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Wouldn’t it be great to have Mickey Mouse with a cap and gown on the cover of your yearbook? What about having Family Guy characters in-between graduates portraits? While these maybe creative and fun ideas, have you stopped and considered whether you have the legal right to include these images in your yearbook? More than likely, you don’t.
Since no one on your committee is likely a copyright lawyer, it is important that every team member be familiar with basic copyright and trademark laws.
According to 1976 Copyright Act, only the creator of a copyrighted work or the owner of a copyright is legally allowed to reproduce, perform, display, distribute of or create variations of a work. Any unauthorized use of that material is considered 
copyright infringement. If you use that image without obtaining permission from the copyright owner, there is the potential for legal action as well as a cease and desist to occur. For more details on copyright law, visit copyright.gov.
So how do you know if an image is copyrighted? For one, a watermark symbol may appear over the image or the copyright © symbol may appear next to the image. If you don’t see any of these, you may want to utilize Google and do a reverse-search on the image. This will allow you to view where the images have been posted, and possibly even tell you who the primary owner is.
Once you identify the owner, you will want to contact them to get written permission to allow you to utilize the photo or image in your yearbook. This can be a challenge as it can take a long time to get a reply from the owner and there is a chance that the owner will want to be compensated for your use of that image.
To avoid delays and any other challenges, you should consider using royalty free, stock photography images from websites such as Deposit Photos, ShutterStock and ThinkStock. Through these sites you can purchase great photos that you can use in your yearbook and not have to worry about any legal implications.
It is always recommended that before you submit your yearbook for printing that the book is reviewed by a high-ranking school official such as a Principal or Superintendent.
Most yearbook staff members know that planning and designing a school yearbook is not always easy. Whether you are getting a late start or have already begun the process of creating and designing your school yearbook, check out the following helpful tips and ideas every yearbook staff should know.
If you’re looking for a quality, affordable yearbook printer, and you would like to get a FREE yearbook quote, please contact us at YearbookLife or fill out our Request a FREE Quote form.
While the theme and content make up the most important parts of the class yearbook, a title is still very important. That is because in many instances the book won’t be referred to as the class yearbook but by its title.
So what makes for a good title? Here are some ideas:
One title idea that will always work is an inspirational type of title. Perhaps “Taking The Lead” or “Only The Beginning”. Both of these provide a sense not of ending one chapter but rather starting a new one.
A title based off the theme of the book is also a great idea. If your theme were current events perhaps you would want to go with a title like a newspaper such as the “(name of school) Times”. The yearbook is meant to capture the events that went on during the school year. This makes this type of title very appropriate.
Utilizing your school mascot is also a great direction to go in for your yearbook title. For example, play off the word Roar if your mascot is a tiger or lion. If your school mascot is the wolves you could play off the word Howl.
If the class had a theme song or chant, a yearbook may relate well if its title includes words from that music. Perhaps “This Is How We Do It.” Or “Once Upon A Time.”
If none of these suggestions work you can always look back at past yearbooks from your school and simply repeat it’s name and just update the year and colors.
Your yearbook title will stay with each of its recipients for generations to come. By making it memorable will make the book that much better.
A yearbook is a keepsake that every student will cherish for the rest of his or her life. That is why it is important that a lot of thought and teamwork is put in for making it great.
Unfortunately though, not every school has a volunteer yearbook committee to design and create the yearbook. It may fall on one or two advisors who most likely have other responsibilities at the school as well.
These dedicated individuals shouldn’t feel overwhelmed and discouraged. A great, memorable and professional yearbook can still be created with a small staff. Here’s what to do:
Remind yourself that a simple yearbook is better than no yearbook at all and only do the best you can!