Layer up with the scrapbook-look
Once you’ve begun collecting and collating your first items of content, you’ll want to get your hands dirty with the design! In this post we’ll look at the design theme ‘scrapbooking‘; this style is very popular and can incorporate a ‘retro’ feel.
Firstly, I’d suggest meeting with the rest of your yearbook committee and asking them to bring pages from magazines, websites or books as examples of their favourite designs and styles. From there, you can start to build a ‘mood board’. This will give you a basis to begin creating a general theme for your yearbook. Try to pin-down a colour scheme (3 colours is recommended); this could relate to your school logo or just generally colours which you feel reflect your year group. With a scrapbook-style design there are few rules, and a mix of styles and textures is usually very effective. However, be wary of trying to squeeze too much onto a page – this risks taking attention away from the important content of your yearbook!
Create your own drop-back by cutting and sticking bits of paper, string, ribbon, etc that either reflect the person you are or perhaps that reflect what your schooldays were all about. To achieve the latter you could collage scraps of school reports, lined paper, brown paper, bus passes, homework diary pages, pens, pencils, rulers, magazine and newspaper cuttings, coffee cups, biscuits, etc. on a hard surface and take a good quality photo. Insert this into your chosen yearbook design software and begin layering photos and text over the top of your background. At this stage be as creative and specific (or diverse) with your designs as you want or as time permits.
Look at: scrapbooking.com for inspirational videos and ideas on scrapbook styles and 55 Crafty Scrapbook Pages for different layout and media choice ideas to incorporate into your own yearbook pages. Most importantly, have fun and experiment!
For more ideas and help with planning your project, see our Yearbook Ideas and download our ‘How To’ guides!