Advice for First-Time Yearbook Advisors
Experienced advisors share what they wish they knew starting out.
If you are a first-time yearbook advisor, you might feel somewhat intimidated by the task ahead of you. Capturing an entire school year across multiple grades of students certainly isn’t easy. As you work on this project and others in the future, however, you will become more experienced and learn the best ways to conduct the design process. That is why advice and guidance from other yearbook advisors can be so invaluable! At Entourage Yearbook’s High School Advisors’ Conference in July, some of these experienced advisors shared their best tips and tricks with their peers. Read on to learn more about their advice for first-time yearbook advisors.
Focus on only two or three things at a time. Many different elements come together to create a great yearbook. At some point in the process, you will be making decisions about everything from themes and colors to fonts, sub-headings, graphics, and more. To avoid decision paralysis, focus on only two or three of these elements at a time.
Be flexible. Especially if it’s your first yearbook, there will likely be some trial and error. Your goals may change over time as you discover techniques or styles that suit you and your team better. One advisor at our recent conference said that she does not work on covers early because of how the book can change over time.
Find a yearbook company with excellent customer support. You are going to make mistakes. There are so many factors in creating a yearbook that errors are inevitable. However, it’s not the end of the world. At July’s conference, our yearbook advisors noted that strong customer support was a major factor in their decision to stick with Entourage Yearbooks. Misspellings, inaccurate information, and even the omission of entire classes can happen, and we can help you find convenient solutions that avert disaster.
Find a community of peers. If this blog has helped you in any way so far, imagine having access to the wisdom of experienced yearbook advisors every day! Every year at our High School Advisors’ Conference, we are floored to see how powerful a community like this can be. Our advisors constantly share tips and tricks with each other, helping everyone create stronger yearbooks while providing a network of moral support that can be a lifesaver.
If these tips help you as you work on your first yearbook project, let us know in the comments! If you’re an experienced advisor and have more advice to give, feel free to share them, as well. To learn more about Entourage Yearbooks and our yearbook services, call 609-452-2665 or contact us online today!