It’s back-to-school time, and we wanted to share some yearbook goodies to get you inspired and off to a fun, great start. So, let’s get clicking….
GRAPHICS
Want to refresh your font library or looking for some lovely headline fonts to express your theme? Here are our favorite sites for free or affordable fonts:
Myfonts.com
This is a great place to find unique handmade fonts of all styles. And in perfect back-to-school timing, they are having a fabulous font sale right now! Check it out:
https://www.myfonts.com/specials/https://www.myfonts.com/specials/
CreativeMarket.com
An amazing site for all things in the world of graphic design. (Full disclosure: I’m a little bit addicted to this site!) Their fonts can be found here:
https://creativemarket.com/fonts
TheHUNGRYjpg.com
Our friend and colleague, Paulette Suwa in Hawaii (check out her stuff here) shared her favorite site for lovely graphic design elements and fonts. Check their font selection out here:
https://thehungryjpeg.com/fonts/
DESIGN INSPIRATION
The most important thing I can say right here is this: when looking for yearbook inspiration, please, never, ever, Never, EVER search for “yearbook”. You will see all kinds of beautiful, OLD yearbook layouts and ideas. You don’t want old, been-there-done-that designs. You want current, hot trends. Where do you find those designs? By checking out design sites and current periodicals (translation: magazines). Here are a couple of our favorite places to start:
Issuu.com
An online library filled with new magazines for you to peruse and see what’s trending. You can search by specific content (try “surfing” or “fashion) to match the graphic style/voice you are hoping to create. To get started browsing, create your free account here:
RBdigital.com
Another amazing online library where you can actually browse and “checkout” issues to download on your mobile devices to keep as long as you like. You must create an account online first then download the app and log in from there to access the content. Here’s where you get started:
https://www.rbdigital.com/50emagazine/service/magazines/
There are so many great online sources for inspiration, including Pinterest–just DON’T search “yearbook.” Search terms like graphic design, design trends, typography, magazine layout, etc.
BONUS
REMEMBER: a yearbook is a printed product, so be brave and get your hands dirty with actual printed materials. How about doing one of these activities to get some hands-on time with some printed inspiration:
- Take a field trip to your local library and hang out in the periodical section. Look through the magazines that grab your attention and take photos of the layouts, graphics, typography, photography you love.
- Go to Barnes and Noble or another large bookstore near you, grab a latte, and spend an hour or two in their periodical section taking lots of photos. If you get goosebumps (yes, that happens) looking through a magazine, BUY IT!
- Stop by two or three local dentist/orthodontist/ophthalmologist’s offices and ask if you can take the last few months of their magazines off their hands. They will gleefully contribute to your printed inspiration library!
- Check out the college brochures in your campus’ college/career center. Their target audience is your target audience, and they have BIG budgets to make beautiful, on-trend printed pieces.
Now that you have some places to start looking, jump right in and get inspired! Have a site you love or a suggestion for design inspiration? Share it in the comments below!
Happy yearbooking!