ACS Yearbook: Must Dos

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!

“You are the eyes and ears of your school! You are the collective memory; if you don’t remember, no one will!”

Ron Cueba

Last updated on December 7, 2005

 

-        Check web site http://acsyearbook.tripod.com regularly for new additions.

-        Each student will be responsible for at least 7 full spreads.

-        Get ready to work after school and on weekends:

After school Hours: We start in November.

Minimum number of hours per week: November: 3; December: 5; January => March: 6; April => June: 7

-        If you do not mark the number of extra hours on the log form, the hours will not count towards your community service hours.

-        Make sure all the events you are in charge of are covered (you are graded on these).

-        Weekly graded assignment: You will take at least 5 candid photos for HS, 5 candid photos for MS, and 5 candid photos for Staff per week. These should be downloaded into your own folder (under yearbook06, candid photo assignment folder) by Friday, along with descriptions for those photos (date taken, place, who is in the picture, what were they doing?)

-        Check the back of the door for new things to do.

-        Write down, on the computer problems form (back of door), what kind of computer problems you are having.

-        Bring your “Idea Book,” “Yearbook Fundamentals” and “Your Curriculum” every time to class. You might be given, at any time, specific on-the-spot-assignments for which you will need to use your own book.

-        Take your yearbook folder out of the filing cabinet at the beginning of class and return it before you leave.

-        Log out the other class’s account and log on yearbook class’s.

-        Access the folder yearbook06 and place it on your desktop.

To get “Yearbook06” Folder:

Make sure you are on Finder => Go => connect to server => highlight afp://172.16.31.20 => connect => highlight “yearbook06” => OK

-        At the end of class, put everything you worked on in the folder allotted to you under yearbook06.

-        Log out before you leave and place your chair back in its place: make sure nothing is left behind and everything is back in place (this is part of your participation grade; i.e. if someone else needs to log you off, to throw your papers, and to put your chair back in place, there is no way for you to get 4/4 on your participation grade).

-        At the end of every week, you will fill out the “Yearbook Weekly Log” form.

-        Advertisements:

Deadline for first contact: December 10

Deadline for Business Ads Contract: December 22

Deadline for Business Ads Collection: February 24

 

Before you start working on a spread:

  1. Go to the folder allotted to you in yearbook06 shared folder.
  2. Create a subfolder for the spread you are working on.
  3. Select all the photos you want to use on the spread
  4. Create a folder for them in your account under yearbook06: name the folder according to the pages you are working on (example: if you are working on pages 2-3 of the ladder, your folder will be titled “p2-3-table of contents”)
  5. Place the photos you have chosen in that folder
  6. Create a sub-folder titled “Edited Photos”
  7. Go on Photoshop and, before you use those photos on your InDesign spread, do the following for each photo:

-        Image => mode = CMYK

-        Image => size = after unchecking “resample” => size 300 dpi

-        Save as => TIFF

 

1.    Photos: (Columbia workshop- Linus Downes- Virginia)

-        A good photo should:


§        Grab attention

§        Tell a story

§        Show action

§        Trigger memory

§        Get an emotional response


 

-        NO POSED PICTURES, aside from mug shots and team/group photos!

-        Four tips for photographers: Get Close! Get Close! Get Close! Get Close!

-        Take close-ups! You cannot take great action shots from far away!

-        When taking a picture, think prepositionally (beside, above, under, below, next…)

-        Different angles make pictures more interesting; always take pictures from the most dramatic angle possible; vary your bodily position as you shoot. Keep the camera level.

-        When we take pictures, we need to capture both the action and reaction, then we pick.

-        Capture color: point the camera to reds, vibrant greens and blues, oranges, and yellows.

-        Crop tightly as you frame each picture; floors, ceilings and blank walls do not intrigue the reader.

-        For mods, we need to make collections of similar pictures.

-        Take the camera outside of the school walls.

-        Great pictures give birth to great stories.

-        Remember the rule of thirds: the action of the shot should never be dead center, but off to the side.

-        Once you have been assigned or you have volunteered to take photos for a specific event, you should download those photos on the desktop of the computer allotted to you no later than the following school day, and you should include the following with each set of photos in a word document inside the photo folder: Who, What, When, Where + at least 6 different quotations (from coach, participants, audience) that answer Why and How (you will receive a grade on this).

 

2.       Design: Once you have modified the photos, start working on your spread

-        Make sure that, when you open a new document, you set the page size to A4 instead of Letter.

-        Make sure you have 8 columns on each page (vertically + horizontally)

-        In a column design, all elements fall within the columns and do not stop in the middle of a column. (p.67)

-        Make sure the horizontal guides go from margin to margin.

-        Make sure you lock the guides: View => lock guides

-        Make sure you have an eyeline per spread.

-        Design from the bottom up (p.66).

-        Make sure you have a very effective DOMINANT photo per spread (20% of the spread: at least 21/2 to 3 times the size of the next biggest photo element; the dominant photo should mostly consist of individuals and pairs, unless you think it is essential that you use a group photo as a dominant). The dominant photo should touch the top or bottom margin, or even both.

-        Do not put 2 photos of the same shape next to each other on a spread.

-        Make sure at least 1 photo bleeds on each page of a spread (never bleed top or bottom).

-        Make sure the photos are placed in a way that makes the reader look towards the gutter (all people in photos should face towards the center => concentrate everything to the middle). Work from the Middle Out, not outside in!

-        Group photos and individual portraits should not go across the gutter. (p71)

-        Place from 5 to 9 photos on each spread. Diversify shapes and size (avoid squares!) to create contrast.

-        Make sure you stick to the fonts and font sizes agreed upon:(cf.Columbia pp81-82)

§        Copy/body: Bookman Old Style-  size 10 (Opening & Closing dividers: size 12-14 - Theme copy: 12-16)

§        Headlines:
-   Primary: Lucida Black Letter  size 42-72 (size per section)
-   Sub headlines: Eurostile size 16-24

§        Captions:
-   Titles: Copperplate size 9 bold
-   Body: Eurostile size 8 regular

§        Sports:
-   Headlines: Impact- size 42-72 (size per section)

-   Sub Headline: Lucida Handwriting size 16-24
-   Copy: Eurostile size 10

 

-        Make sure that Sports Headlines are NOT in a script/decorative font

-        The Type we use on the cover we should use throughout the book.

-        Make sure no less and no more than 1 pica separates all the elements on the spread.

-        Make sure that, on every spread, you respect the following:

§        Contrast

§        Proximity

§        Alignment

§        Repetition

-        Make sure you ONLY use CMYK colors!!

-        Make sure that every element on the spread fits exactly into the internal lines of the columns and guides.

-        All white space should be to the outside of the layout.

-        “White space is the most sophisticated thing in yearbook”

-        Borders = 4 picas

-        Bleed= 0.125 inches

-        Leading: It should be 120% of the point size. Ex: 10 pt type => 12 pt leading- The longer the copy, the greater the leading.

-        File => document presets : to put the same format on all computers

-        1 inch = 6 picas

-        NO 2 spreads alike: vary the layout of spreads!

-        WOW Inducing Designs!! Never settle for the just ok!

-        Visual and verbal connection: hook the reader to the content; tie the visual and verbal together.

-        Do not use graphic elements without any purpose! Use graphics to:

§        Unify

§        Separate

§        Direct

§        Emphasize

 

-        Mug Shot Pages: Group shots: add info graph => who is the adviser, how many members, when do they meet….

§        Page Layout for Seniors, Grade 8 students, and staff:

1.    5 columns

2.    6 guides

3.    0p5 gutter for both

§        Page Layout for Grades 11-10-9-7-6:

1.    6 columns

2.    7 guides

3.    0p5 gutter for both

 

3.    Interview… Interview… Interview! (pp.52-55)

-        The interview is the main source of information for any story!

-        Ask open-ended questions (no just yes or no questions; add why and how).

-        Write the lead on the most significant thing the interviewee said.

-        You need to have at least the following questions answered:

Who? When? Where? What? Why? How?

+

What happened before?

What happened after?

How did they feel? Why?

Quotes from different people:

Quote # 1:

Quote # 2:

Quote # 3:

Quote # 4:

Quote # 5:

Quote # 6:

4.    Copy:

-        Copy writers should attend the events they are covering! They need to get information first-hand by attending event and interviewing participants. (p.61)

-        Make sure that every copy starts with a “Catchy opening sentence” => Hook them or Lose them!

-        Make sure that every copy starts with a lead (introduction): allusion, astonisher, atmosphere, background, compare/contrast, descriptive, direct quotation, exclamatory, narrative hook, parody, personal experience, question, shocking statement, summary, suspended interest, or suspense/teaser.

-        In the lead, emphasize the HOW and WHY.

-        Follow the same Approach throughout a section -as much as possible- and this approach has to be related to the theme! Then vs. Now, for example.


-        2 Approaches to Copy:

§        Lead, Body (5 Ws and H), Conclusion.

§        Lead, Quote, Transition, Quote, Transition, Quote, Closing Transition, Conclusion.

-        Keep in mind that good writing contains numerous, story-telling quotes. (p.52)

-        Start with the most important and end with the least important (so that, in case we need to cut out a part of the copy for lack of space, we end up cutting out the least important)

-        Every copy needs to have an angle: the point you want to make!

-        Write the way students talk.

-        Avoid using the phrase “this year” and the school’s name.

-        DO NOT MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE! No sarcasm!

-        NO PERSONAL OPINION (do not editorialize)! Interview and quote people (whoever we quote can give their opinion)!

-        Indent: 3 spaces, not 5.

-        No comma before and in a series. Titles are italicized, not underlined. Use smart quotes (“ ”) not ("").

-        Give credit to whoever writes the article (we shall try to put the author’s name at the bottom of every spread).

-        Write copy in the third person for objectivity. (p.53)

-        Always make sure names are spelled correctly.

-        Check the following web site: http://www.theonion.com (parody)

-        “Good yearbook copy is ... a narrative that should engage the reader’s senses and emotions.” Bobby Hawthorne- Idea File- Winter 1997

 

5.       Headlines:

-        One main headline per spread.

-        Headlines should be clever, arresting and exciting. They need to draw readers who might otherwise ignore the copy into reading the story on the spread (Columbia p.60).

-        Secondary headlines are very important.

-        Headlines should not contain material that will be found elsewhere. (p.62)

-        Choose headlines that match the dominant photo/story.

-        Start with a big dropped initial (large letter embedded in the copy) at the top of the story.

-        Use action verbs in the present tense. Do not use past tense when writing headlines! Only present tense. Use alliterations / figures of speech; make headlines funny, witty.

-        Use clever play on words to intrigue the reader.

-        Use single quotation marks.

-        Use comma in place of the word “and.”

-        Avoid periods, hyphenated words, abbreviations, splitting verb phrases, repetition, separating an adjective and the word it modifies. (p.62)

 

6.       Captions: (Most read copy! They are becoming Photo Stories!) pp.59-60

-        Caption writing cannot be done sitting in the yearbook room guessing what might be going on in the photograph!

-        The caption writer’s job is to let the reader know what happened just before and right after the picture was taken.

-        Captions are mini stories; minimum 3 to 4 sentences; all captions should have the same size throughout the book.

-        Every caption should include the following:

a-    A title (capital letters, bold)

b-    who, what, where, when, why + How

c-    background info (before or after the photograph)

d-    a direct quote from somebody in the photograph or from someone who attended the event being covered. (The quote should add new info to the caption; if everybody could say the same quote then it needs to be changed).

-        You need a caption for each photo- If there are 7 people or fewer in the caption, you need to identify them all. If there is a big crowd, identify none.

-        The first sentence is in the present tense and the rest in the past tense: use present tense, active voice for the sentence that captures the action of the photo; background and supplemental information may be written in past tense.

-        Captions should be adjacent to the photos they identify.

-        We can put a caption inside the photo if there is dead space. We can group captions (clockwise from left/top left…)

-        For each caption provide a title that mimics the main headline.

-        When writing a caption, consider the action before, during and after the photo as well as the reaction to the event.

-        Use complete names.

-        Interview participants, advisers, teachers, coaches and other sources to add specific information.

-        You cannot comment, question, or talk to the picture; you cannot use joke captions! However, the people in the photo or those who attended the event captured in the picture can: quote them!

-        Do not stack more than 2 captions or place captions between photos. (p.72)

 

7.       Modules: Area on the spread that will always be the same!! (Herff Jones p. 61-64)

-        Modular design is an easy way to incorporate alternative coverage.

-        Mods allow us to match the content of the spread to its design.

-        With mods, more students can be featured on a single spread

-        Always include the number of people interviewed, if we are writing about a certain percentage of people.

-        Modules Place/Size: Bottom right hand corner- SIZE= W: 21p3 – H: 31p6 (4 columns, 4 guides)

-        Special Modules Place/Size: To the right- SIZE= W: 15p8 – H: 64p1 (3 columns, 8 guides)

 

Ideas for mods:

-        top 10 list (big 10)

-        top 10 hangouts

-        his view  vs.  her view (compare and contrast student opinions)

-        Students demonstrating school spirit (spirit week spread)

-        old ACS new ACS

-        Q & A

-        Style watch (fashion)

-        Favorite vacation spots

-        Trip of a lifetime

-        Side bar (additional info to the dominant story; it has to be related to it)

-        Express yourself

-        In the know

-        Brag about (mods)

-        How many students would… (include number of people interviewed)

-        + STAR July 4, 05

 

Ideas from Other Yearbooks/Workshops:

 

# 7- Leysin:

International Day?

Travels … cultural journeys…. 

What does it mean to be a senior?

Sponsors (instead of business ads) p242

Candid photos on portrait pages

Freshman  9th grade  Sophomores 10th grade   Juniors  11th grade

 

Academics:

IB / Bacc / HS, Academic trips, Modern languages: French & Arabic, Drama, Fine Arts, Music, Humanities, English, ESL, Math, Science, PE & Health, Yearbook, Academic Awards

 

#4- Essence:

-          Old school vs. new school: p 6-7

o         Telephone model, president, radios, popular skirts, teen age idols, favorite cars, plays

-          Students’ self-described styles: trendy, punk, gangster …

 

#5- Experience today:

-          seniors: best of the best (dressed, car, eyes, school spirit, smile, friends, student teachers, laugh, couple, dancers, hair…)

-          seniors: the most (athletic, fun, outgoing, helpful, …)

-          seniors: the most likely to (be principal/teacher at ACS, be a celeb, a singer, an actor, a talkshow host, successful, president…)

-          What’s your favorite school lunch?

-          P 162- free offers with expiry date (chicken wings)

-          Ads: pizza places/ Dominos? 

 

Catch Phrases in Magazines (that you can modify and use for Headlines/Mods):

(Use figures of speech: alliterations, onomatopoeia, asyndeton, rhyme, … )


  • Gone with the Old
  • What we have won!
  • Been there, done that…
  • Only at ACS!
  • Most powerful celebrity award!
  • The ACS style stalkers
  • Style watch
  • Every generation needs a hero
  • Meet the snack fairy
  • Scoops
  • Hot summer trends
  • Hmm… What has she done?
  • In no time flat…
  • The best life experience
  • Every person tells a story
  • Think, feel, live
  • Legacy
  • Dare to make waves
  • With you all the way
  • Definitely…
  • What’s on your mind?
  • Capture the moment
  • Cause you’re worth it too!
  • My life, my dreams, my goals
  • Power is in your hand
  • If you only knew
  • Faces in the crowd
  • Over the line
  • A full day starts here
  • Fitting everything in
  • What are you made of?
  • Say good bye to… Say hello to…
  • Zoom in… Zoom out
  • Tips n’trends
  • Who me?
  • In… Out
  • Out & About
  • Personality profiles: Stellar people, special talents…
  • One last good bye… to those leaving ACS
  • People in action
  • Rainbow of diversity (True students’ lives)
  • Cheering for success (graduation)
  • The anatomy of a show (concert)
  • Sparkles in motion
  • Friday night lights (+  people talking about how they felt)

 

Ideas… Stories

-          Ask international students to write at least one sentence in their native language.

-          Faculty… how they dress

-          Stories about ordinary people at ACS)

-          Senior day scandal!

-          Events: ACS Car Wash (# of cars washed, # of students, money made, date, place…)

-          How students spend their free time

-          The Inside story

-          What is your biggest achievement?

-          Senior day scandal

-          Graduation: Cheering for success

-          Concert: The anatomy of a show

-          Sparkles in motion

-          Friday Night Lights + people talking about how they felt

-          Overheard comments in classrooms-

-          Get the readers involved in the book: Games: ex: match the tattoo with the person

-          On people’s pages: choose one or 2 people from the list and interview them.

-          Discover who I am: clothes kids wear to school

-          Body language?

-          You think you know…. But you have no idea

-          Use idioms

-          What is a yearbook about? (we can include in our book)

-          Choice: how many of you would…. (+ number of people interviewed)

 

Academics:

-          Substitute teachers

-          Field trips

-          Cliff notes

-          Cheating

-          What do you daydream about during class?

-          What is it like to be at the same school where your parents work?

-          Teachers who attended this school

-          First day of dissection in Biology class

-          Who blew up the lab?

-          Learning / teaching styles

-          Overcoming learning difficulties

-          Cooking up a career

-          Worlds away (international students in our school)

-          Stress: “Restless”

-          The job of a teacher is to: encourage, stimulate, inspire

 

Student Life:


-          Friendships

-          Dating

-          Diversity

-          Volunteering

-          Music

-          Technology

 

-          Driving in Beirut: How many students have a license? How many drive? Dangers.

-          First kiss, date, traffic ticket, F on a test…

-          What do students do to earn their money? How do they spend it? Do any try to save some?

-          Trip of a lifetime


 

People: embarrassing moments

 

Current events:


-          How did the events make you think, react…?

-          Contrasting attitudes


 

Sports:

-          Trainers, coaches, fans, profiles, balancing academics with sports, Fine Arts vs. Athletics, rituals, philosophy of winning…


-          Almost walking on air…

-          So close… (after losing a game)

-          Capture the moment

-          Goals with sight

-          More than just a coach


 

Arts:


-          Auditions

-          Stage frights

-          My voice as an artist

-          How did you discover your character?


 

 

 

Section Pages in the Yearbook:

 

Student life: p 16 => 53 = 38 / 39 pages

People: p 54 => 101 = 48 / 47 pages 

Academics : p 102 => 133 = 32 / 24 pages

Sports : p 134 => 157 = 25 / 28 pages

Community & Organizations : p 158 => 179 = 22 / 31 pages

Graduates : p 180 => 221 = 42 pages (17% of all)

Parent Tributes: p 222 => 239 = 18 pages

Ads: p 240=> 255 = 16 pages

 

 

TOTAL number of Pages: 275 => 138 spreads ó 7 spreads per student (responsible for)

Spreads to finish in November: 7 spreads

Spreads to finish in December: 21 spreads

Spreads to finish in January: 21 spreads

Spreads to finish in February: 21 spreads

Spreads to finish in March: 21 spreads

Spreads to finish in April: 21 spreads

Spreads to finish in May: 21 spreads

Spreads to finish in June: 11 spreads:

Prom, graduation (2), Centennial week, Centennial Gala, Athletic banquet, Academic awards, Spring Carnival, grade 8 promotion ceremony, index (2).

 

After School Hours = 5 per week in December!  6 per week from January till May.

7 (or more) per week in June