team to brainstorm theme-related

Photography, design, and reporting

After your weekly staff meetings, you should have a good idea of the the page statuses for the yearbook. Your team will continuously be in a cycle of photographing-reporting-designing. Monitor progress by continuing to set and track goals. Break up the monotony by adding in relevant skill-building lessons and—dare I say it—nothing. Sometimes, a study hall so your students can catch up is a great way to show you value their time and commitment to all things yearbook.

Week 6 goal: establish routine

Rest assured you created consistency and accountability with a weekly team meeting. Because of this, students know their weekly assignments such as social media posts and photo shoots. All of your yearbook team is trained on your software, and with peer editing, a safe dialogue and pre-disclosed standards will refine areas of growth. Is it perfect? No. Will it ever be? No. And that’s OK!

Remember your role: advise. Here's a checklist to help.

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