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The 5 game-changing blog posts you’ve (somehow) been missing
You might be missing these favorite yearbook ideas. If any part of your yearbook process feels stuck, scattered, or stale, one of these posts is probably the solution you didn’t know you needed. Read them. Share them. Build them into your curriculum or club routine and watch your yearbook program transform.
1. Easy +1: A Guide To Leveling Up Your Yearbook
This comprehensive guide outlines five key ways to elevate your yearbook beyond collage pages. It provides practical steps to add something new to next year’s book: a focus on storytelling, expanded coverage, better photography, or modular design.
Use the five focus areas to create
- Rotating workshop stations early in the year to build foundational skills.
- A self-assessment rubric for your team.
- A “Level Up” day where each leader identifies one area to improve in their section.
Treering Yearbook Ideas
2. How to Choose a Yearbook Theme
This piece walks you through the theme process without relying on chaotic verbal brainstorms. (Some yearbook creators even find its anti-brainstorming angle a little divisive. And we liked it.) It provides teaching support to non-designers and new advisers with practical, flexible guidance.
It includes prompts, real-world examples, and tips for involving students at all grade levels.
3. 10 People To Thank
Yearbook creation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. This gratitude-focused post highlights the unsung yearbook heroes, including the front office staff, IT teams, principals, coaches, and more. Yearbooks are a high-stress, deadline-driven project; injecting gratitude is a reminder that the yearbook extends beyond your class or club.
Make gratitude part of your yearbook culture:
- Include a recurring “Who Helped You This Week?” check-in during staff meetings.
- In the yearbook, you can include a “Behind the Book” thank-you spread.
4. Adviser Advice: Keep, Change, Stop
One of the few tools that seamlessly transferred from student teaching to the newsroom is “Keep, Change, Stop,” a structured reflection tool. It helps teams evaluate the yearbook process with three simple prompts: what to keep, what to change, and what to stop doing. (Clever name, eh?)
It’s an adaptable debrief for editors, staff, and advisers alike.
In this blog post, four yearbook advisers share their POV. Based on their real-life examples, we have a framework to drop what’s not working and preserve beneficial habits each school year.
Doing this exercise with middle and high school yearbook creators encourages student voice and leadership in shaping the next year’s book. “Keep, Change, Stop” promotes a healthy, intentional yearbook culture.
5. Yearbook Debriefing: A Summer Reflection
This five-minute read outlines a strategic, low-stress way to reflect on the yearbook process over the summer. It offers questions and prompts to help advisers and returning staff capture what worked and what needs to shift before the next yearbook creation cycle begins.
This post helps you process what happened while it’s still fresh, and with a little distance.
To use it now, assign editors a summer reflection form based on the post’s questions and use their input to build your back-to-school agenda.
We all want our yearbooks to stand out, and sometimes the best yearbook ideas (wink, wink) are hiding in plain sight. We hope these five blog posts deliver the clarity, creativity, and strategy you and your staff need.
The write stuff
No one reads yearbook stories. Sound familiar? I felt that way in my first five years advising. Focusing on photojournalism was almost an act of rebellion against the genius who mentored me in my high school’s newsroom. Yes, pictures are worth a thousand words and all that. By adding writing to your yearbook pages, you give names to faces and intent to actions. It’s more than so-and-so on the thing doing the thing; it’s context and clarity. It's a change for the better.
Copy as Design
I’ve said it for years because my aforementioned high school adviser brainwashed me (in a good way): Content drives design. If you plan on increasing your yearbook’s written content, learn how to design with copy.
Headlines
Headlines are a great way to connect yearbook spreads back to the theme. On a spread about robotics, push yourself to make the main verbal entry point read more than “Robotics.” Your headline font, weight, color, and placement are just as important as the dominant photo.
Captions and Stories
While not every topic may need a story, (nearly) every photo deserves a caption. Captions are entry-level writing opportunities. Compare the two spreads below. They are from the same yearbook. One is captions only; the other has a story.
The captions are close to the photos they complement. The story connects to the headline and subheadline.
How to Introduce Writing to the Yearbook
As an adult, it can be tough to approach another adult and have a conversation (cool mom at the playground, I’m looking at you). Likewise, getting students to approach their peers isn’t the easiest skill to teach. As with all skills, take the easy +1 approach: start small, master that skill, and add another.
A progression, like the one below, builds confidence while building familiarity.
1. Introduce a Question of the Day (QOTD)
The heading says it all. Advisers or the editorial board select a question, and yearbook students ask four non-yearbook students the QOTD.
Yearbook creators are encouraged to start with their peer groups and branch out. The only caveat is that they cannot ask a student a QOTD twice until everyone has had a chance. No repeats. You can track this with a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) board, via a Google Sheet fed by a Google Form, or with your roster.
Do the math with me for a second: if six yearbook students each interviewed four students daily, that would be 120 student voices added to your yearbook in a week. With a larger staff of 18, that’s 360 new voices. Use these as Q&A moments in your portrait section or sidebars through athletics, arts, and student life spreads.
With those figures, you could get a meaningful quote from nearly everyone on campus each quarter.
2. Practice interviewing in class weekly
Repetition builds skills, and we educators know that. In the yearbook classroom or club space, the work of photoshoots, layout design, and marketing sometimes overshadows the process of creating. Take time to teach, practice, and evaluate your team’s skills. Here are a few ideas:
3. Take it to the street!
The key to a good yearbook interview is to have good questions. While there are hundreds of lists on the interwebs (we list some of our favs below), tailoring the interview to the subject will always give you the best material.
The best way to prep is to craft questions using the Five Common Topics: definition, comparison, relationship, circumstance, and testimony.
Once you have a list of questions—“Give me a quote for the yearbook” does not count—ask them!
The late Casey Nicols inspired a love of focus groups in me. As a journalism mentor, he encouraged me to bring in clubs or teams at lunchtime and interview the group. There was strength in numbers for them, as interviews were new for our yearbook staff. And our staff received some of the best quotes because they would play off each other.
As a result, their writing became interesting. Students read it. It became the expectation.
4. Start small
Remember, easy +1. If there is no writing in your yearbook, add captions. Play with sentence structure so it’s not always subject-verb-adverb. Add a prepositional opener. Make it a complex sentence. Then
You don’t have to do it all. Ever. Tell your community’s story your way.
Help with Interview Questions
Use these lists of interview questions for creating QOTD, practice interviews, and as launch pads for longer form copy.
You can even have students rank their favorite and least favorite questions. Make sure they have a reason why. Re-write the “bad” questions and craft follow-ups for the helpful ones.
2025 custom page design contest winners
You, too, believe every child deserves the spotlight. And when you took on the open-ended challenge to celebrate in style, your creativity, honesty, and heart were on full display.
We're honored to showcase the showstopping designs and the stories of the creators who brought them to life.
Grand Prize Winner
Narrowing down over 1021 entries to the top 100 took two days. We reviewed every submission carefully, appreciating the heart behind each one. Designs that went beyond the template rose to the top because they had personal touches.
In each round of evaluations and re-sorting, one spread stood out and eventually became the $500 Grand Prize Winner.
Why we loved it: It showed how design can be energetic and balanced. Both the warm colors and shooting stars are lively.
"It screams, 'third grade,'" a judge said.
And yet, with all that is going on, the main entry point is still the headline, and your eyes move in a circular pattern. There are verbal guides to highlight the five main sections. Cotari keeps it grounded by using a consistent photo style and typeface.
Cotari said, "It matches [my daughter's] personal style, hobbies and interests, and her playful personality!"
POV: People Sent their Favorite Moments and Somehow they're OURS Too!
Nearly all the submissions captured a different perspective: students shone across academics, athletics, and activities. Grandparents held places of honor and remembrance. Together, we gushed over pet pics and cried over stories of overcoming trials. Check out the top 100 submissions before seeing the Big Ten.
Thank you for embracing the spirit of Treering's custom pages and giving your child the spotlight.
Custom Page Design Contest Finalists aka the Big Ten
A group of judges combed through the top 100 to create the top 25, then top 15, and finally, the top ten. Each of the runners up earned a $50 Amazon gift card for their visual interest and originality.
Tonya Renoud, Sweet Home, OR
Why we loved it: Renoud had us at start here.
"When he looks through these years later, he can walk down memory lane," she said.
This is exactly what she gave us. There is a path peppered with highlights from the end of summer to the start of next summer. Pets—this might be our first-ever duck submission—are especially timestamps in childhood.
Valerie Shannon, Findley, OH
Why we loved it: Brutus and Boden.
At a glance, these two family members stand out because of their cute factor. Once we stopped to read, Shannon won us over with her tongue-in-cheek copy, which she called a "fun peek into our homeschool day."
"The theme of this year's contest was 'Every Child Deserves the Spotlight,'" a judge said, "and she managed to use her spread to give four kids, the dog, and herself a moment to shine."
Shannon's design is clean despite being full of copy. We love how she chose a color palette and anchored each family member's daily routine with one color using a tool line and circular frame. Both the frame and the knockout on the heading text are offset. It's these little details that elevate the design.
Therese Wright, Albuquerque, NM
Why we loved it: This was one of two magazine-style custom pages that captivated us. We loved the torn elements and how Wright used the black paper to highlight moments from her daughter's senior year. For Wright, these design elements held further meaning:
"Torn pages with rough edges, curving tracks, splashes of pink (representing moments of easier breathing) brighten up the darker moments that have strung these ups and downs together and keep her rock 'n rollin toward an unknown future, able to face each new challenge and sing, 'I am ready! Hold Tight!'" Wright said.
The watermarked roller coaster further illustrates the Wright Family's journey, which began with a 17-month ICU stay. Despite countless hospitalizations, communication barriers, and daily health challenges, Wright's daughter has persevered with strength and joy, communicating through American Sign Language and music.
This is the ultimate senior celebration.
"Albuquerque Sign Language Academy gave her a voice in the world and a place to belong from 1st grade to 12th," Wright said.
Tracy Guara, Katy, TX
Why we loved it: The photos as badges caught the judges' eyes, as many identified with this milestone as troop leaders or former Brownies.
"This is a moment in time," said a judge. "It's exactly what custom pages should be."
Guara's daughter is a fourth-generation Girl Scout who achieved badge and cookie-selling goals.
"I was honored to create this spread mimicking a Girl Scout Brownie sash," Guara said.
Hannah Wong, Knoxville, TN
Why we loved it: It looks complicated.
"This spread is not just a collection of photos and milestones," Wong said, "it's a heartfelt tribute to her dedication, growth, and the pride I feel as her parent."
The layers made it rich. With a single photo as background across the spread, Wong layered photos, editable shapes, and textboxes to create this magazine-inspired look. Even with all the content, she maintained alignment in her columns (the designers really geeked out over this) and pulled color from the background to connect the top five headlines.
While it looks complicated, the layout is clean and straightforward to recreate with Treering tools.
Dana Denning, Albuquerque, NM
Why we loved it: Everything points us into the spread.
Denning's choice and use of graphics here are masterful: the plane is flying toward the center, the arrow points to the center, and even the shadows on the skyline at the base of the spread lead toward the center. Additionally, her spread uses a design hierarchy we don't see outside of traditional yearbook pages.
Rolly Garcia, Macon, GA
Why we loved it: It's cliche, but this spread truly put the cool in school. With playful colors, encouraging graphics, and photos of highlights in- and outside the classroom, Garcia captured the spirit of early childhood education.
"The filmstrip has those fine motor milestones in the classroom," said an educator-slash-judge. "We see pencil grip and dexterity skills developing."
Garcia said, "A notable element in the design is the paper airplane, which symbolizes the concept of 'soaring'—reflecting the idea that when students learn and grow, they are empowered to reach new heights."
Kirsten Megaro, Great Meadows, NJ
Why we loved it: Megaro's extra touches of texture made us want second, third, and thirtieth looks.
"I know this was made in the Treering app," said a judge, "but I can't help but think it was first a pen-and-ink creation in a notebook during math class."
The judges loved the rectangle at an angle, the use of circles, and the font choices. They also emphasized the black scribbles and frames, which brought clarity to what could have been a complicated visual.
"We want to celebrate and remember the 'regular' moments of life," Megaro said, "not just the school-related stuff, so these pages allow us to do that and we love being able to look back on them from year to year."
Ashley Babelon, Chicago, IL
Why we loved it: Max's kinder to-do list became an "eye spy" moment for us. We wanted to see if he ticked all the boxes. (He did!)
"Max also loves 'Toy Story' and Minions, and so the color scheme and font act as a mini time capsule of the things our little boy loves right now," Babelon said.
Ileana King, Stevenson Ranch, CA
Why we loved it: From the interview to the before-during-after photos, we loved the depth of coverage on this spread.
King said, "To add a fun twist, I used AI to create the sticker of a capybara and a T-rex, two of his favorite animals, riding a roller coaster. Then I added Treering graphics to make it look like Space Mountain, which is my son's favorite roller coaster."
One of the judges said, "This is one of the things you pull out when a future daughter-in-law comes over."
Thanks to all who entered and shared their story with us.
Treering coupons: get a great deal on your school yearbook
Here at Treering, we keep school yearbook prices simple. Your yearbook pricing has two factors: page count and cover type. With this all-inclusive approach, there are no minimum orders, shipping costs, contracts, or hidden fees to consider, and your team will have access to everything they need (templates, design tools, support, and more). This way, you don't need to go searching all around the internet for "Treering Coupons."
But if you did that—and ended up here—we'll give you the inside scoop on how we approach discounts, so you know when and how you can save money.
Treering Coupons for Parents and Students
Treering discounts school yearbook prices in the fall. This early purchase discount is a marketing tool for advisers to gain momentum for book sales and it helps parents lock in a great price. We think it’s a win-win-win.
Here’s how the discount schedule works:
- August: 10% off
- September: 10% off
- October: 10% off
Because these discounts are automatically built in, parents and students don’t even need Treering coupons to take advantage of the deal. They’ll automatically get the sale price when they pre-pay.
Treering Coupons for Yearbook Advisers
When yearbook advisers work with Treering, they can score their friends a great deal on their school’s yearbook prices while also earning free books for their school.
Here’s how it works:
- Yearbook advisers using Treering share their special referral coupon code with friends and fellow yearbook advisers.
- When yearbook advisers sign up their schools with Treering for the first time, they can use that special coupon code to receive 10% off their school’s yearbook prices.
- The yearbook advisers who shared the code earn up to 10 free yearbooks for their school each time those new schools sell their first yearbook through Treering.
Not Using Treering For Your School Yearbook?
Treering has helped more than 20,000 yearbook advisers do really cool things with their yearbooks without their efforts feeling like a full-time job. We’ll show you how we can do the same for your community.
Scrapbook yearbook themes
Scrapbooks are deeply personal and emotionally charged. They’re where Millennial moms stash ticket stubs, scribbled notes, and snapshots. Students also lean towards the collage aesthetic via pop culture inspiration—like the Burn Book in “Mean Girls” or My Adventure Book in “Up.”
While the Burn Book itself is not the kind of sentiment you want to capture in a school yearbook, its visual style has inspired many scrapbook-themed designs: magazine cutout lettering, sticker overload, and chaos-meets-craft aesthetic speak to the way students envision personal memory books.
Likewise, Carl and Ellie’s book is a love letter to scrapbooking itself. It balances whimsy, sincerity, and nostalgia. (We’re not crying. OK, maybe a little.)
Three Free Treering Themes to Get the Scrapbook Vibe
One of the best parts of the scrapbook yearbook theme is its flexibility. You can up the visual intensity depending on your staff’s skill level and your community’s taste. We have three complete yearbook themes that model scrapbook yearbooks.
Because a scrapbook style mimics personal journaling, students feel connected. It looks like their notes, their lockers, and, to an extent, their social feeds. The collage-inspired layouts also let you pack in more visual content, perfect for schools that crowdsource images from parents, staff, and students.
“Crafted” - Intro to the DIY Aesthetic
The 75 pre-designed templates have built-in white space and subtle borders, which gives a clean scrapbook look. The 64 graphics, which include a variety of torn papers and tapes, allow teams to add variety and rough edges. This look works well for journalistic high school books that want polish with personality.
“Collage” - Scrapbooking to the Max(imalist)
Lean into creative chaos with 862(!) design elements. This theme mimics a real-life scrapbook packed with overlapping images, ripped notebook paper, buttons, stickers, and magazine-style clippings. Because it is a maximalist look, you can create unity among the varied elements by
- Using the magazine letter for headlines and a clean font for body copy and captions
- Keeping photos to rectangles
“Venture” - the Vintage Journal
Inspired by antique books, this yearbook theme includes 100 aged paper backgrounds plus 616 graphics including typewriter keys, delicate handwritten fonts, antique elements, and photo corners. The textures and photorealistic elements work well in layers with a handwritten or type-writer font. Like the maximalist approach above, remember the rules of design to keep it from looking cluttered.
A scrapbook yearbook theme works at any level, elementary, middle, or high school. It can look rustic and handmade. Retro and analog. Colorful and chaotic. Minimalist and soft. The best part? It doesn’t lock you into a single aesthetic—it's more of a concept than a rulebook.
The forgotten art of making students smile: how one family's philosophy outlasted 75 years of technological revolution
Editor's Note: Welcome to the inaugural profile in our special "Picture Perfect Partnerships" feature series. We'll spotlight the remarkable photographers who partner with us to create lasting memories for schools nationwide. Our first profile celebrates Van Gogh School Photographers, a family business that has captured student smiles in the Chicagoland area for over 75 years. We talked to President Jack Zucco (pictured above with son Michael) about his family’s legacy.
How did your family's school photography business begin, and what inspired your father's initial entry into this specialized field?
Van Gogh School Photographers was founded in 1947 by my father. He believed every student deserved a well-crafted, lasting memory of their school years. With a passion for photography and a commitment to excellent service, he set out to build a business that not only took pictures but also preserved cherished moments for families and schools alike.
What were the most significant challenges your family faced when establishing the business in 1947, and how did they overcome them?
Resources were limited, technology was far less advanced, and building a customer base from scratch was no small feat. My father had to earn the trust of schools one by one, going door-to-door to demonstrate the value of professional school photography. He overcame these hurdles by staying true to his core principles—offering reliable service, consistent quality, and a personal touch that set Van Gogh apart.
How has the business been passed down through the generations, and what traditions or values have remained consistent?
Each generation has brought new ideas and innovations, but the fundamental values—quality, professionalism, and a customer-first approach—have remained constant. Barrington, IL has been our headquarters for almost 50 years.
What significant changes or pivotal moments shaped your family business's evolution across three generations?
There have been several defining moments in our history. The transition from film to digital photography was a major shift, requiring new equipment, training, and processes. Another pivotal moment was expanding our services beyond just portraits to include yearbooks. Our 12-year partnership with Treering has been one of the most significant milestones, allowing schools to create personalized, on-demand yearbooks that give students and families a more meaningful way to preserve memories.
How have you personally contributed to or innovated within the family legacy since joining the business?
Since joining the business, I've focused on modernizing our operations, refining our photography process, and improving efficiency without sacrificing quality. I've also played a key role in expanding our yearbook services through our partnership with Treering.
Can you share a particularly meaningful school photography project that spans multiple generations of your family's work?
One of the most meaningful aspects has been capturing school portraits for multiple generations within the same families. There have been instances where we photographed a student and years later took their children's and even their grandchildren's school portraits. Seeing those families return to us decade after decade is incredibly rewarding.
How has your family maintained relationships with schools across generations, and what's been key to that longevity?
Our relationships with schools are built on trust, reliability, and a commitment to exceeding expectations. We don't just see ourselves as photographers—we are partners in helping schools create lasting memories. Personalized service, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and our ability to adapt to schools' changing needs have been key factors in maintaining long-term partnerships.
What photography techniques or business practices have remained unchanged since your father's era?
While technology has evolved dramatically, core photography principles have remained unchanged. Proper lighting, professional posing, and attention to detail were as important in my father's time as today. The emphasis on customer service, reliability, and delivering a quality product has been constant throughout the decades. My father always believed in making sure every student left picture day feeling good about their experience—that philosophy still drives us today.
2025 custom page design contest
Your Kid. Your Design. Their Spotlight. Whether they’re sports MVPs, creative geniuses, or the kindest hearts around—we want to see it all! Share your Treering custom pages for a chance to win.
Entry Period
The submission period is April 1-15, 2025. Submissions will close at 11:59 PM PDT.
Eligibility
Entrants must be 18 years or older and current members of a US Treering school for the 2024-2025 school year.
To participate, complete the submission form and include a screenshot of your favorite yearbook spread. A yearbook spread is two-facing pages. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.
Winner Selection and Notification
A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and graphic designers will select the winners. Judging criteria include visual interest and originality.
We will notify all the winners via email and phone on Monday, April 22, 2025.
Prizes
One Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 Amazon gift card, and ten Runners Up will each receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
By Friday, May 2, winners will receive gift cards via the email provided in the form.
Release
By submitting your custom pages, 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 treering.com, social media, and mass media.
Contest FAQs
What are Treering's custom pages?
Treering’s custom pages are two pages that each family may choose to design. These two pages are printed only in their copy, and no one else's, making every yearbook unique.
Do I have to have social media to enter?
You do not need social media to enter our annual design contest. Simply upload a screenshot of your favorite spread from your computer or phone on the entry form.
Do I have to purchase a yearbook to enter?
No purchase is necessary to enter.
Where can I see past spread design contest winners for inspiration?
I already finished my pages. Can I still enter?
Any pages you created for the 2024-2025 school year are eligible.
I have a question that is unanswered here. Who do I ask?
We'll be happy to answer. Email marketing@treering.com
Winners of the 2025 spread design contest
We asked you to “show us what you got” and you understood the assignment. The diversity of subjects—portrait, divider, baby photo, staff, senior tributes, superlatives, arts, and athletics spreads—coupled with the styles, themes, and narratives left us inspired.
Thank you.
It sounds cliche to say it was tough to comb through hundreds of submissions, read your stories, and examine everything from how photos were cropped to how they balanced across the spread. But you delivered quite the challenge.
A panel of yearbook and design professionals, PTA parents, and journalists looked through every submission in a blind judging. They evaluated your submissions on
- Layout design
- Storytelling
- Visual elements and their relevance to content
Grand Prize Winner: Northern High School, Durham, NC
Remember those prom dress-I’ll-know-when-I-see-it vibes? That was our impression of Northern High’s homecoming spread. It was unanimous. As soon as the panel saw this spread, “This is it.”
The “Polaris” staff at Northern High earned ten free yearbooks, a $500 Amazon gift card, and a $200 pizza party to enjoy as a staff.
“Our goal is twofold: To show that we are all part of our school community and school culture and to illustrate that there's more to us than meets the eye,” junior Nourriah Scott said.
Their yearbook theme, “All 'N' the Details," is both traditional (check out the classic typography) while adding modern design elements. Their theme goes beyond the visual and uses the narrative to showcase all aspects of an event.
“As the viewer travels through the spread,” Scott said, “they learn there's more to it: the court, the cheerleaders, the band, the crowd. Homecoming is just a single event in the course of an entire school year, and look how many people and parts of our school are involved in making it magical.”
Why we Loved this Design:
The details emerge once you get beyond the wow factor from the colors. Homecoming is written in a font similar to a letterman’s jacket and, as the main entry point to the spread, is behind the football team. This is a student-first design.
Additionally, the use of COB (cut-out background) photos enhances the design. The yearbook team positioned the sharp edge in the gutter and used a gradient to fade out the other.
Design hierarchy also played a key role. The story crosses both pages, bolded ledes give the reader even more entry points, and candid photos highlight all the participant groups. They indeed are “All ‘N.”
Bonus: As a Title I school, the “Polaris” staff does not have access to Adobe or other paid design tools. They created their winning spread using the Treering yearbook builder and free, web-based photo editing tools.
Runners Up
For hours, we had a solid 26 spreads on display and our panel highlighted the merits of each. When we returned to the original judging criteria, five emerged. In alphabetical order by school name, the following schools each earned three free yearbooks and a $50 Amazon gift card.
Finalist: East Stroudsburg High School North, Dingmans Ferry, PA
While this isn't the first time we've seen a streaming media look, it is one of the best iterations. The team at ESHSN used the cheer individual photos to create a movie poster on the right and recapped the season as the program description.
Across the top are the TWOLF values “intended to promote the application of knowledge, develop healthy identities and decision-making skills, achieve goals, manage emotions, show empathy, and establish healthy relationships,” Adviser Keisha Agard-Thomassine said.
Why we Loved this Design
One word: color. The school color is front and center in a spread centered around the spirit-makers. Timberwolf blue is used on the yearbook logo and as a button. The analogous purple makes it pop further.
“We beam with pride over here,” Agard-Thomassine said.
The subtle detail of the group photo in the background adds another layer of complexity to a bold and balanced spread.
Finalist: North Star Academy, Redwood City, CA
Without seeing the entire book, you know there is a strong connection to theme: the aqua and goldenrod ovals and bold typeface are evidence of a solid style guide.
Adviser Carol Landers has a class of 30 students in grades 4-8 who help work on the book. She reserved this tribute to promoting students for herself.
Why we Loved this Design
Each eighth grader had their moment to shine with both a personality photo and a baby photo. Landers said parents contributed “photos of their students holding an object or pet or doing an activity that is important to [them].”
This highlights each student individually while using the promotion year 25 as the thread that connects them. Brilliant.
Landers employed a Google Form to solicit submissions from parents, and she’s planning ahead: “I just learned about Treering’s ‘secondary photo’ feature, so I look forward to trying that out next year.”
Finalist: Seabury Hall, Makawao, HI
“This spread is not just a collection of memories but a tribute to the dedication and creativity of Seabury Hall’s performing arts program,” designer Ethan Berry said, “preserving moments that will inspire future generations.”
Adviser Dakota Grossman is proud of Berry, a sophomore, who worked on this page solo. She said she helped in the brainstorming phase, and this is just one of his designs for Seabury Hall’s scrapbook-themed yearbook.
Why we Loved this Design:
Grossman said, “[Berry] truly paid attention to every detail—there's meaning behind every photo, graphic, and sentence on that page.”
That intentionality appears in the second, third, and fourth looks: beyond the colors, layers, and texture are student voices, photos of the cast in action, and a passionate narrative from the program director.
Visually, it is stunning. The narrative is compelling.
We wholeheartedly echo Grossman’s pride in Berry.
Finalist: Vanguard Beethoven Secondary, Pharr, TX
Bright, nostalgic, and playful, this spread is a showstopper. Baby photos capture the earliest moments of every senior’s journey, making this spread a heartfelt tribute.
Why we Loved this Design:
Aguilar’s vision is to blend a traditional yearbook with a multimedia presentation for the 58 seniors on their growing campus.
“The plan was to scatter all senior baby pictures,” Aguilar said. “I took it to the next level and created a media slideshow and have a QR [code] for everyone to view.”
It’s an elevated take on a yearbook classic. And we’re here for it.
Finalist: Washington Montessori Public Charter School, Washington, NC
Senior Cadence Mallette’s creation could not go in any yearbook. This is uniquely WMPCS. She organized the yearbook team to capture student art, photos of the school and students interacting with their environment, student quotes, and a campus map. If that were a to-do list, it would look overwhelming.
Mallard made it work.
Why we Loved this Design:
We loved the mixed-media approach to this spread. Students in grades kindergarten through 11 submitted animals that share their habitat with WMPCS. Seniors drew the school mascot, a bald eagle. The winners made it on the spread.
Adviser Meredith Loughlin said this approach “united our yearbook group members while connecting them with our local ecosystem.”
This focus on unity also made it a winner. Sometimes, K-12 communities create separate upper and lower school content. Mallette’s design gives us a picture of whole-school approach.
Honorable Mentions
Because that’s not enough yearbook design inspiration, we want to call out these brilliant designs from elementary, middle, high, charter, and home schools.
Academy Days Co-op, Alliance Ouchi-O'Donovan 6-12 Complex, Alliance Renee and Meyer Luskin, Academy High School, Alma d'arte Charter High School, American Community School, Ancheta Academy, Assumption Catholic School, Atlanta Speech School - Stepping Stones, Atsa' Biya' A'ZH Community School, Auburn Hills Christian School, Avalon Middle School, Azle Christian School, Brush Middle School, Camas Connect Academy, Carencro High, CHESS Christian School, Chesterton Elementary School, City Garden School, Classical Conversations Folsom, Coconut Creek Elementary School, Cranberry Area High School, Cunha Intermediate School, Davis Intermediate School, Delhi High School, East Moline Early Learning Center, El Sobrante Christian School, El Tejon Middle School, Foothills Community Christian School, Fort Fairfield High School, Frank Bergman Elementary, Franklin Elementary School, Frederick Douglass High School, Frost ISD, Gate City Elementary, GEMS World Academy, Ghidotti Early College High School, Glencliff High School, Global Impact Academy, Global Impact Academy STEM High School, Heritage Christian School, Hilger Higher Learning, Hinsdale Elementary School, HomeWorks, HOPE Christian Academy, Indian Prairie Elementary School, John Glenn High School, Joyful Journey, Kennedy Middle School, Lakeside Christian School, Lakeside Elementary, Liberty Christian School, Maple Manor, Marfa, Marsh Grammar School, Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, Mary Morgan Elementary School, Maywood Center for Enriched Studies, Meiklejohn Elementary, Midland Elementary, Miraglia's Globetrotters, Mt. Everett Regional, NJWT New Jerusalem Worship Temple, North Bergen High School, O'Farrell Charter School, Options For Youth, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Pinewood Intermediate, Pioneer Junior High, PRCES, Prune Hill Elementary, Quail Run Elementary, Rincon, University Marching Band, RISE HS, Rocky Mountain Classical Academy, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, Roseville Pathways, Ruth Batson Academy, Sacred Hearts School, Shatekon Elementary School, Shirley Hills Primary School, Smith Community Christian Co-Op, Soldier Hollow Charter School, Soldotna High School, South Orangetown Middle School, St. Jude Catholic School, Stratford Schools Fremont Boulevard, Stuart Paddock, Students On Academic Rise (S.O.A.R. High School), Swansea High Freshman Academy, Tandem Friends School, Tenor High School, Tenor High School | Cathedral Square Campus, TGU Granville, The Learning Connection (TLC), The Nova Center, Thomas J. McMahon Elementary School, Thomas Russell Middle School, Tri-County Homeschoolers, Victor H. Hexter Elementary, Vista del Mar, Wallace Elementary, Washington Middle School, Westlake Elementary, Westmont Jr. High School, Westside Global Awareness Magnet, Willett Elementary School
Yearbook Hero Mike Meloney didn’t have time to do the yearbook
Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.
When Mike Meloney showed up to enroll his eldest son in kindergarten, the principal gave him a hero’s welcome because he was the school's yearbook coordinator. Except Meloney didn’t know he had the job.
How did you get "voluntold" to be the yearbook chair?
My sister works for Treering, and she was helping schools in San Diego make the switch from other publishers. When she called McKinley, Kristie not only sold them on Treering but also on me. She said it would be a great way to connect with the community and engage.
I told her I didn’t have time.
Four years later, you’re still doing the book. How did you help build a yearbook culture at McKinley?
I learned to get organized early. Even without photos, you can still do a ton of work on day one of school to make the rest of the year easier: label every page on the ladder and then make a shared Google folder for each page. Get those shared folders to every teacher, event coordinator, and committee involved. Send reminders once a month to share pics.
It's really been profound to go and take the photos, lay out the book, and help with the sales. When I show up, students say, "Hey, it's the yearbook guy."
Then, at the end of the year, when you give them out, and everyone's just googly-eyed about the year, they have this warm book in their hands. They sign it. It's just so special. And the memories that we make are—I hope—lifelong.
I have about five books left in me. My youngest is now in kindergarten.
What kinds of things do you do at the signing party?
It's all about reflection. One year, we had ice cream—as long as sugar's involved, kids are more engaged.
It's just a special time to be together, really reflect on the year, laugh, and share stories.
Custom pages are a big deal at our school. One person puts in 100, but many folks just do the two pages for free. The more I share about it, the more people get engaged.
At first, there's always the worry about the pages appearing in everyone's book. I tell them, “No, this is just your book that gets those pages.”
Once folks learn how easy it is to make them, they just go to town.
What do your kids think about being the ”yearbook guy?”
I have a unique connection with them and with the community. My kids are fully supportive. They're very critical at the same time. They'll come over and see the book-in-progress and say things like, “That doesn't go there” or “I don't like it.” And if I ever have a question about something, they just answer it.
So, in some sense, they're part of the committee.
What is something special you’re doing this year?
It’s the centennial year. The school opened in February 1925, and now, 100 years later, we're going from the Cougars to the original mascot, the Magpies. We also have an aerial drone shot of the kids lined up in the number 100.
The kids got together to research and interview some folks who were around in the school 60 years ago. They found these folks still living in the community, found old pictures, and made an exhibit.
Next month, there will be a centennial-themed scavenger hunt and, later, a variety show called “A Hundred Years of Stars.”
It’s a special year.
Any final thoughts?
You don’t need to carve out huge amounts of time to focus on making the yearbook, especially in the spring when there is a lot of content and you just have to layout pages. Do one to five pics while your kids are lackadaisical about getting their shoes on. Every moment in the Treering app is a chance to crop, zoom, and make it nice.
Designing divider pages
Yearbook divider pages are just that: they divide the book topically. Generally showstoppers, these spreads share similar layouts as they introduce the content within while reinforcing the yearbook theme. While they aren’t the pages over which students argue for editing rights, they hold deep editorial power. Divider pages enforce the book’s identity while giving each section a voice.
Use Dividers to Develop Your Theme
Yearbook theme development starts on the cover and flows through the book visually and verbally. It wows on designated theme pages. These pages include
- Opening and closing
- Table of contents
- Divider pages
Independent of the book, these theme pages form a cohesive “brand” package for your year. They repeat and reflect cover elements. They have the same voice. They develop the story of the year through copy and visuals. Each divider reflects the theme and shows how it impacts that section.
Do epic dividers mean you no longer have to include theme elements throughout the book? Think again. They’re just one more way to level up your design.
An Example from Magnolia Middle School
From the start, the book is gold and black, with pops of the school color, red. The simple title page has the theme "Stay Gold" and the school information. The iconic 50-year-old Magnolia Grove walkway is the only original part of the school remaining after a major renovation. The yearbook team re-visits the grove for the closing page.
Here are the divider pages. Notice how they created a unified narrative:
- Magnolia repeats key elements: script font, circular callout for pull quotes, and gold dots.
- The new building is the visual feature and showcases how students impact each area.
- Wordplay: “The Golden Age of the Bulldogs,” “The Gold Standard,” “Shining Example,” “Shine On,” and “Thanks a Bullion” all tie back to the book’s theme, “Stay Gold.” (Fun fact: the book is built using Treering’s free yearbook theme with the same name.)
Essential Yearbook Sections
Like a table of contents, divider pages help readers navigate the yearbook. They help reset and refocus readers.
Most yearbooks include designated sections for
- People (portraits)
- Academics
- Student life
- Organizations and clubs
- Athletics
- Reference (index, ads, and teams)
You may further divide with lower/upper school, fall/winter/spring sports, or even subject dividers for larger campuses.
Creating Divider Pages
Consistency is key when designing divider pages, OK any yearbook spread. While each divider should highlight a unique section, they should all share common design elements to maintain a cohesive look. These elements can include using the same fonts, color palette, and layout style across all dividers. Repeating theme elements, such as graphics or photo styles, help reinforce the yearbook's identity while keeping readers oriented.
Annual yearbook editor spread design contest
Calling all Treering yearbook creators! It is contest time. Share your best designs for the 2025 design contest—collage, academics, athletics, modular, portrait pages, superlatives—we want to see them all.
Entry Period
The submission period is March 4-18, 2025. Submissions will close at 11:59 PM PDT.
Eligibility
Entrants must be 18 or older and a current editor at a US Treering school for the 2024-2025 school year.
To participate, complete the submission form and include a screenshot of your favorite yearbook spread. A yearbook spread is two-facing pages. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.
Winner Selection and Notification
A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and graphic designers will select the winners. Judging criteria include:
- Layout design
- Storytelling
- Visual elements and their relevance to content
We will notify all the winners via email and phone on Monday, March 24, 2025.
Prizes
One Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 Amazon gift card, a $200 pizza party, and 10 free yearbooks for their school.
Five Runners Up will each receive a $50 Amazon gift card and three free yearbooks for their school.
By Friday, April 4, winners will receive gift cards via the email provided in the form. The free book code will be under “free books” on your school’s editor dashboard.
Release
By submitting your yearbook spread, 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 treering.com, social media, and mass media.
Contest FAQs
I’m not 18. How can I enter my spread?
Your parent or yearbook adviser can enter on your behalf.
Do I have to have social media to enter?
You do not need social media to enter our annual design contest. Simply upload a screenshot of your favorite spread from your computer or phone on the entry form.
Do I have to purchase a yearbook to enter?
No purchase is necessary to enter.
Where can I see past spread design contest winners for inspiration?
We invite your to browse the past winners and judges comments to see what resonates each year. Keep in mind there's no magic layout to win.
2024 Spread Design Contest Winners
I have a question that is unanswered here. Who do I ask?
We'll be happy to answer. Email marketing@treering.com
Yearbook Hero TJ Soffera
Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.
As Treering’s Yearbook Jedi, TJ Soffera helps schools escape the dark side of contracts and order minimums. While his business cards say, “Regional Sales Manager,” parents at his son’s former elementary school—we’ll get to that in a bit—know him as the yearbook guy. He joined the PTA to spend time on campus with his boys and intentionally be involved in their lives.
What is it like seeing the yearbook from both sides: creator and publisher?
As the yearbook guy, I love getting parents excited about the custom pages. They allow kids to tell their own stories and capture their unique experiences. I include personal touches in my children's yearbooks, like photos from trips and soccer games. Looking back at them, we can say things like, “That was second grade when we went to Colorado.” That's what's special to me about the books and their longevity.
On the flip side, I just love helping people. I love making their lives easier. So many schools that made the switch are debt-free, and it takes away so much stress.
Through the sales process, I've built countless relationships. Three people on my team once were parent volunteers I did a software demo for. It’s important for customers to see we are real people. We, too, are volunteering and working. It builds empathy.
Talk to me more about making lives easier.
Last year, I put the wrong year on the spine of the yearbook. The support team helped me fix it, order a corrected copy, and send it to the newly retired principal.
Mistakes can be corrected, and missing students can be added even after the initial submission. I really do believe this means the world to not only the kids but even more to the yearbook adviser. The person who made the mistake is kicking themselves, and we’re over here going, “No big deal.”
Level with me: why are you still doing the yearbook at a school your kids no longer attend?
Treering’s software is so easy that I don't need much help with it. Really. As long as you have pictures, you can make a book.
I am working to transition out of the role. I put myself in this position because I enjoy it, and the PTA president is great and helps me out. Together, we’re recruiting other parents to help with specific grades so someone can take over next year.