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Top 20 Yearbook Cover Ideas for 2024

Table of Contents

What is Yearbook?

School’s yearbook is a book published annually, typically by a high school or college, to document that year’s graduating class.

Yearbooks are generally filled with photographs of students and staff, images of sports teams and club activities, and short write-ups about the school’s happenings. It’s a longstanding tradition in many secondary and elementary schools. So they capture a snapshot of life at a particular school year and manages to keep them in a pool of yearbook cover library. Explore the best yearbook cover ideas below!

What makes a great yearbook cover?

There are a few things that make for a great yearbook cover. Before getting it to the cover design, first plan with the context of the yearbook, then focus on yearbook pages and finally conclude on the designs including the back cover.

It’s not required to be an overarching theme for covers, rather than focus on how previous years of designs are done. It should be eye-catching and interesting enough to make people want to pick it up and flip through it.

It should also reflect the spirit of the year, with professionally designed covers that are relevant and current. And finally, it should be well-made and durable, so it can withstand being handled and flipped through often. Download some free banner templates and designs at All Time Design .

How do Yearbook covers play a vital role in Sales?

In the competitive world of publishing, it is important for the yearbook staff to find ways to increase the sales of their yearbooks. One way to do this is by designing eye-catching and memorable covers.

A well-designed cover can attract potential buyers and help to set your yearbook apart from the competition. It can also create a sense of excitement and anticipation about what’s inside the book.

So if you’re looking for ways to boost your yearbook sales, consider using one of these 20 great yearbook ideas for 2023!

Yearbook Cover Design Ideas

Here are 20 yearbook theme ideas that we think fit the bill. Some are serious, some are playful, but all of them would make an impact on your classmates (and maybe even get a few people to actually pick up and read the thing)!

With a few well-placed design elements, you can give your yearbook cover a vintage feel. Try using a limited colour palette, block letters, and simple graphics.

Use school colours

Your school’s colours are a natural choice for your yearbook cover. And you can get creative with how you use them. Try a two-tone design or go for a more subtle approach by incorporating small accents of colour.

Put the focus on portraiture

A close-up portrait of a student (or group of students) makes for an arresting yearbook cover. It’s also a great way to showcase the diversity of your school community.

Get creative with typography

Typography can be a powerful design element, and you can use it to create eye-catching yearbook themes. Try mixing different fonts, or using creative techniques like letterpress or foil stamping.

Feature a slogan or logo

A well-chosen school logo or slogan can be a great way to capture the spirit of your school. It can also serve as a rallying cry for your classmates as they prepare to graduate.

Use images from popular culture

If your school is into pop culture, why not use iconic images from TV shows, movies, or music in your yearbook cover? Just make sure you get permission from the copyright holders first!

Play with perspective

A little bit of perspective can go a long way in making your yearbook design stand out. Try using a wide-angle lens or shooting from an unusual angle to add interest to your composition.

Incorporate nature

Nature can provide a beautiful backdrop for your yearbook cover. And there are endless ways to incorporate it into your design. Use photos of flowers, leaves, trees, or even the sky. Or go for a more abstract approach and use nature-inspired patterns or graphics.

You don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to create a great yearbook cover. Sometimes, less is more. A minimal design can be clean, modern, and incredibly effective.

Use iconic landmarks

If your school is located near an iconic landmark, why not use it in your yearbook cover design? It’ll be sure to grab people’s attention and add a touch of local flavour to your book.

Create a montage

A montage of photos from the year can be a great way to capture the spirit of your school. It can also be a fun way for students to reminisce about their time in high school.

Use student art

Student artwork is always a popular choice for yearbook covers. You can go with a single piece or create a montage using several different pieces. Just make sure you get permission from the artists first!

Get creative with the layout

Don’t be afraid to get creative with the layout of your yearbook cover. You can use a variety of design elements to add interest and break up the space. Just make sure your design is still readable and easy to navigate.

Use school insignia

Your school’s insignia is a great way to add a touch of tradition to your yearbook cover. If you’re not sure where to start, try using it as a starting point and build your design around it.

Use negative space

Negative space is often overlooked, but it can be a powerful tool in yearbook cover design. Use it to create balance, direct the eye, and add interest to your composition.

Have fun with patterns

Patterns can be a great way to add visual interest to your yearbook cover. Just make sure you use them sparingly, so they don’t overwhelm the rest of your design.

Use colours that pop

If you really want your yearbook cover to stand out, try using colours that pop. A bright colour palette will grab people’s attention and make your book impossible to ignore.

Think outside the box

The sky’s the limit when it comes to yearbook cover design. So don’t be afraid to think outside the box and come up with something truly unique. Your classmates will be sure to appreciate your creativity!

Keep it simple

While it’s important to be creative, you don’t want to go overboard. Sometimes, the simplest designs are the most effective. So if you’re feeling stuck, try keeping it simple.

Remember, your yearbook cover is a reflection of your school and your classmates. So have fun with it! This is your chance to be creative and show off your school spirit. You can also check the best book cover designs . Go crazy and see what you can come up with!

Wrapping Up

Designing a great yearbook cover can be a lot of fun. But it’s important to keep in mind that your design needs to be readable and easy to navigate. So try to stick to a simple layout and use clean, easy-to-read typefaces. Explore the yearbook design ideas and get inspired!

If you’re looking for a professional and unique yearbook cover design, look no further than All Time Design . We specialize in creating one-of-a-kind covers that will make your yearbook stand out from the rest. Contact us today to get started!

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2023-2024 Yearbook Covers

Covers are the first impression of your yearbook and a great way to theme for your book. Inter-State Studio offers 35+ professionally designed, free standard covers each year. Choose a Standard Cover or upload a Custom Cover design of your own.

Lasting Impressions

This modern, mosaic cover will impress your middle or high-school-aged students. Customize with your school name and 11 of your top memories from the year. Add texture and interest to this cover by asking your Yearbook Representative about our Spot UV cover enhancement.

Cover Category:  Composite 

Star Explorers

Explore the memories of the school year with this space themed cover. Customize this cover with your school name and 10 special memories from the school year.

Cover Category:  Composite

Memory Board

Make your yearbook cover shine bright with your best school year memories. Add your school name and gather 11 of your favorite images from the year to highlight on your yearbook cover.

Cover Category: Composite

This cover is a great option for any age. A popular cover trend is to highlight your school building or an entire school portrait on the front cover. Select nine additional images to feature on the back.

Cover Category: School Color Composite

This cover option shouts school pride. Customize the cover with your school building or an entire school portrait on the front, add your school name and select two school colors to complete the look.

Cover Category:  School Color Composite 

Nothing says high school like a letterman's jacket. Make your cover unique by adding your school name, selecting two school colors and adding 11 images from throughout your memorable school year.

This simple cover highlights two school colors. Simply select your school colors to feature and add your school name for a cover that will be sure to impress. To add extra dimension and texture to this cover ask your Yearbook Representative about adding Spot UV as a cover enhancement.

Cover Category:  School Color 

Color In Motion

Capture your school spirit with this bold cover that proudly displays both your primary and secondary school colors. Add your school name to complete this cover.

Cover Category: School Color

This cover is where school pride meets inspiration. Customize this cover with your school name and add your primary and secondary school colors for a custom look.

Middle Ground

Show your school pride with this simple but fun cover. For a custom feel add your school colors and your school name to complete this design.

Cover Category: School Color 

Our Year Our Story

Each school year is a unique story and your yearbook cover should reflect that. Simply select two school colors and add your school name to complete this cover.

A yearbook is your school's legacy. This beautiful cover highlights your school colors and your school name can easily be added.

Leave Your Mark

Each student leaves their mark in your school's history. This bright and fun cover creates a theme that can easily be incorporated throughout the book.

Cover Category: Standard 

What Comes Next

A perfect and trendy cover for high-school-aged students. This cover creates a theme that can be incorporated throughout your book. Be sure to check out our custom clip art selection.

Cover Category:  Standard 

Stick Together

This journal inspired theme is sure to be a favorite pick. Customize this fun cover with your school name to complete the look.

Cover Category: Standard

Between The Lines

This colorful cover is easy to customize for your school. Simply add your school name to complete the design.

Order From Chaos

This school-supply themed collage cover will inspire. Simply add your school name to complete the design.

On The Fence

Take learning outside with this primary-aged yearbook cover. This bright cover is sure to excite your school.

A Year Like No Other

Send a positive message to your students with this colorful cover. It's perfect for any grade level. Just add your school name to complete the look.

School Yard Hop

Recess is always filled with fun, laughter and friends. This makes a perfect yearbook theme to bring back all those recess memories. Simply add your school name to complete.

This positive cover provides a great theme to incorporate throughout your book. Highlight students on each page answering questions about themselves or what they want to be when they grow up. It will provide memories for a lifetime.

New Arrival

The versatility of this cover makes it perfect for any elementary or middle school. Carry the theme through each page of your yearbook using our themed clip art, borders and backgrounds specifically designed for this cover. To complete the cover just add your school name.

Perspective

A perfect high school cover! Ask your Yearbook Representative about adding Spot UV to enhance this cover with texture and dimension.

A perfect cover for a STEM or STEAM school. Simply add your school name to complete the design.

Now Trending

A generic cover, but full of color and pattern. Emphasize additional patterns and textures by adding Spot UV as a cover enhancement.

Our Super Year

All students are superheroes. Celebrate their special qualities with this fun superhero themed cover. Simply add your school name to complete the design.

Every Color

This fun-themed cover will light up the room. This design is perfect for any elementary or primary school. Just add your school name to complete.

Memory Waves

Cover Category:  Standard

Loud & Proud

Show your patriotic spirit with this cover. The design is perfect for any grade level and you will be proud to show off your yearbook. Just add your school name to complete.

Cover Category: Patriotic

Cover Category: Patriotic

This inspired and timeless religious cover is great for all ages. Just add your school name and your cover is complete.

Cover Category: Religious

God Is With You

Joyous Light

Cover Category: Religious 

Go Bulldogs

Show off your school pride with this cover. This special, limited edition standard cover features a Bulldog mascot. To complete the design, select one school color and add your school name.

Cover Category: Special Edition 

Show off your school pride with this cover. This special, limited edition standard cover features a Tiger mascot. To complete the design, select one school color and add your school name.

Show off your school pride with this cover. This special, limited edition standard cover features an Eagle mascot. To complete the design, select one school color and add your school name.

Cover Catelog: Special Edition

Go Panthers

Select one of our free standard cover options to complete your yearbook. Click on each image to see details about the cover. (P.S. Some of these can even be customized with images and/or school colors for no additional charge!)

*Final printed covers may vary slightly from those displayed below.

School Spirit

Make your cover custom to your school's spirit. Incorporate your mascot, school colors and a theme for the year within your custom cover artwork.

Yearbook Contest

Hold a cover design contest and send us the artwork to use as your yearbook cover. It's a fun way to raise awareness about yearbooks and a great way to get students involved.

Design in Text

This is a fun way to incorporate student names or yearbook staff names within a simple design cover. 

Composite Custom

This custom cover is a great way to represent the artistic abilities of several students. Give them a theme and ask them to photograph or design a square for the cover.

If the Standard Cover designs didn’t quite fit what you had in mind, go for the Custom Cover option. Design your own cover, upload it, and we will print it for you. A great way to involve students is to have a cover design contest at your school. Custom Covers will truly make your yearbook one of a kind. Check out Custom Covers that other schools have done.

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Choose Another Yearbook Style

• Yearbook Themes
• Yearbook Pages
• Yearbook Quotes
• Yearbook Covers
• Yearbook Layouts

A yearbook cover is a blank canvas waiting for you to get creative. Setting the stage for the rest of the pages, a yearbook cover oftentimes reflects the overarching theme of the school year. You can opt for classic school spirit, a spin off a piece of popular culture, a celebration of the past year and many more. But how to distill that idea into one image can be a challenge. To help, we created 80 yearbook cover ideas with varying designs that you make yourself and can adapt to your school. It includes spirited graphics and quirky quotes that relate to you students all the way to more traditional designs that will allow your photos to shine.

Shop Trending Categories

Canvas Prints

Graduation Announcements

We even included helpful filters for elementary, middle and high school yearbooks to find something that fits the personality of your student body. What will you pick as the “wow” factor for your yearbook? There isn’t a wrong answer, so with your design in hand get a yearbook quote and start building memories.

Instructions: Click through the buttons below to sort by grade and style. Click the photo for a larger view.

Young kids will love this bright yearbook cover that features adorable cat and alligator illustrations.

Kids will love flipping through a yearbook that features a bright cover with the classic ‘ABCs.’

Go green with your yearbook by using this bright green cover that features a class hard at work learning about science.

Celebrate the best year ever with this brightly colored yearbook cover idea for high school students.

Show off highlights from your high school with this yearbook cover design, featuring space for a photo and a brightly colored background.

Whether you want to show happy students at prom or a class hard at work, this cover is the perfect way to display your photo.

This brightly colored cover is perfect for elementary schoolers – they’ll love the polka dot design.

If you’re looking for colorful yearbook cover ideas, take a look at this cover featuring bright orange, red and blue stripes.

Display a photo of your students having one of their best days ever on this colorful yearbook cover.

Your students will love this yearbook cover that features a bright blue patterned background and plenty of space for a photo.

If you want to make a photo of your students the focal point of your yearbook cover, check out this creative design.

Show off your students’ smiling faces with this yearbook design, featuring the saying ‘A Year about Us.’

Yearbooks are all about collecting the memories of the past school year, and this bright cover celebrates that tradition.

If you want to use multiple photos on your yearbook covers, check out this School Year Memories cover with space for two photos.

Brighten up your students’ day with this colorful yearbook cover, featuring a gold spine and blue and white polka dotted.

If you’re looking for modern yearbook cover ideas, check out this bold ‘Go Big or Go Home’ design.

Encourage your students to ‘go big or go home’ with their school ambitions with this yearbook cover design.

The ‘Go Big or Go Home’ yearbook cover design pairs perfectly with a photo of a smiling student in their graduation robe.

With its cute illustrated school bus, this cover is an adorable idea for elementary schoolers.

This School Memories cover is the perfect place to display one of your favorite class photos.

A school bus illustration adds a cute touch to this yearbook cover that also features two fun class photos.

Your students will smile when they see this ‘Everyday Happiness’ cover – the sweet phrase will remind them of how much joy school brings.

A funny photo of the whole class is a great addition to this "Everyday Happiness" yearbook cover.

If you want to use a photo collage for your yearbook cover, take inspiration from this cover that shows scenes from throughout the school year.

Celebrate the entire school year, from the first day to the last, with this fun ‘From A to Z’ yearbook cover.

The saying ‘From A to Z’ looks wonderful next to a photo of the whole class lined up and ready to begin school.

A silly class photo is a great choice for a yearbook cover – it will remind students how much fun they have at school.

A classic black and white yearbook cover is an elegant choice for a high school yearbook.

To add a pop of color to a black and white yearbook cover photo, try surrounding the photo with a gold frame.

A graduation photo is a great choice for senior yearbook covers – they’re a wonderful way to show the graduating class’s accomplishment.

Commemorate a great school year with this bright yearbook cover that has plenty space for the perfect photo.

Display a photo of your students having an absolutely great school year with this yearbook cover design.

Remind your students about all the joy that can be found in the little things in life with this yearbook cover.

This ‘Joy in the Little Things’ yearbook cover works perfectly with a sweet photo of two friends smiling.

Show how much fun your students have together with this ‘Joy in the Little Things’ yearbook cover.

If you’re looking for simple yearbook cover ideas, take a look at this cover featuring the school name and a photograph.

A picture says a thousand words on this lovely yearbook cover that simply says the school’s name.

The fun ‘Life is Awesome’ saying works perfectly with the brightly colored stripes on this cover.

With this yearbook cover design, you can display a collage of photos that truly prove that ‘Life is Awesome.’

The saying ‘Life is Awesome’ goes perfectly with all sorts of yearbook cover photos, including a lovely image of a student reading.

Life is always good when you have a beautiful yearbook cover displaying a fun photo of your students.

For a unique yearbook cover idea, use two different patterns, like this cover does with stripes and polka dots.

Bright purple, dark blue and light blue stripes add a whimsical element to this yearbook cover.

Your students will definitely laugh out loud when they see this cover featuring the famous texting acronym.

If you’re looking for modern yearbook cover ideas, try adding a phrase with a hashtag to your cover.

Make your yearbook covers truly LOL-worthy by using a funny photo of your students on the cover.

This yearbook cover is the perfect place to display a photo of one of your most cherished memories.

A yearbook is filled with some of your students’ most cherished memories of the school year, and this cover celebrates that.

Display three of your most cherished memories from the school year with this yearbook cover design.

This fun yearbook cover features a modern font that looks perfect with the bright gold spine.

With a modern font and room for a large photograph, this yearbook cover design definitely gets an A+.

Elementary schoolers will love the bright colors and fun font on this yearbook cover.

Use all of the colors of the rainbow on your yearbook cover with this fun design.

A funky chevron design is a great background for this yearbook cover that’s perfect for all ages.

With its creative design, large photograph and bright colors, this yearbook cover definitely rules.

Measure out a successful school year with this yearbook cover featuring a ruler design.

Teachers and students alike will love a yearbook cover design that features an illustrated apple.

Show your love for your school with this modern yearbook cover that has plenty of space for a great photo.

Give friends and family a taste of life at your school with this cover that has a cute apple illustration.

Show how much your students have played, laughed, learned and grown with this yearbook cover idea.

Remind your students how much fun they have at school with School Rules’ yearbook covers that have a bright striped pattern.

This fun ‘School Rules’ cover will inspire students to practice their cursive. They’ll also love the bright stripes behind the photograph.

Show how much school rules by placing a photograph of your class having fun together on this yearbook cover.

The bright yellow and white polka dot background catches the eye on this yearbook cover. The meaningful phrase ‘Little Moments, Big Memories’ is also a sweet touch.

This yearbook cover is the perfect place to display a photo of a moment or event that was significant to you and your students.

The blue filter over the photograph adds a cool effect that kids are sure to love. The ‘Little Moments, Big Memories’ saying adds a meaningful touch to the cover.

Share a sweet photograph of your students “just hanging out” on this yearbook cover.

This sweet yearbook cover shows that sometimes the smallest moments in the school day are the most meaningful.

If you’re thinking of using a casual photo of your students on the yearbook cover, take inspiration from this ‘Just Hanging Out’ cover.

This yearbook cover design has plenty of space for all of the best photos of your students from throughout the year.

This ‘School Days’ cover is as cute as a button. The gold stars and stripes also add a fun touch to the cover design.

This classic School Days cover has lovely and subtle stripes on the side that works nicely next to a class photo.

Show one of your favorite school days on this cute cover that has a fun column of stripes down the middle.

Showcase some of your students’ favorite memories from senior year with this yearbook cover design.

If you’re trying to find yearbook cover designs for seniors, check out this fun cover with cute diagonal stripes.

Celebrate a banner year with this yearbook cover, featuring space for a full page photo.

A funny photo of students laughing together goes perfectly with the saying ‘Fun Times.’

Have your students pose in their coolest sunglasses for a cute yearbook cover idea.

Whether you’re using a photo of multiple students or just one student, the ‘Fun Times’ saying works perfectly on a yearbook cover.

Celebrate the accomplishments of your school’s football team with this yearbook cover design featuring the team’s name.

Head out to the football field for a great yearbook cover photo that shows one of your school’s football players decked out in their letterman jacket.

This yearbook cover design is a nice way to thank your school’s football players for a great season.

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Online yearbook maker

Showcase your amazing work in the most attractive way! With Flipsnack, you can learn how to create a yearbook that’s both impressive and informative. Simply upload your PDF file or create from scratch. You can then publish it online or download it for print. Try for free.

How to make a yearbook online

Find out how you can design the perfect yearbook by simply following these steps:

1. Upload your own PDF or start from scratch

It’s really easy to create your own yearbook design with Flipsnack. You can either upload your pre-made PDF or you can choose to start from scratch. Regardless of your choice, you’ll surely end up with a gorgeous yearbook to brag about!

2. Design and edit your yearbook online

Flipsnack’s drag and drop editor is easy-to-use. You can upload your own childhood or high school photos in order to create a personal yearbook that will forever keep the good memories alive. Feel free to edit your photos as much as you want: you can crop them, apply filters, add some frames or shadows to make them more eye-catching.

3. Add your own text

Whether it’s a high school yearbook, family yearbook or company yearbook, the text part is always important when talking about such a photo album. Personalize your own yearbook with some favorite quotes or testimonials. You can also add the date when you took the photos, just to make sure that those memories won’t get lost. Choose the color of your texts and your fonts, align the text exactly as you want and place it wherever on the yearbook’s page.

4. Save and publish online or print your yearbook design

Once you’re happy with the final result, it’s time to save your masterpiece. Download your yearbook and share it online with your friends and family, or print it so you can flick through its pages whenever you want. You also have the option to embed it on your website.

Free yearbook templates ready-to-use

Capture the most memorable moments of your life with the help of our dazzling and free yearbook templates. Make your own yearbook online by simply dragging and dropping your photos and playing around with design elements. Be it a high school yearbook, college yearbook or even a company yearbook, you’ll surely find something suitable if you’ll browse through our exciting yearbook templates collection. No matter what you choose, make it an online yearbook to remember!

Download and print your yearbook

After you’ve designed an attractive and impressive yearbook it would be such a pity not to print it and share it with your loved ones, don’t you think so? It’s great to remember the good old times together by means of a printed photo album. We advise you to print your yearbook at a professional print shop, so your photos won’t lose their clarity.

Yearbook cover ideas to get you inspired

Before designing your own yearbook, you should know from the start than an attractive one should definitely have an eye-catching cover. The cover is the first thing someone notices, so make sure it’s something that stands out from the crowd. If you’ve never designed a yearbook cover before and have no idea how to do it, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Feast your eyes over this beautiful collage with yearbook cover ideas created by our talented users.

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Stunning yearbook examples created by our users

It’s always a pleasure for us to publish beautiful yearbook examples that were created by our users with the help of our professional yearbook creator. You can also design something extraordinary just like these, either from an existing PDF file or with our online yearbook maker.

With Flipsnack you can make yearbooks and more

Take advantage of our amazing publishing platform that gives you the possibility to create and publish stunning magazines, catalogs, reports, newspapers, yearbook layouts and many more. Discover its benefits by clicking on the following buttons:

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How to Run a Yearbook Cover Contest

If you really want your yearbook to rustle up some good ol’ fashioned school spirit, you need to run a contest that asks for student artwork to use on your book’s cover.

That’s because a yearbook cover content is pretty much the best way to get people excited about the yearbook, tie your book’s theme to the stuff your school community cares about, and make your book something no other school can replicate. (Ever school has students and every student can make cool art, but no other school has your students or their cool art.) If you’re anything like us, you’re probably so excited at the idea of all those benefits that you’re ready to jump right and get it going.

But… uhh… Where do you even start?

When it comes right down to it, running a yearbook cover contest only requires a few key elements:

• Picking a theme around which your students can create artwork.
• Getting the word out about the contest.
• Organizing submissions.
• Putting the great stuff you get to use on your cover—and a bunch of other pages.

Inside this post, we’ll walk you through how to run a yearbook cover contest, ideas for what the contest should entail, and what to do with all your submissions.

But first…

Why Should You Run a Yearbook Cover Contest?

We already covered a couple of the reasons on why yearbook cover contests are so great, but here’s another: They’re a way to get every student to feel like they own part of the yearbook process.

If your yearbook team is a bunch of control freaks (and, hey, we mean that in a good way!), hear us out: Getting people to help you is actually a great marketing tactic.

Your team, then, gets some free help (while still having total say over how everything is used) and gets some highly effective marketing. Plus, you’ll end up getting submissions from students you’d never have expected—and that might lead to spotting the next yearbook team member.

Win-win? We think so, too.

Plus, yearbook cover contests are a lot like those “we need photos!” emails you send too many times in a year. Only, this: They actually work. We haven’t met a school yet where the kids aren’t super-motivated to participate.

And because the artwork will roll in fast and furious, your team will have tons of time to figure out how to use it all. That might sound like a headache, but it’s not: It’s an easy way to let your team get creative.

Running a Yearbook Cover Contest

First thing’s first: You gotta know what you’re looking for.

That might sound overly basic, but a yearbook cover contest only works if you have a well-defined set of requirements for the artwork. It might be artwork of your school mascot, it might be a drawing of what the school’s motto means to you, it might be a student’s favorite scene from the school year. Whatever it is, you need a theme.

If you have that, you just need to get the word out.

Posters, flyers, social media: You can use it all. But just remember to be specific about the important stuff, like what, exactly, you’re looking for, when the deadline is, and how students can submit. While we’re at it, here’s a checklist of other items that you might want to include in your requirements:

• Student name, grade, and class
• Materials and media to be used
• Any required written theme or saying
• School logo
• Color and design parameters

While all of this information might not fit on a poster that can be hung around the halls, you can still promote your yearbook contest through striking, informational visuals hung around the school and in flyers that can be stuffed into backpacks.

And if you’ve never run a yearbook cover contest before, you might want to set some expectations and let people know what’s going to happen with all that artwork you receive.

Not everyone can win a contest, of course, and means you’ll only be highlighting a few pieces of student artwork on the actual cover. Explain the rules of the contest in advance. It’ll save you some tears, hurt feelings, and frustration.

Ideas For What to do With All Those Submissions

Let’s face it: Having a single winner’s only fun for one student.

Instead of hurting a bunch of kids’ feelings, why not make everyone who submits feel like a winner instead? It’s pretty easy to do. Here are two ideas:

• Use a mosaic design on your cover that incorporates the works of several students.
• Highlight one contest winner on the front cover, then include winners from the various grades on the back cover.
• Use the artwork submissions throughout the book: on the front and back cover and as section or class dividers in the portraits section.

This is a super easy way to better represent your school community, showcase the talents of your student body, and improve cover contest participation next year.

While a pretty design or single, striking photo might be the norm for your school’s yearbook, a contest that highlights student artwork can help you create a unique, student-driven yearbook that generates renewed interest in your community.

More Design

• How to Design Captivating Yearbook Page Layouts

Designing your yearbook can be a lot of work. It can also be a lot of fun! Your yearbook page layouts provide the perfect opportunity to really harness your creative skill-set. 

The real question though, is how you can design captivating yearbook page layouts? It’s one thing to have a creative, artsy layout. It’s an entirely different thing to have a yearbook layout that really captivates your audience! 

We’ve put together some tips to help you design a captivating yearbook page layout. 

Creating A Yearbook Page 

A great yearbook is organized, well-structured, and maximizes all the space available. Your yearbook page layout is more than just the copy and visuals.  

Let’s start with the basics. In order to make a yearbook page, you need to: 

• Start with your yearbook’s style guide or master template
• Set the goals for your page, such as content and theme.
• Choose a yearbook page template. Alternatively, create a custom yearbook page layout. Your choice should depend on the goals for your page. 
• Add your content. This will include captions, copy, photos and headlines. 
• Edit your page. Get feedback from your yearbook team. 
• Proof your page. 

These steps can be followed for every page of your yearbook. Following this process can make creating your yearbook much easier!

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to get into the details! Designing a captivating yearbook page layout is easier than you may think. Follow these tips to make sure your yearbook is one that really captivates.

Write Effective Headlines

A headline has one primary purpose: to tell the reader what the page is about. Your headline needs to jump out at the reader. A good headline is short and descriptive. Make sure it’s readable, and in a large font that captivates your reader. 

Compliment your primary headline with subheadings throughout your copy. These are a great way to break up the content. They also help to further highlight what your page is about. Your headlines can be a great way to grab your readers eye. Try using drop shadows or other effects on your headlines to really make your page pop!

Choose The Right Photo

Choosing the right photo for your yearbook page is important! Make sure the photo that you choose relates to the content of the page. Just like your headline, the right photo will jump out at your reader. It will entice them to read more. 

Feel free to add additional photos or pictures to your page. Make sure they relate to the primary content and theme. 

Selecting Your Font

It may not be something that you immediately think of, but fonts can help define a page. It’s also a great opportunity to get creative. You can highlight elements of your page with different fonts, or different colors. 

Margins & Bleeds

As part of creating your yearbook layout, you should have an understanding of your margins and bleeds. Remember, not all of the workspace you see on your page will be printable space. You’ll want to know where the trim zone on your page is (spoiler alert – this is part of the page that’s cut off at the printers). 

Your yearbook design software can be a great help here. It should highlight where on the page you can place your various design elements. Background colors and elements should span the entire page so that they bleed from one corner to the other post-trim, but other design elements should stay within a safety zone to avoid being trimmed in production.

Find Your Perfect Yearbook Design Software

The best way to create a captivating yearbook page, is to play around with different options! Using yearbook design software can give you the flexibility to try different design elements on your page. It may also offer various templates and backgrounds for you to choose from, to help you create a one-of-a-kind yearbook. 

At Yearbooklife, we want to help you create a professional, memorable yearbook. That’s why we offer easy-to-use yet sophisticated design tools like Pictavo . Create a unique yearbook, keep your staff organized, and get help marketing your yearbook. Interested in learning more? Contact YearbookLife by clicking here today .

Need Help with Your School Yearbooks?

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Yearbook Sections & Design

Modified on Sat, 26 Aug 2023 at 07:42 AM

Tip:  Please visit our Creative Insights  blog article to have  What To Include In A Yearbook: A Comprehensive Guide  

A basic yearbook will include the following page types:

• a cover (front and back)
• an inside cover : the first page of the book, possibly including a dedication or a mission statement and/or a table of contents .
• a  message from the principal / administration: photo of the principal, and possible the vice-principal or other administrator with words of welcome or a summary statement for the year.
• staff portraits : portrait grid of the staff. This page may be organized alphabetically by last name, or the staff may be broken into their departments, with office/admin, homeroom teachers, specialists and support staff in separate categories.
• student portraits , organized by homeroom (elementary) or grade (middle, high school). 
• activities and events pages
• autograph page (s).

For additional section ideas, consult the   Creative Section Ideas area of this knowledge base.

Pick a theme

Create a palette of 2-3 colors, select a limited range of fonts (title, subtitle, paragraph text).

You can apply the theme book wide, or on a per section basis. For instance, your sports section can be themed to uniform colors, and portrait pages use a single texture of a background in a rainbow of colors.

Don't clutter your page

The focus of your yearbook is the photos and text you use on your page - not all the fun backgrounds and clip art. To keep your book tidy, use Memento Yearbook's layout as a starting point. Many designs include "negative space" around the photos and text, to give the page breathing room and allow the reader to appreciate the content.

Keep areas with text clean, or frame them out with a background shape, so they are legible.  Use only your absolute best photos, as few as possible: every extra photo on a page makes the other photos less impactful. A page cluttered with dozens of photos means that no one person will be visible in any photo - you aren't capturing a memory of a time and place if you can't see any details. 

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By Your Side

The yearbook is finished-what now (part i–projects).

1. GRAPHICS NOTEBOOK

Students should look through magazines and collect a variety of graphic ideas. Give students a list of items (with a specific number of required examples) to find such as headline treatments, folios, secondary story packages, drop or raised caps, wrapped text, pulled-quote or have them just find items they like and organize them in a way that is pleasing and makes sense to the reader. They should keep the notebooks for ideas for next year’s book. This project can be an on-going assignment throughout the year with additional requirements added at different points. Consider adding typography treatments, photography elements, page layouts, color design, etc.

2. DESIGN A PERSONAL YEARBOOK

This final project should include a cover, endsheet, title page, opening, division page and one spread from each section of the book. It can be an autobiographical yearbook with personal photos, essays, poems, activities, interests, etc. built around a personal theme determine by the individual (a favorite song, a movie title, etc.) or by a general theme topic assigned to all that each person will develop in his/her own way. Or, this can be a starting-off point for next year’s book. Students can work individually or in groups to produce a mini-yearbook that could potentially be expanded into next year’s book.

3. STAFF NOTEBOOK

Each staff member creates a notebook to pass on to a new staffer for next year. Notebooks should include a month-by-month calendar of duties and deadlines, a section outlining the position’s tasks and tips on how to complete assignments, with specific instructions on copy writing, cropping, photography, organization, etc. required by the position. Then, have each staff member write a personal letter to the person who will be taking the position next year to include in the front of the notebook. These can be digital or actual hard-copy notebooks in binders or folders. Content is more important than form for this project.

4.CREATIVITY

Design an all-staff design contest for next year’s staff letterhead, business cards, staff t-shirts, etc. Each student submits his/her designs via formal presentation to the entire staff with explanation of their creations. After all presentations are made, secret ballot decides the winning designs.

5. EARN MONEY

Produce the graduation program, prom program, spring concert or play program, tickets, forms etc. as a fund-raiser for yearbook. Design resumes for students seeking summer jobs.

What end-of-the-school-year project do you do? We’d love to hear about it!

Next up:  Planning Ahead –6 things to do now that will make a big difference next year.

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MS Word Cover Page Templates

Download, personalize & print, yearbook cover pages.

Posted By: admin 19/09/2019

When it comes to designing the cover page of your yearbook, there are lots of designs over there which are ready to be picked up. Sometimes, the user gets so many designs that it becomes difficult for him to choose the one which is more appropriate for him.

What is cover page of the yearbook?

The front page of the yearbook is the very first thing to be seen when someone looks into the design of the yearbook is known as yearbook cover page. Its primary purpose is to cover the book and provide protection to the pages of the book. However, these days, the yearbook is predominately used to give a certain type of impression to the reader.

As a matter of fact, people create the cover page of the yearbook with so much attention and efforts and they try to ensure that the cover page is capable enough to grab the attention of the reader. This cover page reflects the school and its students.  

These days, the cover page of any book is like a blank canvas which is ready to be designed. The yearbook, in particular, is used to reflect the theme of the school year. Some schools dedicate the entire cover to a specific theme. The theme chosen by the school should be reflected in the cover page of the yearbook.

How to design the cover page of the yearbook?

• As it has been told earlier, there is a theme of every school that a yearbook cover page generally reflects. Anyone wanting to create the yearbook cover page should be aware of the theme so that the cover can become the representation of that theme.
• There are many traditional designs of the yearbook cover pages in which most of the cover pages are designed. It completely depends on the choice of the person that which type of cover page he actually needs. No matter which design is chosen, it should always be created in the best possible layout.
• Add the required details to the cover page of the yearbook. You should be cognizant of the type of details that should be added. It should be kept in mind that not every cover page of the yearbook includes the details. Some cover books only include the image and the year.
• Use the cover page of the yearbook template for using the professionally designed cover page. The templates often provide the best and easy to use cover pages. The user is required to customize the cover page in order to tailor it to his specific needs.
• A yearbook no doubt brightens up the day of your student. So, if you are intended to give a good impression, you can simply add the vibrant colors to the yearbook that will definitely enhance its colors and beauty. For adding more attractiveness to the cover page, you can add borders, attractive images and lots of such things that can easily grab the attention of the reader. 

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commtechclass .com   :: educational design  

PLEASE NOTE: Due to high demand,   I can not longer support teachers using my website.  

Yearbook Cover Assignment 

You task is to create the yearbook Cover. You need to include the school name and date on the spin of the cover and have flow between the front and back cover! You will lay it out using Adobe Photoshop.

Please follow ALL of the steps!

Step 1 -- Gather many different types of information (must be appropriate). Ideas from the Internet, other yearbooks and book cover ideas. All images used from the Internet MUST be royalty free. Use the sites listed.

Step 2 -- Come up with at least two rough sketches of two different layouts for your cover. You must complete your coloured rough drafts BEFORE you start your final copy on the computer! Use paper provided!

Step 3 --You must include our school name and school year on the front cover and spine FTB=Feet to Back.

Proper way not the French way!

Step 4 – The Cover must follow the theme that was decided. Ensure that you have good flow from front to back!

Step 5 -- Save project as “firstname_lastname_cover.psd” and save it to the classroom in the assignment folder.

> CLICK HERE to download the template

> CLICK HERE to download the assignment sheet and rubric

Student Examples

2021-2022 - doodles theme.

2018-2019 - Doodles Theme

2017-2018 - Geometric Theme