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Looking for inspiration, design tricks, how to make a great cover, promoting your yearbook and engaging your community?

August 12, 2025

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August 12, 2025

New school year, new us

May 20, 2025

Traditional vs. Trendy

May 6, 2025

The 5 game-changing blog posts you’ve (somehow) been missing

January 14, 2025

How to build a yearbook staff manual

June 11, 2024

4 ways to simplify yearbook creation

May 23, 2023

5 yearbook volunteers to recruit

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December 31, 2024

Happy New Year from Treering

For fifteen years, you’ve trusted us to capture and print your priceless memories, and we reflect on this honor every holiday season. In addition to helping schools raise over @2.2M  in the 2024 school year, we printed over 500,000 custom pages in 2022—that’s a lot of joy. Thank you for trusting us with this invaluable task. We wish you all the best this holiday season and we can’t wait to get to work in 2025. 

As the Treering community surpasses 1.6M members, together we continue to grow and innovate. Because of your feedback, we added

  • An onboarding team for first-year yearbook coordinators
  • Bigger prizes for our annual editor and parent contests plus pop-up giveaways on Facebook and Instagram
  • In-person adviser events in Florida, Illinois, and Texas
  • Camp Yearbook, our first-ever two-day summer conference
  • Two new webinars to the Yearbook Club lineup: custom cover design and yearbook photography
  • More IRL examples of what members of the Treering Community create on our socials
  • New ways to capture student memories with photo gifts

Happy holidays!

What to Expect in 2025

  • Superior support as you design, market, and distribute your best book yet
  • Semi-monthly training through Yearbook Club webinars
  • Design contests for editors and parents
  • Your memories arriving within three weeks of clicking Print Ready
  • New predesigned “About Me,” “Year in Review,” and “Best of…” pages
  • Weekly blog articles to provide inspiration and resources – subscribe and have them sent to your email
December 17, 2024

The one layout template you need

Yearbook coverage ideas might be our favorite topic: brainstorming ways to represent more students, resulting in a more authentic narrative of the school year. It could also mean more photos, interviews, and work for you. After a colleague shared Kingsbury Country Day School’s yearbook, a lightbulb went off. Yearbook coordinator Kara-Jane LaVoisne created the perfect layout that includes over 60 students, highlighting their impact and participation in school events.

Using a past Treering Year in Review spread as inspiration, LaVoisne created a school-specific version.

Why We Love This Template

This spread packs a punch because it covers a large span of time in little space. It covers 24% of the school across two pages. It showcases events that would not be covered elsewhere. This template is also well-designed: it’s clean and has multiple reader entry points.

Home For Smaller Events

Oftentimes, we have several photos that don’t fit on a larger spread. This is especially common in books that do not take advantage of modular design. LaVoisne took advantage of those moments to create a means to include them.

Versatility

While LaVoisne used this template for a school-specific year-in-review, you can use it once per section or season. For example:

  1. Fall, winter, and spring PTA or ASB events
  2. An overview of the sports seasons
  3. Semester rundown of student life

If you’re feeling ambitious and have the content, an hour-by-hour review of a major school event such as the talent show or homecoming weekend could be a showstopper spread for your yearbook.

To find this template in Treering's layout and design menu, search "calendar" under “all page templates."

What’s most important: your yearbook team celebrates the people in your campus community. This layout is just one way to cover more students in your yearbook. For more creative yearbook coverage inspiration, check out:

December 10, 2024

Organic design: yearbook themes with a natural vibe

Thanks to Pantone, earth tones are at the forefront of trending colors. Organic design is being toted as the “new minimalism”—even Martha’s in on the craze. We’ve broken down how to bring the outside in… your yearbook. Using Treering’s pre-designed themes gives you a curated collection of nature-inspired graphics for your elementary or middle school yearbook. 

The Power of Nature in Design

Beyond trend appeal, using natural elements in design can be a metaphor for our school communities. It’s why we see so many motivational posters featuring grandiose sights. 

Additionally, nature is powerful. It positively affects our physical and mental health. It's timeless. Harnessing the power of nature in your yearbook theme requires creativity to evoke the natural world in print.

Ideas for Visual Yearbook Design

Your whole yearbook doesn’t have to be a path through the woods with milestone markers along the way. (But if it is, would you send us a copy?) Of Treering’s 200+ cover-to-cover yearbook themes, these five have the call of the wild.

Here’s why they work and how you, if you’re a DIY-er, can create a yearbook design that feels as alive as the real thing:

  • Use color to capture nature’s energy (they're called plum, grass green, and seafoam for a reason)
  • Add dimension by layering objects
  • Emphasize elements using organic shapes and natural patterns
  • Create movement with flowy or circular patterns 
Organic design-inspired table of contents with leaf line art layered with organic shapes
This table of contents example has a swirling leaf pattern layered under an asymmetrical rectangular shape. (Treering theme used: "Beyond BeLEAF")

How to Build a Narrative Around Nature

Illustrate personal and academic growth with graphics such as the life cycle of plants or the changing seasons. Other visuals such as roots, rivers, or the stars show our interconnectedness.

Elementary Nature Theme Ideas

  • In Full Bloom
  • Grounded in Greatness
  • Pathways of Promise
  • Rooted in Growth
  • Sky’s the Limit

Middle School Theme Ideas with an Organic Vibe 

  • Branching Out
  • Forest of Dreams
  • Move Mountains
  • Seasons of Change
  • Trailblazers

We love seeing student interpretations of these verbal themes with cover art contests. You can also involve the school community by using students’ photos of nature on dividers and theme pages. 

December 3, 2024

Double your donations 2024

In honor of the season of giving, Treering will match up to five yearbook donations per school account. From Tuesday, December 3 through Tuesday, December 31, one community book donation equals one Treering book donation. Editors can reassign 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, 2024. Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2025.

The Fine Print

  • Promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2024.
  • Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2025.
  • 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.

November 26, 2024

Yearbook hero Emily Wilson’s lessons learned and achievements earned

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

Uncertainty. That was the word of the year in 2020. Just two weeks before the school year began, Emily Wilson unexpectedly stepped into the role of yearbook advisor. 

At the time, Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy (CSPA) was one of the few in the area offering both in-person and virtual classes. Like many, they faced challenges: masked students and staff, strict social distancing, limited outside visitors, and restricted volunteer involvement. These constraints forced a complete reevaluation of traditional yearbook creation methods.

To meet these challenges, the school switched to Treering, drawn by its intuitive software, online support, and the ability to crowdsource photography—a feature that became essential with reduced staff and student participation. Now, five years later, the school is producing its fifth yearbook using Treering.

How did you become the Yearbook Adviser?

Before becoming the yearbook advisor, my career focused primarily on teaching English, literature, and creative writing. Journalism and yearbook production were never areas where I expected to excel, but I always admired our previous advisor for the award-winning program she built. Her accolades still hang in our hallway, a constant reminder that there is always room to grow. Over the years, I’ve gained confidence as an advisor, building relationships with our student staff, and producing yearbooks we’re proud of. The experience has been transformative for both me and my students. 

How has your involvement with your state’s journalism association impacted your skills and opportunities in the field?

In 2022, I was honored when the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) invited me to serve as a judge for their yearbook competition. It was a valuable opportunity to see what award-winning yearbooks looked like up close and personal, and it gave me insights into how our own yearbook could evolve. To my surprise, we were much closer to hitting the mark than I had anticipated. That experience gave me the courage to submit our book for critique, and we anxiously awaited feedback from MIPA. 

After three long months, the results came in: we had earned a Bronze award for our 2024 yearbook, with a commendation for excellence in photography. The recognition was a testament to my students' hard work and dedication. But what stood out most to me was their reaction. Rather than getting too comfortable with their achievement, students immediately started thinking about ways to improve for next year. 

One of my editors-in-chief said, “We were only 47 points away from earning a Silver Medal,” and immediately began brainstorming ways to improve. That mindset—that focus on what we can achieve next—is what makes this journey so rewarding. 

Let’s talk about that critique. How did it benefit your team?

One of the most valuable aspects of submitting our yearbook for critique is the detailed feedback we receive, which helps us grow. We are focusing on a unifying concept and improving coverage.

To be more competitive, we need to create more original graphics and artwork for the yearbook rather than relying on pre-made designs. Fortunately, Treering’s platform makes this process straightforward. For instance, last year, one of our International Baccalaureate Art students designed the cover art, which we seamlessly integrated as the background for the cover. 

Wilson's team commissioned an IB art student from CSPA to create a design inspired by the verbal theme and a coneflower sketched by the late Charyl Stockwell, the district's namesake. The cover artist earned a free yearbook for her creativity.

Additionally, we learned that carrying the theme throughout the book is essential—right down to the headlines and titles. Last year’s theme was “Our Stories,” but we could have done more to tie the theme together by using idioms or expressions related to storytelling across different sections of the book. 

Design consistency is one of the easiest ways to make a bigger impact. MIPA suggested that we choose one unifying style for the entire book—colors, patterns, and layouts should be consistent throughout. This allows us to maintain a cohesive aesthetic while allowing for flexibility in layout design. 

While we did a solid job covering our school’s 11 non-athletic clubs and 17 athletic teams, we need to focus more on individual stories—highlighting specific student achievements and weaving in features that reflect the times, like the cost of living. We’re also working on improving our balance of academic content; as MIPA pointed out, “Not every student is in a club or plays a sport, but every student sits in a desk in class.” 

What is your area of strength?

We were thrilled to receive commendations for our photography, an area where we truly excel. Our focus on candid photos and capturing moments of excitement paid off. Moving forward, we’ll continue to refine our photography skills, paying more attention to cropping, editing, and ensuring that photo credits are included on every image. 

What will be your focus this year?

Writing is where we have the most room for improvement. Every photo needs a caption, and those captions should follow journalistic writing standards—using active voice, varied sentence structures, and avoiding overly descriptive language like “is running” or “is playing.” 

We also need to use secondary headlines to draw readers in and provide additional context. The critique also reminded me that, as an English teacher, I’ve been teaching students to write like English students, not like journalists. This is an area where I plan to invest more time, learning more about journalism standards so we can elevate our writing to meet those expectations. 

What is the role of a yearbook adviser at CSPA?

Our yearbook, “The Sentinel,” is a labor of love produced by a small but dedicated team. I advise a staff of four students. We serve a high school with approximately 320 students. Every year, we produce a 150-page yearbook that covers everything from the start of school through prom, delivering it to students during the last week of school. 

Additionally, we create a 28-30 page supplemental softcover book for the senior class, which includes coverage of senior-specific events like Senior Sunrise, Senior Awards, and Graduation. This supplement also features graduation speeches and letters from teachers to the graduating class. Design-wise, it complements the theme of the main yearbook. We print the student commencement speech in this supplement.

To bring our yearbook to life, we rely on a combination of Treering’s software, Canva, and Adobe Lightroom. Our resources are modest—one laptop, one large monitor, and two Rebel cameras—but we make the most of what we have. Fundraising through Treering has helped us pay for essentials like new camera lenses, a journalism camp for our editors, and lighting equipment for portrait photography. This year, our goal is to raise enough money for a new camera and upgraded lenses to continue improving the quality of our work. 

What’s next for “The Sentinel?”

As we look ahead, we’re excited to continue improving. We’re going to hang our Bronze Medal plaque on the wall as a reminder of how far we’ve come, but our eyes are already set on the next challenge. We’ll keep pushing ourselves to tell more meaningful stories, refine our writing, and produce a yearbook that our school can be proud of. Ultimately, it’s not just about winning awards but about creating something our students, staff, and community will cherish for years.

November 18, 2024

Using the "five common topics" for yearbook copy

The inverted pyramid is the go-to launch point for budding journalists. (Anyone else hear a journalism teacher’s voice: “Don’t bury the lede!”) For these emerging writers, filling each level equates to squeezing the five Ws into its ranks. This could lead to repetitive or restricted writing. The “easy” fix: asking better questions. 

Start with the main focus and develop the story with details and quotes.

Integrating the five common topics with the inverted pyramid structure helps students create engaging yearbook copy because it models inquiry. They move beyond “What was your favorite…?” They create questions with analytical depth. They craft stories worth reading.

This story about high school cheer goes beyond reporting what happened at a game. It defines the positions and compares their relationships with one another. Then, the author gives an overview of the circumstances in which the athletes practice and incorporates testimonies (quotes).

What Are the Five Common Topics?

How would the ancient Greek and Roman orators write a yearbook story? (That might as well be under “Adviser questions I’ll never ask for 1000, Alex.”) The five common topics are definition, comparison, relationship, circumstance, and testimony. The early scholars used this method of inquiry to discuss, persuade, and analyze. Developing yearbook interview questions based on the five common topics can be a structured way to gather information and insights.

Definition

The five Ws fall here: the topic of definition breaks down your subject into key components. What it is and who does it. Where it takes place. Why it’s important. When it occurs. 

What is a clear definition of [the subject]? 

This is extremely helpful for students when they craft copy on an unfamiliar topic. For example, most people use “bump, set, spike” somewhere on a volleyball spread. We don’t bump. We pass.

How would you characterize the key features that distinguish [the subject] from other similar concepts? 

Each game, dance, movie night, and fun run is unique. So are labs, presentations, debates, and study sessions. Find out what sets this event or activity apart. By defining what it is holistically, you are also defining what it is not: just another day. (Remember, there is a reason for this story beyond an opening in your page template.)

What are the essential elements that makeup [the subject]? 

Sports and arts copy can always be improved by understanding the technique. Start with your photos and ask the stakeholders to explain what they are doing step by step. Define tools, from cleat spikes to microscopes, and their use.

Back to our volleyball example: She’s aligning her feet to the setter and positioning her body so her belly button is behind the ball. Straight arms and little-to-no movement are key for her to give a high pass the setter can push to the outside hitters or run a quick hit from the middle. She starts each practice by passing 50 free balls as an offense-defense transition drill. 

No bumping is involved.

Comparison

The next step is to expand upon the basics by drawing parallels or highlighting differences. Using analogies, journalism students can make complex ideas understandable. Sometimes, it helps to take the opposite approach and point out key differences.

In what ways is [the subject] similar to [another relevant entity], and how are they different?

Familiarity is comfortable. By relating new topics to known ones, you can ease your reader in. 

Are there instances where lessons from [a related concept] can be applied to [the subject]?

Again, even though chemistry class repeats the gummy bear lab annually, it is not the same year after year. The same can be said about an AP class preparing their art portfolios or a Link Crew orientation. 

This mini-story appeared on a Homecoming collage spread and focused on an annual event: the color smash. Then, the author, like the rain, unleashed a different angle.

Using the topic of comparison, student reporters have a reason to cover recurring events–they are digging into the differences.

How does the comparison to [another relevant entity] enhance our understanding of [the subject]?

Keyword: enhance. Comparison is valuable if it adds value. And before you flinch at the intended redundancy, remember new writers need to evaluate their notes as part of their process. Listing related and opposing concepts will also strengthen the topic of definition. 

Relationship and Circumstance (This is a Twofer)

I’m combining topics three and four. Event sequences, cause-and-effect relationships, and the outcome of the event all have a place at the proverbial table. Understanding circumstance helps in tailoring yearbook copy to be more relevant and effective because we use it to examine the context of each story. It’s the here and now.   These details help readers understand why the event is significant at this moment.

What current events or trends are influencing [the subject]?

More than the water bottle du jour, the timeliness of a yearbook story gives its place in your school’s historical record. You give campus events context by relating them to the community or even the world.

Are there specific challenges or opportunities related to [the subject] that are particularly relevant now?

In the example above, a student gave a speech. This is a daily occurrence around the globe. The author used the subject’s reported challenges and testimony (spoiler alert: that’s topic #5) to illustrate what led to the moment.

Chances are, this story wouldn’t have been printed in your mom’s yearbook. The circumstance was different.

Can you identify any cause-and-effect relationships associated with [the subject]?

Part of contextualizing your yearbook stories is adding what resulted from the story. Did the fundraiser set a new record? Athlete return for her final game of the season? AP Language class win the literary food festival? Wrap up your story.

Testimony

“Give me a quote for the yearbook.” Next to definition, testimony is the most commonly used of the five common topics. It’s the human element. Including testimonies from different sources helps balance the story, gives authority to student writing, and showcases varied perspectives. 

While it’s the fifth topic, when students write, they should incorporate the questions below.  

What diverse perspectives contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of [the subject]?

Scores, stats, fundraising figures, and meaningful quotes enhance credibility and give voice to yearbook copy. 

How do you navigate conflicting testimony or opinions from authoritative sources regarding [the subject]?

The short answer: ask more questions. How do you find out what is true and who do you ask? (This could be more common with sporting events over bio labs.)

Definition and Comparison: Start by identifying who is doing what where and for what purpose, and provide context by comparing it to similar school events, lessons, or campus organizations. 
Testimony: Add relevant quotes from participants or spectators to illustrate.
Relationship and Circumstance: Explain what factors led to the event and how it impacted the school community.
Testimony: End the story by adding additional quotes or data to add depth and credibility.

Example Structure for the Inverted Pyramid and Five Common Topics

Let’s start with this photograph of four students on the green. 

To come up with the copy, students identified:

  • Names of students and their grades
  • Location of photo
  • What is going on
  • Background on Xilam
  • What aspect of Xilam is shown in the image
  • Relationships between Mexican martial arts and Spanish for native speakers class
  • How many languages–and which ones–are spoken on campus

This structure delivers both the essential information layered with insights. It moves beyond a listing of the 5Ws because it begins with inquiry.

November 12, 2024

Two ways to improve your yearbook photography

By improving the composition and lighting of your photos, you’ll be able to use any device with confidence. While drool-worthy mirrorless cameras are all the rage and DSLRs “look the part,” cellphones, tablets, and point-and-shoots can also produce great photos. The key is your perspective and awareness of the action.

Composition Basics

Composition creates compelling photos. When composing a shot, think about elements like background, framing, balance, leading lines, depth of field, and viewpoint. Even at sporting events or the school musical—when you’re limited on where you can stand—take some time to go through this list in your head to intentionally get the strongest photos. 

In the digital age (did you read that in my grandma voice?), just clicking away and hoping for a usable image can be a waste of time. Being intentional for five to ten moments will help you anticipate action and yield more authentic images.

Book Fairs are visually busy events, as shown on the left. By lowering the camera, on the right, the tables become leading lines to draw the eye to the subject. He also blocks seven of the eight people in the original image.

Background

If it’s not drawing the eye to your subject, you might want to get rid of it. Take time to assess what is behind your subject:

  • If possible, remove distractions like garbage cans, signs, or other people 
  • At sporting events, stand on the opponent’s side so you get your fans’ reactions
  • Position a photographer backstage or in the sound booth to capture behind-the-scenes action

Simple camera fixes such as adjusting the aperture (see “Depth of Field” below) or environmental ones (see “Leading Lines”) can help improve your photos’ backgrounds.

Framing

Your photos should focus on key interactions. For example, a tight frame on a student meeting their teacher on the first day of school captures a meaningful moment. 

Alternatively, a wider frame might show the atmosphere of an event. Consider how close you want to be and what details you want in the shot.

If the event and space allow, move around to add diversity to how you frame your subjects. My yearbook adviser used to say, “Zoom with your feet.” It’s the second-best piece of photo advice I’ve received. (Lighting takes first billing for those of you playing along at home.)

Although a student studying isn't the traditional action shot, this photo is an active portrait. Our off-center subject is moving off the frame and yet his eyes take us to the laptop in the center of the image. (Bonus points for the subtle reflection in the glass.)

Balance

While symmetry works well in group shots, you might also want asymmetry to draw the eye to a specific part of the frame. Think about how elements are weighted in the frame to achieve the mood you want. 

In the example above, the laptop is what holds us captive.

This photo exemplifies both leading lines and depth of field. Despite the action in the background, our subject pops because the rail connects her to the foreground and background, and the other students are slightly blurred.

Leading Lines

Use natural lines—like desks, edges of buildings, or stripes on the school bus—to draw the viewer’s eye towards the subject. 

Depth of Field

This can be easily achieved with portrait settings on phones and cameras. Blurring the background adds drama and focuses attention on the subject. Whether you're using a DSLR or a smartphone, depth of field, or aperture, can elevate your images.

Viewpoint

Experiment with angles. Try taking shots from above, below, or behind to add variety and interest. Different perspectives help tell the story more creatively and capture aspects that a straight-on shot might miss.

https://blog.treering.com/yearbook-photography-lessons/
These five lessons will help improve composition.

Lighting Essentials

To say lighting is crucial is an understatement. In photography, too much or too little light can impact the photo’s quality. Be aware of your main light source. If you’re at an event, take a moment to assess from where the best light is coming. 

Tips for Indoor Photography

Windows can be problematic if they are behind your subject. Unless you are aiming for a silhouette, keep them to your side. 

If the lighting isn’t ideal, adjust. Sometimes, just asking students to move to a better-lit area can make a big difference. They’re usually happy to accommodate. For example, if you are photographing a dance, set up an area to take group photos with good lighting.

Using flash can also help in tricky lighting. For instance, in a situation with backlighting (like a window behind your subject), a fill flash will illuminate the subject and balance the exposure. In low-light conditions, adjusting your camera’s ISO or shutter speed with the help of a tripod can also help capture the shot without losing detail.

Except for the sun's angle evident in image 3, these outdoor shots have little shadows or pinched expressions.

Outdoor Photography Considerations

Outside, natural sunlight is ideal, and just like inside, positioning is important. Move so the sun is off to the side or behind your subject to reduce harsh shadows and prevent squinting. Most professional photographers avoid outdoor photoshoots when the sun is overhead for this reason. (Basically, when the fun run is happening.)

We recommend using a tripod and angling yourself so the sun is at your subject's side.

Remember that a good photographer’s eye matters more than fancy equipment. Whether using a DSLR or a smartphone, focus on framing, lighting, and timing to compose meaningful moments.

This blog is adapted from Sandra Violette's Photography session from TRL 24 POV: I’m on the Yearbook Team. Violette, a professional photographer and PTO mom, serves on the Onboarding and Engagement Team at Treering Yearbooks.

November 5, 2024

Speaking yearbook

When anyone first steps into the world of yearbooks, it can feel like learning a new language. Terms like "gutter," "bleed," "spread," and "copy" have specific meanings that may be different from everyday language. Understanding this unique vocabulary is part of the journey. We hope that after your read this you can speak yearbook fluently.

What are the Basics for Yearbook Creation?

To borrow from classical education, the grammar stage is the first step in learning any subject. It focuses on mastering foundational knowledge and vocabulary so we can eventually progress to more complex tasks. During this stage, the focus is on memorizing terms and concepts, recognizing patterns, and building an understanding of a subject’s basic structure.

In the context of yearbook creation, this foundational knowledge helps you communicate effectively with students, your publisher, and fellow volunteers. 

(Treering theme pictured: "Maximalism")

Step 1: Learn the Key Terms and Concepts

Just as you would start learning a new language by building vocabulary, learning yearbook terminology is your first step. Here are some essential terms to get you started:

  • Bleed: extra space around your page that is intentionally printed, then trimmed by the printer. The standard bleed size is 1/8 inch, and is usually used to allow for movement the paper during printing.
  • Copy: the content of an article or news element. (Basically, it’s the words used to tell a story.)
  • Ladder: a chart that represents the pages in a yearbook. It can be helpful when planning section placement and page content.
  • Gutter: the space between two facing pages (an important place to keep clear because, when a yearbook is bound, the space between the pages shrinks). It’s best to apply a 1/2 inch margin to both sides of the gutter, or 1 inch in total.
  • Spread: two pages that face each other in a yearbook.

If you’re craving more or want to quiz your yearbook class or club, check out Teaching Yearbook: 24 Yearbook Terms. We even built you a Google Form to test their knowledge!

(Treering theme pictured: "Minimalist")

Step 2: Recognize the Patterns

Certain patterns and conventions are used repeatedly. Understanding these patterns can be helpful when organizing content or working with the team on visual elements. Here are a few patterns to look out for:

  • Sections: Yearbooks are typically divided into People, Student Life, Organizations, Sports, Academics, and Reference. This pattern helps create a natural structure that tells the school’s story.
  • Design Hierarchy: Pages are often designed with a visual hierarchy, placing the most important elements—like headlines and main photos—at the top or center. Everything should be built from there.
  • Themes: Each yearbook has an overarching theme that shapes its design, colors, and tone. Applying theme elements across spreads will help you stay consistent and focused on the story you’re telling.

Step 3: Practice and Apply

The final part of the grammar stage is applying your knowledge. Start by using these terms and patterns as you work with other volunteers and students. For instance, if you’re helping with a layout, use terms like “spread” and “gutter” when discussing the design. Practicing the vocabulary helps reinforce your understanding and builds confidence. Our favorite review activity is below.

https://blog.treering.com/yearbook-escape-room/

Mastering the Basics to Move Forward

By building a solid foundation in yearbook terminology and structure, you’ll increase your comfort level with the language of yearbook creation, allowing you to collaborate and contribute meaningfully to the project. The next step is to level up to more advanced stages of yearbook production, perhaps by trying modular design or a chronological yearbook.

October 29, 2024

Yearbook hero April Nelson makes two books… and likes it

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

What could you do with a group of four elementary students? How about a middle school club of 10? April Nelson produces separate elementary and middle school yearbooks for her pre-k-12 school. And she won’t take credit for it.

Big picture: How do you manage two teams to create two different books?

My job is to advise and let the kids lead. I look over everything the students create to keep things appropriate and ensure equity in coverage. Each year I cede more control to the students.

This year, the elementary students chose their theme and the middle schoolers created their own ladder. We started with a sample layout from Treering and discussed what had to go in and what they wanted to go in the yearbook. Then, we budgeted pages appropriately.

They really wanted it to be their book. I really try to make it their book.

What does theme development look like with your elementary students?

They chose “Galaxy of Possibilities” for their yearbook theme. It’s fun. Throughout the book, they will incorporate famous quotes about possibilities and dad jokes about space. On the staff spread, it talks about teachers being rocket fuel. They designed their cover and title page. They're enthusiastic.

The students used Treering theme "Out of this World" as a canvas for their cosmic sayings.

With only four students meeting once a week, organization is key. I helped them use folders to organize photos so we could keep everything by topic. I communicate with the students and their families regularly and use Google Classroom for assignments and questions. 

This in-progress spread shows how students incorporated the dad jokes: the left-facing page has the setup, and the right the answer.

How is the middle school club different?

Their ambitions are really high, and I love that they're aiming big. But we have to stay realistic—there are only a certain number of pages and a limited amount we can include. I tell them we may need to scale it back a bit, but I’m still excited to see what they’ll create.

Typically, students come in, grab a Chromebook, and log into Treering. They check how many photos they have and figure out how many more they need. For example, they might notice that they only have photos from one volleyball game and need coverage of another. Then, someone will look up the school website to see when the next game is scheduled. 

I love that they want to just keep working on stuff.

Clever game spaces feature educational milestones. (Students' faces blurred to protect privacy.)

The middle schoolers do a mix of Treering templates and their own designs. They chose to do a board game theme and hired a senior who is dual-enrolled to do the cover design. She came into one of their meetings and they shared their vision, and she drew it out.

Inspired by the "Game of Life's" color palette, the middle school yearbook students used purple, blue, green, yellow, and cream to visually organize grades and events.

Inside the book, the game starts in sixth grade. On the pages, they put fun spaces: they've got things like “You skipped class. Go back four spaces.” “You finished Percy Jackson. Go four spaces ahead.” 

Before partnering with Treering, how did you manage multiple books?

I didn’t! My first year advising was an elementary and a combined middle/high school book. We used to send photos to our previous publisher, and they would create the yearbook. The students didn’t like it because it lacked organization: pictures were thrown together without captions of identifying information. You couldn’t distinguish prom from a dance, and our big Earth Week celebration was sprinkled throughout. Unless you went to the school, you wouldn’t know what was what.

Switching to Treering made the yearbook more personal. We split the book by schools (elementary, middle, and high) when we made the change. It also empowered students to create the book they wanted. The elementary students are now writing basic captions.

Treering allowed them to do that.

Admin was also on board. We’re an environmental school, so our principal loved that there is no waste. We only receive what we pre-order.

How have you seen the yearbook impact students?

If you can develop that rapport with your staff and they know they have the power, they will do great things.

October 22, 2024

Easy +1: a guide to leveling up your yearbook

A colleague who studied violin using the Suzuki Method shared that he was able to succeed because he didn’t go from 0-60 in a few lessons. He mastered a concept, then added another. This anecdote inspired me to make “Easy +1” my MO. I use it as a guide for teaching my students to read, increasing the palate of my toddler, and improving each yearbook of which I am part. We don’t have to do it all.

You don’t have to do it all.

With the right support and the resources we picked for you below, choose one thing (yes, one!) as a focus for this year. Get in the details. Fail. Learn from your mistakes, and to paraphrase Michael Scott, create “even harder.”

3 Photography Helps

Improving yearbook photography is going to have an immediate impact. Why? The assumption is that the yearbook is a book of photos. While I truly wish people went as crazy as I did about the wordplay in ledes and headlines and understood the thematic verbal-visual connection, knowing parents, teachers, and students are sharing storytelling photos is part marketing genius, part one-less-thing-this-adviser-has-to-do. 

1. Set Up a Sports Photo Submission Process

Tap into whatever system your school uses to share files using Treering’s crowdsourcing tools. In addition to shared folders, Treering also has Dropbox, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Drive integrations. Remember to include groups such as the marching band, poms, cheer team, boosters, and the spirit squad which are also at sporting events.

2. Teach Photography

(Spoiler alert: if you’re not a photographer, you can learn alongside your yearbook team.) We created these five mini-lessons to level up your photography.

Adjustments in angles and attention can improve the impact of an image.

3. Create a Shot List (or Use Ours!)

Classroom photos highlight the bulk of a student’s in-school day. And I promise you, they aren’t lined up against the classroom centers with fake smiles. Do yourself and the staff on campus a favor: show and tell. Show examples of action pics in the classroom. Tell them what you need. Professional photographers use shot lists to ensure they take all the essential photos and their clients receive what they need.

How To Include More Students in the Yearbook

Yearbook coverage is a personal soapbox. Our job is to create a yearbook that accurately reflects our student body from price point to the people pictured. Here are five ways to improve yours.

If you're just getting started, here are our top crowdsourcing asks.

1. Crowdsource Content for a More Equitable Yearbook

If you want your book to look like your school, your school needs to help you build your book. 

2. Develop Evergreen Content

Using these 40 open-ended interview questions, you can get students talking. Start with a question of the day and have your yearbook team members connect with five other students. The next day, there is a fresh question for five different students. And so on. 

3. Change How You Cover Holidays

Many of us parents grew up with the adage: politics and religion never make for polite conversation. By focusing your interviews on the individuals—versus the religious or cultural practice—you will see their POVs.

4. Create Topical Collage Pages

There’s a difference between a printed pile of pics and a well-designed layout. 

5. Shrink Your Portraits and Add Content to Portrait Pages

Personality profiles, responses from the evergreen content (see #2 above), and infographics can increase the impact of your class pages. Feature those students who aren’t starring in the spring musical or beating school records.

Level Up Your Layouts

You can upgrade your yearbook’s design by applying hierarchy in your layout design. 

1. Design Hierarchy Basics

Identifying dominant, secondary, and tertiary elements will help you see why some pages “work” and others do not.

2. Mild, Medium, or Spicy Design?

Yearbook Hero Lauren Casteen developed a scaffolded approach to teaching yearbook graphic design to her students and created these adviser resources.

3. The Truth About Yearbook Fonts

Your font choice will affect and effect your buyers. Choose wisely.

The contrast between fonts adds to visual depth.

4. Mastered the Above? Try Modular Design

Design hierarchy is essential when going modular: each mod has its own dominant and secondary elements that fit into the structure of the spread. When done well, modular design improves consistency, collaboration efforts, and coverage.

We took the first step in gathering lessons, examples, and tips from other editors. It’s your turn to take the next one.

October 15, 2024

Coverage ideas: how to get more students in the yearbook

Thinking critically about yearbook coverage is an editorial mind shift. Shiny things such as theme art and backgrounds often take precedence. Yearbook coverage highlights all the memorable people and events. And there is a flip side: planning yearbook coverage is also a conscious decision on what you’re not going to cover. 

Coverage Limitations

Yearbook price, page count, and–gasp–traditions limit coverage. For Treering schools, page count directly influences the price point. Your per-book price is based on the core page count (does not include custom pages), and cover finish.

Page Count and Coverage Budgets

For those with a class or club, a coverage budget helps you and your team be intentional. Start by listing the sections in your book. Then budget spreads to each section.

Yearbook Traditions

We don’t mean the fun ones like Yerdsgiving or distribution. No matter the school size, there is an element of expectation on you as the adviser. Be aware of the sacred cows of your yearbook program. These can range from color palettes to the ultimate sacred cow, senior quotes. (We interrupt this blog to give you the resource you didn’t know you needed: three reasons to get rid of senior quotes and how to replace them.) 

If you're willing to take the energy to fight tradition, and have a clear reason, go for it. 

For example, when my school hit 11 years, my students deviated from alternating purple and black covers. They created a blue and red book, with PK-6 on one side and 7-12 on the other. Their reasoning? For the first time in school history, there were separate principals for the upper and lower schools. 

My students wanted to highlight how each grew independent of the other, and instead of pushing to do two smaller books, recognized the power of us all still being in one building. The yearbook students saw it as a picture of unity; the other students saw it as the school spirit equivalent of treason. Bottom line: blue and red make purple. Once that line made it around campus, everyone loved the book. Ten years later, we have not published a purple or black book. 

Change takes time.

People Over Events

This is our coverage mantra. When you highlight people, your yearbook develops an emotional connection as students see their art, stories, meaningful quotes, and photos of their experiences. Every student wants to know they were in it. They were included. Their story was deemed valuable enough to be in the yearbook. 

We're always going to highlight people over the events. People happen in the context of the events, and in each event, highlight those behind the scenes, up front, and watching. Remember:

  • Set up and take down
  • Fan and audience reactions
  • Snack bars, spirit shops, and the bench
  • The booth: announcers, tech crew, coaches, press

You need not think each will get a spread. Modular design is a way to fit more content in and do it stylishly. (If you don’t want to start from scratch, Treering themes “POV,” “Tied Together,” and “Crafted” have modular layouts from which you can model.)

People First Ideas

We want to move away from students opening the book, finding their name or face, and moving on. Below are some ideas to help you add stories and make them dynamic so people pause their perusal to get personal.

When Mission Oak lost a beloved teacher, adviser Matt Jones helped his team create a dedication spread. It didn't just capture the man, it captured his impact.

Dedications, Retirements, and Unsung Heroes: Every school has one teacher, volunteer, or student leader who positively impacts school culture. Honor their impact with a small write up or a full-spread dedication.

Future Plans: Publish elementary school “What I want to be…” and high school post-graduation plans.

Trends: Waterbottles, fashion, and laptop stickers are great. The stories behind them are better.

Instead of a portrait-heavy senior section, Sequoia High's focus was on student voices. Each spread has two personality profiles and a pull quote.

Personality Profiles: We love making room for additional stories by shrinking portraits and adding content.

Pets: Pets are an easy way to cover camera-shy students or get families started with crowdsourcing.

Design Contest Runner Up
When Northern High School left its original location in Durham, NC, the yearbook team organized their book by geography. Above, we see the faces and classes that make up East Hall.

School Map: Students spend 8-12 hours on campus. Find out where the best study and nap locations are. Interview athletes from each sport who practice on the turf. 

Interactive Pages: One thing we saw multiple times during the duration of TRL 24 was “Guess Who?” spreads and modules:

  • Guess Whose… eyeglasses, water bottle, ect.
  • Match the baby photo to the 5th grader or teacher
  • Match the teachers to their first job

People also loved the Treering About Me pages.

Yearbook Blacklists and BOLO Boards

Many students are easy to cover three times because they fell into the 1-2-3 coverage pattern:

  1. Portrait
  2. Extracurricular
  3. Academics

For those who do not, use the coverage ideas above to get them in the book. 

We understand that the same events occur year after year. Challenge yourself to cover them in two new ways. How will you and your yearbook team give a fresh take on the students on your campus this year?

This blog is adapted from Brent Mikolaycik and Erika Lin Payne’s Coverage Ideas session from TRL 24 POV: I’m on the Yearbook Team. Mikolaycik and Payne came to Treering Yearbooks after nearly two decades as classroom teachers and high school yearbook advisers.

October 14, 2024

2024 #treeringcloudbreakout instagram contest

Your precious memories deserve more than just floating in the digital ether! It's time to bring your favorite moments to life all year long with our new customizable photo gift line. Join our contest and give your cherished memories the tangible presence they deserve.

For Treering's Cloud Breakout, share a photo of a special memory that's been trapped in your Cloud storage, yearning to break free. Tell us why this moment deserves to escape the digital realm and become a physical keepsake. Your liberated memory could win you a $100 holiday shopping spree with our new customizable photo gift products!

Official Participation Rules and Steps to Enter

  1. You must be at least 18 years old and a parent, faculty/staff member, or student at a Treering school to participate.
  2. Valid posts must include an original photo and a caption on what makes this memory special.
  3. To participate, you must have a public Instagram account. Entries open from October 14 to November 1, 2024.
  4. Share your photo on Instagram with #TreeringCloudBreakout and tag us @TreeringCorp
  5. Instagram photo posts are due by November 1, 2024 by 11:59 PM PT. No late or incomplete entries will be accepted.

Judging and Finalist Selection

A panel of yearbook parents, journalism educators, and social media managers will select five winners. Photo criteria will be based on: the creativity of the photo, emotional impact of the accompanying caption, and overall aesthetic appeal.

Winning photo designs will appear on Instagram on November 8, 2024.

Prizes

Treering will notify #TreeringCloudBreakout Contest Winners via Instagram stories and posts by Friday, November 8, 2024.

A total of five individual winners will receive a $100 Treering product credit (yearbooks are not eligible purchases). Use on canvas enlargements, blankets, ornaments, yard signs, apparel, and more.

Ownership

By submitting your photo memory, 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.
If you have any questions, contact us at marketing@treering.com.