Creating your yearbook

Transcription

1 Creating your yearbook Thanks for your interest in AllYearbooks. We're delighted to send you our 2016 sample book and infopack to help you get your project started. We make thousands of yearbooks for younger children each year, so whether your group is at nursery, primary, pre-prep or preparatory school, we can help you create a keepsake that will remind them of their time there for years to come. We've listened to your feedback and introduced some great new features for the academic year to give you, our primary yearbook editors, the tools you need to quickly and easily create a lovely looking yearbook. Both this infopack and the hardback sample accompanying it were created using our system, we really wanted to showcase how flexible things are this year and to give you some ideas for pages of your own. We've included a few of our favourite customer-designed covers and pages as well, so have a look through and get some ideas! Visit allyearbooks.co.uk to set up your yearbook for free and with no obligation. If you'd like a quick chat about your plans, let us know a convenient time and number to reach you. We look forward to hearing from you soon! the AllYearbooks team

2 2 AllYearbooks? High quality hard-wearing cover Why use Compact, convenient and environmentally friendly B5 size Beautiful designs printed in full-colour on luxuriously thick, silky paper Outstanding quality Our yearbooks are printed on reassuringly beefy machinery using the best quality paper we could find. Even our budget books (like this one you're holding) enjoy the same print and paper quality as our other books. You are in control Want to change fonts, use your school colours or use your logo on the background? No problem! Start from a wide range of templates and presets then tweak away. If there's nothing that takes your fancy, we'll be happy to custom make something for you. Great value With hardbacks starting from just 12, and a 9 paperback option, there's something to suit every budget. What's more, we've frozen our prices this year too, to give you the best deal possible! Your information is in safe hands As editors, you are in control of who has access to your book and you can set different access levels for different people. After your books are printed they are locked down securely on our servers and we never reopen or reprint them without your permission. Amazing customer support Need inspiration or help bringing ideas to life? We have years of experience and (almost!) endless patience - speak to us in chat, by phone or . You will be given a personal yearbook coordinator when you set up, though any of the team are happy to help! Super fast delivery times With turnaround times ranging between working days, you'll have your finished yearbooks in your hands in no time so you can have everything ready and waiting for your handout! New for 2016! Bespoke design service Perfect for busy project leaders, our bespoke option allows you to outline a design brief, and submit profile data for each of your class members via a simple form. See pages for further details on this and other options.

3 Book styles & pricing We have four book types to choose from, all B5 in size and printed on high quality silky paper, just like the book you're holding now. 4 Complete flexibility Change copies, pages and book type at any time before printing - you're in complete control of the process. A B C D No VAT or delivery charges No VAT is due on printed books and delivery is free to a UK mainland address. A: Budget paperback 9 B: Standard laminated hardback Our most popular option by far, our standard book is incredibly affordable - probably the best value hardback yearbook available. This option suits most groups, and it's sturdy hard-wearing cover will keep your memories safe for years to come :) just You're holding one of these now! Simple and no-nonsense, our budget paperback is perfect for smaller groups. Pages are stapled inside a full-colour laminated card cover. A fixed price of 9 per copy no matter how many copies you order gives you a very affordable option for your students. Non-UK delivery charges (per copy): Republic of Ireland - 2; Europe and Offshore Establishments - 3; Rest of the world - 5

4 6 C: Premium laminated hardback D: Premium leatherette hardback A classic and prestigious option. Pages are bound inside the same stiff case but with a leatherette rather than full-colour finish. This includes engraving to the front cover, a bookmark ribbon in a colour of your choice and full-colour printed endpapers front and back. Light blue Black Burgundy Red Green A souped up version of our standard laminated hardback book with the addition of engraving to the front cover, a bookmark ribbon in a colour of your choice and full-colour printed endpapers front and back. Navy add 5 to grid Your sample book is one of these! Premium package Our premium upgrades are great for those looking for something extra special. Choose from either of the cover options on the facing page, and they will be accompanied by the following: Engraving Your crest/logo and some text is cast into a metal block, which is then used to press your design into the front cover using either gold or silver foil. Gold Silver Bookmark ribbons Bookmark ribbons are secured to the inside of the spine and add a beautiful finishing touch to your books. Available in the following colours: Printed endpapers Endpapers are the spreads immediately inside your front and back covers, and lie flat making them ideal for large photos. Photos of school Book plates Word clouds Group photos

5 With covers this good, why not judge your books by them! Our paperback and laminated hardback options have full-colour front and back designs whilst our premium leatherette has a design on the front cover only. Both laminated hardbacks carry spine text. 8 Cover ideas Go to allyearbooks.co.uk/covers for more great cover ideas!

6 Even more cover ideas Designing your own cover If you'd prefer to make your own cover, by hand or using your own software, just let us know! We'll be more than happy to provide design guides and all the info you need to create the perfect cover for your yearbook. If you're scanning hand drawn pictures for your cover, be sure to adjust your scanner setting to 300dpi. This is ideal print resolution so will give you the best possible results! Logo restoration service Many primary schools don't have high resolution logo files saved so chat to us early on if this is the case. We've got super designers who can usually help by lovingly recreating your crest from scratch. We cannot guarantee this service during the busy season so chat to school at the start of the academic year to see what imagery they have available for you. Photo covers A great photo cover will need a lovely high resolution image as a base to work with! If you've got your heart set on a photo of the school or lovely big class photos, be sure to send us the original camera files. Top tip! Don't let bystanders ruin your perfect shot - use a slow shutter speed and tripod when photographing school grounds so people in the shot appear blurred out! You will need to submit your cover plans at least a few weeks before your print deadline so you have time to revise your design if necessary. Remember, we won't start any custom artwork until your 100 deposit is paid!

7 Theming your book As you think more about your design plans, you'll probably start constructing a theme for your book. This could be something simple like incorporating your school colours or could be a much larger book-wide theme such as a journal style or Harry Potter concept. Developing a theme will help to tie everything together and give your book a consistent feel. Why not jot down your school colours and other ideas here as you get started: 12 Colour palettes You can't beat a splash of colour when it comes to creating interesting pages, and your colour palette is a great starting place when developing a theme for your book. Perhaps you'd like to stick to traditional school colours or add to the celebration of it all by making things nice and vibrant! Either way we've got you covered with our fully customisable 5-colour palette. On top of these colour choices, you'll also have black and white for instant print perfection. Font palettes We use Google web fonts to provide the best selection of fonts around and with over 600 to choose from, you'll be sure to find one that suits! You can incorporate up to 5 fonts per spread so you can create all sorts of designs for profile entries, article pages and more! Class of 2016 Backgrounds Class of 2016 Class of Class of 2016 Class of 2016 We'll provide you with a range of backgrounds that you can use to really brighten up your pages. Don't worry, it's not cheesy stock imagery - we take great care in handpicking backgrounds which work well in print. From subtle paper textures, flat colours to themed designs, there's plenty of variety to make your book truly unique - we can even make you a custom design using your logo or a photo of the school! :)

8 Collecting data for your yearbook Profiles usually play a big part in a yearbook as they give each child an opportunity to write a little about their best memories, favourite classes and so on. Depending on how comfortable you feel using our system, we have different support levels to suit all. If you're not sure which would suit your group best we'd be happy to talk to you about the various options. The cool, calm and collaborative option Our online system was built with collaboration in mind so get a team together and get creative. You can invite the class group (or their parent/guardian) to join you in the book with restricted access to their own profiles so they can be completing their profiles independently. Members will also be able to upload any photos they have from trips and events and add them to the pool of photos for editors to use in collages and article pages :) The DIY or 'design it yourself' option This option really puts you in the driving seat as you create beautiful pages from a blank canvas. Our easy to use online system allows you to add components to the page so you can pop a title there, a photo or two here and a little quote there! If you're not feeling that brave, choose from premade page templates and simply drag and drop your images into place and fill out the existing text boxes. 14 A little help... For those of you needing a little more support, why not opt for our bespoke design service. Chat to our support team who will take some basic details from you (profile questions, a rough idea of layout, upcoming trips/events, your school colours etc) and they will put a book template together for you. They can provide a simple form that each child (or their parent/guardian) can complete and this information will then be added to your book. In the meantime, ask everybody to send you images by so you've got your photos ready and waiting for when the first draft of your book is ready. Drag and drop photos into place and when you're done, just let us know and we'll get your book off to print! Offline option If the prospect of using the internet fills you with dread, keep calm and work offline! We'll be happy to send you a free memory stick to collect your data and photos on. Simply return your memory stick to us by the agreed submission date and let our design team take care of the hard work for you. Download the full, print resolution PDF of the book to proofread before printing and hey presto, yearbook done!

9 16 Choosing a great profile layout When you get started, let us know roughly how you want your book to look and we can help you select the perfect template. Perhaps you'd like 3 nice photos per profile and a small amount of text space or perhaps a double spread for each child? All of our templates are customisable to suit your needs and your support coordinator will be on hand to assist you :) If you're unsure what you need, don't panic! You can always change your mind later and adapt the layouts according to how much each child has written or how many photos you're sent. Left with gaps at the end of profiles? Why not move the gaps to the start and use them for a title, or add in a mini-collage or quick quote from a teacher :) Don't forget those that left early! A short 'not forgetting' list will help your children remember friends past and present :)!

10 Hello Collages Jot down any events that spring to mind here so you can work them into your page plan: Performances Music Sports Our books Victorian day Why us? The school year can be pretty hectic and you've probably had to prepare for all sorts of events and dress up days over the several years of primary life. Be sure to gather in as many photos from these days as possible so you can fill your books with wonderful collages and memories! Covers Assemblies In class Residentials Profiles World book day Resources 18 Pages For best results, we recommend adding between 6 and 20 photos per page

11 In 2015, we printed around 40,000 yearbooks so we know what makes them great! Your collages are going to entertain you for years to come so it's worth spending some time getting them just right :) Here are some top tips and common problems Photos nicely framed and centred Add feature frames to your best photos! Images are well sized and faces clearly visible Clear, good quality photos used Heads cut out of frames Group photos in frames that are too small Too many or too few photos per page Dark or pixelated images Yearbook awards Yearbook awards are a great way to celebrate the uniqueness of each child in the class, and who doesn't love to win an award right?! Have a look at these sample awards categories for ideas - don't worry, you can always amend the results if needs be! Awards suggestions - Most likely to become Prime Minister - Most likely to be famous - Most likely to win a Nobel Prize - Most likely to win an Olympic Medal - Most likely to win X Factor - Most likely to become a teacher - Most likely to break a world record - Most likely to become a comedian - Most likely to become a famous author - Most likely to be a footballer - Most likely to lose a winning lottery ticket Awards page designs When it comes to designing your awards pages, you can opt for something more text based or more graphical. A text based page such as the one to the left often features the categories and winners listed on the page, and is a good space saver if you have a lot of categories! Alternatively you might enjoy adding medals, photos and charts to your awards pages for more dynamic results!

12 Making great pages You don't have to be a designer (or pay one) to pull off great yearbook pages! We'll provide you with all the tools and tricks of the trade so you can make a first class yearbook from the comfort of your sofa. If you're ever unsure though, you can always call upon our team to give you a second opinion or make suggestions! Include headers & footers (or not) Choose whether you'd like to include headers and footers or turn them off completely. Create negative spaces Layer colours and fonts to create these super trendy cut out looks. Build up layers 22 Add layers of content for a rich and interesting page design. Add a background Quickly add depth to your design by adding page backgrounds. Whether that's a simple ruled paper or a bold geometric pattern, we've got you covered! Choose the perfect colour palette Customize your font palette choices to include bright bursts of colour. Choose complementary shades or create a palette based on your page theme. Font pair like a pro Select complementary fonts to convey your message in the most stylish way possible. Use our stock PNG images to add extra details Add coffee cup rings, icons, ink splashes and more for that fully designed feel - see p25 for more examples!

13 Finding the perfect photos and images Whilst we're looking at making pages, do make sure you use images that are as high resolution as possible for the best print outcome - hopefully the two pictures below will demonstrate the difference. The one on the left is 300 dots per inch (dpi) which is ideal print resolution, whereas the one on the right is just 36dpi which you'll see gives a lot less clarity in print. Perhaps an extreme example, but we'd hate you to be disappointed with your books after all your work! To help, the system will flag up any image that is 100dpi or lower - do take note of these warnings and check any flagged pictures in the full resolution PDF before signing it off for print! 24 36dpi 300dpi A range of image quality across your yearbook is often fairly common due to the different devices used to take photos nowadays. Photos taken several years ago are likely to look less sharp than those taken with a new digital SLR camera for example, and different again to those photos taken using a phone camera. Sourcing other images online If you're looking for images on the web, be sure to pick big, high resolution imagery where possible. Search engines such as Google usually allow you to filter search results by image size for example, which will help you find those perfect high res pictures for your book. Add more with our bonus PNG selection With PNG images now supported, we've been able to provide our yearbookers with a whole bunch of high quality banners, ink splodges, post it notes and much more to really embellish your page designs.

14 26 Other page types A great yearbook has variety, so mix in some of these fantastic page types to really bring your book to life! With transparency now supported, the sky really is the limit thanks to our stock PNG additions - add ink splashes, post it notes and more to your pages to keep things fresh and interesting :) Contents Games Introductions Contact details Memories Dividers Check out your sample book for more examples and ideas! Word clouds Quizzes Quotes Shopping lists Messages Trends Share a few laughs with the class by incorporating your favourite baby snaps! We can even help you to transform these into fun guess who games! Baby photos

15 28 Don't forget us! Staff messages make lovely pages for primary yearbooks as they can highlight the achievements and special moments the class group have shared together. Whilst school don't necessarily need to be involved, they would often like to contribute, so do chat to your school about this! Remembering the teachers, dinner ladies and sports coaches who have helped your child develop is always a lovely gesture :) Make a checklist of staff members you'll want to photograph and gather comments from so you don't miss anybody: Uploading your own pages Love InDesign or Publisher? No worries! If you'd like to use your own software offline to make your pages, please feel free. Just be sure to set your page to B5 size and save your finished file as a PDF, JPG or PNG at 300dpi. Scan and upload pages created by hand Hand-drawn pictures and messages make great additions to your yearbook and make your book feel more personal. Why not get everybody in the class to draw a self portrait or collect autographs from the group - you never know who might be famous in years to come! Remember to keep a version of the original file saved somewhere! If you need to edit or make changes, this will need to be done offline in the original document! Mix 'n' match - you're in control! There's no fixed formula for creating your yearbook, so if you'd like to upload a few pages you've made offline and have them sit alongside templated pages from our online system, you can do! We're committed to making our processes super flexible to suit our customers' needs. You'll be in control, but never fear - our support team will always do their best to help you realise those dreams of yearbook success!

16 Your team members Chief editors: Staff proofreader: Names: Name: Contact details: Contact details: Other editors: Finance: Names: Name: Contact details: Contact details: Photographer: Your coordinator at AllYearbooks: 30 Name: Name: Contact details: Contact details:

17 Finance contact details: 32 Things we'll need from you Editor contact details: Staff proofreader details: As your book will be made bearing the school's name (and probably logo), we will need a member of staff to confirm the school is happy for you to produce the book on their behalf. A short from a staff member is all we need to confirm this :) Class size: Rough page plan: Preferred handout date: Scheduling your project Handing out your yearbooks is likely to be a big occasion. Most primary groups choose to hand out towards the end of June or early July, so here is a rough timeline for you to follow when planning for your project. Add in your key dates to keep on track! Set up your book Open your book to members or start collecting data Send in your deposit before xmas to get your early deposit discount Close book to members Make and edit collages Send in your pre-print payment to unlock your proof copy Proof-read your finished book Send your book to print RELAX! Delivery of your books Hand out your books Top tip! Make a note of when your school trips, holidays and exams are so you can plan around important dates! Send in your final payment for the remaining balance

18 Understanding copyright Whilst you may have purchased an image from your school photographer, the company used still owns the copyright. In 2015, we found a few nice companies that don't charge but several now charge between 35 and 100 for use of their images! Always speak to your school photographers early in the process so you know their policy on image reproduction in your yearbook :) Top tips for getting great photos 34 Photography and copyright With school photography companies such as Tempest now charging for use of their photos in your yearbooks, using your own photos has never been more important. Over the years, you'll have taken hundreds of photos of your children at different events, so filling a profile with great quality photos shouldn't be hard! Blurry, pixelated or poorly exposed photos look especially bad in print, so if you have any doubts about your images, have some backup ones on standby! Use an SLR, good compact camera or high-end smartphone with a good lens. Keep your camera steady to avoid blur caused by camera shake. Focus on good lighting - dark, under exposed images will not print well so take your photos in a well lit area or outside if possible! Content and composition is key - concentrate on what you're taking a photo of to get that perfect portrait shot. Don't just use any photo - sure it might be your favourite but if the quality is poor, it's too dark or otherwise, we can't improve it! It's best to select fewer, higher-quality images where possible. Using alternative imagery There are lots of fun alternatives to traditional school pictures which really capture the spirit and energy of primary leavers. Each year we see more and more people using photos they've taken themselves, so rummage through those photo albums or try one of these fab ideas! Photobooth fun Silly selfies When I grow up... Set up a fun photobooth session in class or at a school disco. You don't need to spend a lot to get great results - just bring in some props, a camera and let the kids have fun! Everyone has a selfie or two, so why not include these as profile photos? Let your personality shine but let's not forget we have more than half a face! Grab a chalkboard/whiteboard and get the kids to write down what they want to be when they grow up. Alternatively, host a fun class in school where everybody dresses up like the job they want to have later in life. Now say "cheese"... Me doing my favourite thing... Natural photos are great as they really show off your group's distinct characters. Ask your group to send over photos that are personal and unique to show off everything they love about their child!

19 36 Resources We're here to support you every step of the way, so you can connect with us via all of your favourite social channels! Our support team have put together quick and easy to follow video tutorials to guide you from idea to finished product. What's more, you can download parent consent forms, order tracking sheets and everything you need to get started from our dedicated support site :) Go to allyearbooks.co.uk/resources to download our 2016 resources pack If you can't find answers in our video tutorials or FAQ, you can always chat to our yearbook coordinators online via our instant chat support service. Alternatively you can call, , text or pop in to see us if you're based locally. FAQ Q: What size are your books? All of our books are B5 in size just like the one you're holding now. We no longer produce A4 books as our B5 size allows us to make books affordable for all. Q: Is one piece of paper counted as one or two pages? Two. Each side of a sheet of paper is counted as one page, like page numbers in a book. Q: We're thinking of a more local printer. Good idea? We specialise in yearbooks, your local printer won't. Their prices may be lower (though often they're higher due to our economies of scale) but they will only do the printing, not the full service. With us you get our online system, page designer, full customisability, and support throughout from our experienced coordinators. Q: Is my information safe online? We work diligently to protect all data you provide. All users need a password to access their book and we actively monitor for hackers. We back up data to our offices daily and encrypt off-site backups. We're also registered under the Data Protection Act 1998.

20 To do checklist Now it's time to make a plan! If you have any questions about getting started with your project, give us a call on or us at hi@allyearbooks.co.uk 38

21 Glossary There may be times when we ask more technical questions to try and help you with a problem remotely. If you struggle to tell your uploading from downloading, here is a quick guide to the yearbook jargon you may hear: Browser Bleed Cover Download DPI Sometimes we might ask which web browser you are using so we can help effectively. Your web browser will be Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Edge for example. Pages are printed slightly bigger than needed then cut to size. Cuts can vary by 1-3mm, so it's wise to "bleed" backgrounds and unimportant content over the edges. Your cover is a key part of the book but this is not included in your page count. Depending on your book style, you will have either a paperback, hardback or leatherette cover. If you are downloading something, you are copying the file to your computer. You will need to download your PDF file of the finished book for proofing before the print run starts. DPI stands for dots per inch and helps us to identify low resolution images. The greater the number of dots (or pixels), the more detail is captured and the sharper the image. File types Gutter Pre-print checks Proofreader Upload You'll probably encounter all sorts of file types as you start to collect your yearbook data. If you're being sent image files, ensure to ask for JPG or PNG files! This is the centre margin of your book where the spine will be bound. It's best to avoid putting titles and photos across the gutter as this can get lost in the binding process. Once you've finished your book, we'll do some pre-print checks. We won't proof-read the text but we will check your pages to ensure everything prints well. As your book will be made in the school's name, a member of staff will need to confirm they are happy for you to make the book on the school's behalf. Alternatively they may wish to proof-read before print. When you transfer files from your computer to the site. 40 v1.1 - Sept '15