There’s no two ways around it, the popularity of comic books is on the rise. And they’re not just for kids any more either.
It is no coincidence therefore, that we have seen the popularity of the comic book yearbook theme rise too. It’s colourful, fun, and results in great looking yearbooks. They are great for a retro nostalgic feel, and can be great fun to put together. *POW*
We appreciate that it isn’t obvious to everyone just how you turn your comic book yearbook ideas into reality. So here are some of the design features:
- Halftone effect images. Half-tone images are made up of small dots – if you have access to Adobe Photoshop you can create this effect on your own images – take a look at this tutorial to see how (if you don’t have Photoshop, there are free alternatives including GIMP – see www.gimp.org). Use half-tone patterns as part of your background and overlay contrasting colours for a really vivid effect.
- Bright and bold colours. We have all read comic books, so we all know that they always include bright and bold blocks of colours. Be careful not to overload your yearbook with too many colours though, or people might start to feel a bit dizzy while they’re reading them. We recommend using three colours (as well as black and white) to create the perfect comic book effect.
- Speech Bubbles. We’re sure that you don’t need telling this, but if you are going to go for a comic book theme, you’re going to need to include plenty of speech bubbles and caption boxes. Head down to your nearest library and flick through some of their comic books to see how it’s done, or Google some images, however you choose to do your research you will come to the same conclusion. Speech bubbles in comic books are vital.
- BAM! Zap! POW! We know that many of the newer comic books no longer use these, but if you are looking to create a retro comic book effect, you are going to want to throw some of these in.
- The Font. We suggest using fonts such as ‘Felt Tip’ Marker Felt’ and (this one might take you by surprise) ‘Comic Book’. They all work really well for comments and sound effect text. We do recommend that you use easier to read fonts in places that you are featuring larger sections of text.
- Illustrations of teachers and students. Ask around to see if anyone in your school is a talented artist and happy to draw some comic book superhero characters. If they’re really good they might be able to turn you and some of your classmates into superheroes.
- Turn Photos into Comic Book Graphics. Use some photos from school events or trips and trace outlines of the shames in the image. If you then colour each ‘shape’ in one block colour, and add a black outline, you can create an awesome comic book style graphic.
Do your research.
Before you begin your comic book themed yearbook you should do some research. We have no doubt that you are fully aware how useful Google is when researching, so get on-line and start looking for comic book examples. Search for the DC Comics and Marvel sites to see how they put their comic books together. You should probably research all of the yearbook ideas that you want to use, but if you aren’t an avid reader of comic books then it is especially important to research this.
I’m sure many of you will be familiar with the art movement during the 1950’s and 60’s called ‘Pop Art‘. This art craze is a great inspirational resource for your comic book yearbook theme. Take a look at Roy Lichtenstein’s work – he was an American artist famous for his comic strip paintings of the 1960’s, these were made up entirely of dots to simulate the half tone effect of print. Like Roy Lichtenstein, you could create a highly stylised comic-style design.
Another pop artist to look at is Andy Warhol – his technique and style was different to Lichtenstein’s as, in his early work, he replicated a screen printed effect (a little later on he discovered that actual screen printing was faster than painting onto canvas). He painted everyday household objects, like a can of soup or a bottle of coke; these Pop Art pieces were bold and colourful works of art from which you can take inspiration when designing your yearbook.
Get your free Sample Guide for loads more yearbook design ideas and more, or call us on 01480 410432.
