Pullout Poster oCtoBer 2009

Clubs, Clubs and More Clubs

IN ORGANIZATION COVERAGETRENDS

1. Featurized coverage of only clubs that actually do something to merit coverage.

2. Group photos together in the back of the book.3. Grouping of clubs in chronological yearbook

setting puts them throughout the year whenever they do most of their activities.

4. Quick facts about clubs as well as interviews with members. Smaller group photos.

5. No traditional club section body copy.

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Club Section Credits: Below: Loudon Valley HS, Purcellville, VA Middle: Millard West HS, Omaha, NE Bottom: Mill Creek HS, Hoschton, GA

GET A YEARBOOK REP

Improve your club coverage with yearbooks reps in every club. Not yearbook reps like I am, but a person who belongs to a particular club whose responsibility is to let the yearbook staff know when something interesting is going happen.

These people can be a great help to you in other ways as well, like identifying people in photos or shooting pictures for you on club excursions.

One cool idea is to purchase some disposable cameras at Costco or Walmart that you can make available to these “reps” or to the club adviser to take pictures at evening or weekend activities. This will save your yearbook staff photographers

a bunch of time being at a func-tion that (unless they are

members of that club) would probably not inter-

est them. And you will get some coverage of students

and events you might miss otherwise.

These reps should be easy to recruit,

but try to avoid the president of the club as he or she are often too busy to be taking pictures.

The QuickRead at right is from the 2003 Legacy at Carl Harrison High School in Ken-nesaw, GA.

It is a superb example of what you might do in you or-ganizations section to make it more interest-ing with a mini-mum amount of work. We love the “Members Only” idea.

On the left, as an alternative to all the repetitive, tradi-tional body copy that has been written in club sections over the years, the staff of the 2003 Finest Hours at Winston Churchill HS in Po-tomac, MD, decided to forgo body copy and only use long (4-5 sentences each) cap-tions to tell the story in clubs. This approach is easier to make interesting to the reader and can be used with effect in Academics as well.

Last-Minute Ideas: ClubsStill working on the club section and need some ideas? Here are a few for you to try. Two we grabbed from 2003 yearbooks so you could see them visually, and the others we just want you to remember right here.

The club section shouldn’t be a list of the goals and plans of the club. 90% of the club copy that we read is the story of what the club planned to do.

It shouldn’t be a section where your club group photos are the largest or only photos in the section. Emphasize ac-tion or emotion photos as your major or dominant photos.

It should be a very interesting section and you can make is so by deciding to stop covering all the clubs at your school. I know this sounds like I’m nuts but you know as well as I do that not every club actually does some thing. Some only get to gether for the year book picture. So, make sure that all clubs get a group shot and then decide that only active clubs get can did shots. And only those clubs that really do something unusual get copy or feature cov-erage. For some other great ideas, see what these schools have done with their club sections. ❑

Covering ClubsOr Organizations or Groups or what ever you call them in your yearbook. What can we say about clubs? At some schools they barely exist and only really get together on the day that you take their picture for the yearbook. At other schools they are plentiful and active. Probably though, your school falls somewhere in the middle ground of having some very active clubs and those that aren’t.

Recommended pagesThe recommended percentage (according to the national rating services) of a book’s clubs/organizations section is 12-15 percent of the entire book. But this is the most flexible of percentages. As I said above, it all comes down to how many clubs and how active they are in your school. If your school is big into clubs then by all means, expand that coverage.

FeaturizeThe trend in current club coverage is to group them together in alphabetical order or by interest area for group shots, but the main focus of the club section is on topics that all clubs may have in common. Fund-raising, trips, and recruiting new members are examples of this type of featur-ized coverage.

Club coverage is probably the hardest section in the book to do a good job with. That’s because it takes extra effort, since most club activities that might make good photo opportuni-ties take place after school, in the evenings, or away from the school itself.

Special guidelines for covering clubs1) The group shot should never be the dominant photo! The

dominant photo is supposed to be so interesting that it makes the reader want to stay on the spread and read the copy. Group photos are inherently boring, so they don’t really work for that purpose.

2) Instead of having a separate photo of the officers, just list their offices in the ident (an ident is a caption on a group photo) that identifies the group shot. It might read “John Jones, President” in the middle of the ident. This will give you more photos to use as action/candid shots.

3) Don’t do anything artificial. If you have a bunch of clubs that just exist, don’t invent activities for them. Just shoot your group shot and be done with it. The 12-15 percent figure is just a guideline. Cover the clubs that deserve coverage and then forget it.

For some great ideas on covering clubs in a whole new way

check out what other schools around the USA have done on the Interesting Ideas centerfold poster. (one page back).

Get a yearbook repImprove your club coverage with year-books reps on every club. Not yearbook reps like I am, but a person in the club who is responsible to let the yearbook staff know when something interesting is going on.

Disposable camerasAnother great idea is to pick up some disposable cameras

at Costco or Walmart and give them to the rep you have recruited or to the adviser. Ask them to take pictures of club activities. As a special thank you, make double prints of the

film they shoot and give them a copy for their scrapbooks.

Plan group shots nowOne of the best ways to get all your group

shots done at once is to ask your administration if you can have a

“Picture Day.” This is a day when you are able to pull all groups out of classes during one morning or afternoon, have your

school photographer come in, set up one group of risers or bleachers and take all

your group shots.

When you do a picture day like this keep in mind that it can be very

confusing. One great idea is to have someone from the yearbook staff at every group photo and have them writing down the names (or having the people in the photo PRINT their own names) of everyone in the photo in the right order. Think how great it will be to have all the names ready when the photo is ready to put on your layout. ✖

COVERING CLUBS WITH CLASSOne of the first sections your staff can be working on is the clubs or organization section. Why? Because clubs are always happening. And if you read some of the advice below, you might just find a way to improve this section in your book.

Editor Notes–Cool Club Tips

Active clubs? What’s it like at your school? Clubs active or not? If you are like most schools, your club scene is probably a mix of some very active clubs and some that just meet to get their photos taken for the yearbook.

Recommended pages. The recommended percent-age (according to yearbook rating services) of a book’s clubs/organizations section is 12-15 percent of the en-tire book. But this is the most flexible of percentages. As I said above, it all comes down to how many clubs you have and how active they are in your school. If your school is big into clubs, then by all means, expand that coverage. If your school isn’t, then cut the coverage. Don’t cover something just because it exists. Make sure it is an active part of this school year.

Featurize. The trend in current club coverage is to group clubs together in alphabetical order or by interest area for group shots, but the main focus of the club section is on top-ics that all clubs may have in common. Fund-raising, trips, keeping meetings interesting and recruiting new members are examples of this type of featurized coverage. See the great club pages on the centerfold of this newsletter.

Extra effort. Club coverage is probably the hardest section in the book to do a good job with. That’s because it takes extra effort, since most club activities that might make good photo opportunities take place after school, in the evenings or away from the school itself.

If you are the editor of the clubs and organizations section in your yearbook, here are three quick things to consider as you plan your design and coverage.

✔✔ The✔group✔shot✔should✔never✔be✔the✔dominant✔photo.✔The✔dominant✔photo✔ is✔supposed✔to✔be✔so✔ interesting✔that✔ it✔makes✔the✔reader✔want✔to✔stay✔on✔the✔spread✔and✔read✔the✔copy.✔Group✔photos✔are✔ inherently✔boring,✔so✔they✔don’t✔really✔work✔for✔that✔purpose.✔

✔✔ Instead✔of✔having✔a✔separate✔photo✔of✔the✔officers,✔just✔list✔their✔offices✔in✔the✔ident✔(an✔ident✔is✔a✔caption✔on✔a✔group✔

photo)✔that✔identifies✔the✔group✔shot.✔It✔might✔read✔“John✔Jones,✔President”✔in✔the✔middle✔of✔the✔ident.✔This✔will✔give✔you✔more✔photos✔to✔use✔as✔action/candid✔shots.

✔✔ Don’t✔do✔anything✔artificial.✔If✔you✔have✔a✔bunch✔of✔clubs✔that✔just✔exist,✔don’t✔invent✔activities✔for✔those✔clubs.✔Just✔shoot✔your✔group✔shot✔and✔be✔done✔with✔it.✔Cover✔the✔clubs✔that✔deserve✔coverage✔and✔then✔move✔on.

GET A YEARBOOK REP

Improve your club coverage with yearbooks reps in every club. Not yearbook reps like I am, but a person who belongs to a particular club whose responsibility is to let the yearbook staff know when something interesting is going happen.

These people can be a great help to you in other ways as well, like identifying people in photos or shooting pictures for you on club excursions.

One cool idea is to purchase some disposable cameras at Costco or Walmart that you can make available to these “reps” or to the club adviser to take pictures at evening or weekend activities. This will save your yearbook staff photographers

a bunch of time being at a func-tion that (unless they are

members of that club) would probably not inter-

est them. And you will get some coverage of students

and events you might miss otherwise.

These reps should be easy to recruit,

but try to avoid the president of the club as he or she are often too busy to be taking pictures.