Creating the perfect yearbook often hinges upon getting the timing right. Arming your yearbook staff with a clear understanding of your project timeline should keep your yearbook staff moving forward throughout the design process, so everything is ready to go when it’s time to go to print. While keeping the calendar of “yearbook to dos” might seem like a daunting task, YearbookLife has you covered with the things you and your yearbook staff can be doing right now to be successful.
Now that winter break has ended and the sluggish, catch-up period has (hopefully) come to a close, it’s time to jump back into your yearbook prep. It’s always better to be ahead of the timeline so that you can accommodate last minute rushes and unexpected changes if they occur. So, let’s dive right into the five things you can work on now to help your yearbook creation go smoothly.
Attention Yearbook Staff: Don’t Miss These 5 February To-Dos:
- Start proofing now. Proof the content you have now, rather than waiting until the design is complete. Proofing takes a lot of focus, time and concentration. It’s one of those jobs that is best broken up into small sessions. “Proofing as you go” and approving the design of pages as they are completed, means you can focus on what still needs to be designed, and your yearbook to-do list will be in a good place as you move forward.
- Audit your portraits. Now is a great time to take an audit of what portraits you have and create a list of those you don’t, as well as a communication strategy to ensure you get them. Will there be a portrait retake day you can collect the missing portraits from? Or will you need to add placeholder images for those missing portraits?. These organization steps, taken proactively, can eliminate the stressful rushes at the end and also reduce the risk of mistakes later on.
- Create a “things we are missing” list. Getting an overall view of what you have and what you don’t is another worthwhile task to do now. Your yearbook has many moving parts, so creating that list of what is outstanding is extremely helpful. Pro-tip: Include a date and owner to the items on the list to demonstrate accountability and an ETA.
- Prep for the spring activities. Things are bound to get busy when Spring arrives. Here are a few tips to help you get prepared for spring:
- Create a calendar of the events that happen every spring.
- Reach out to the relevant parties (teams, clubs, etc.) to request that they keep the yearbook on their radar and let them know of relevant deadlines that you may have.
- Create a list of things you can do in advance to get ahead.
- Make a list of who on the yearbook staff will be attending key events to get photos and content needed for the yearbook.
- Start the sales push. The sales push should start now. Ideally, you’ve been selling yearbooks since the start of the school year. It takes time and effort to get the sales secured, the best time to begin is ASAP. You might explore early bird discounts to get sales secured now, when the end of the year still seems far away to most parents and students.
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At YearbookLife, we have mastered the art of helping you design and create your school’s yearbook by providing software that includes hundreds of design templates and design elements. The kids love the results. The yearbook staff loves how easy it is to use and how much support we provide. And, the parents love our affordable pricing. We can guide you through the process from start to finish. Get a free quote today!