Theme Theme The entire function of a theme

Theme

Theme “The entire function of a theme is to unify your publication. ” Lindsay Rubenstein, Monarch High School, Coconut Creek, Fla. , Inspire Magazine, Spring 2009

A Good Theme Will: • Give a reason for telling the students’ story and a reason for remembering it. • Validate the experiences of the student body. • Fit the year, the school, and the people featured within the yearbook pages

Theme Secret • There’s no such thing as a never-before-used theme. • It’s what the staff does with it, the story, the graphics and design that make it unique. • Show don’t tell theme.

Use the 5 R’s to Create a Theme • • Relevant Real Recognizable Repeatable • Refreshing

A Good Theme is Relevant • Choose a theme that is relevant to the: • School • Year • Student body • Find something that feels right for the school and allows the staff to write detailed, specific copy that supports theme.

Relevant • Burlingame High School, Burlingame, Calif. • Theme: “Retrospect” • Inspiration: The yearbook adviser’s retirement after 34 years

A Good Theme is Real • Exemplify what is happening in the students’ world. • Incorporate unique events that pertain specifically to the school and the year. • Readers should be able to identify with theme today and when they reread the book years later.

Real • Rosemont High School, Sacramento, Calif. • Theme: “The Music Within” • Inspiration: Current music trends, including i. Pods and headphones

A Good Theme is Recognizable • Think of theme as a brand name for your yearbook. – For example, Mc. Donald’s golden arches help consumers associate with the product. • Develop a theme logo, graphics or and colors and use them throughout the book.

Recognizable • Thornton Middle School, Saco, Maine • Theme: “Third Time’s A Charm” • Inspiration: The school is three years old

A Good Theme is Refreshing • The theme should encourage the reader to think about the school and the year in a new way. • It should be contemporary enough to show the level of complexity of the student body and the world they live in.

Refreshing • East Syracuse Minoa High School, East Syracuse, N. Y. • Theme: “You + Me = We” • Inspiration: Unity in school and on the planet

A Good Theme is Repeatable • Each spread should have some verbal or graphic element of theme. • The theme should be repeated on: – – – the cover the endsheet the title page the opening the closing and dividers

Repeatable • Jim Elliot Christian High School, Lodi, Calif. • Theme: “To Everything There is a Season” • Inspiration: Uses the verses from the classic song

• Liberty Bell • 2013 -2014 • Yearbook Theme is. . .

The Perfect Theme IN FOUR EASY STEPS 1. Look at Your School Past Yearbooks, Mascots, Colors, Catch Phrase 2. Get Outside Inspiration Lifetouch Theme List, Magazines, Pop culture materials 3. Choose a Word or Phrase that Works Agree on a word or phrase, find synonym of that word 4. Develop the Concepts and Pick a Winner Present concepts for cover, tone, colors, headlines to staff

Types of Themes • Many themes originate from familiar American idioms or clichés, often with a twist. • It is rare to find a theme that has never been used before. • A theme becomes unique through the staff’s interpretation of it, including the story it tells, the graphics and design.

Types of Themes • • Event Anniversary Mascot School Colors Location Pride Double Edge • School Initials or Names

Event Theme Based on a specific, highly recognizable event from the year. Adding a grade: “Always Room for More” Construction: “A Work in Progress” Rancho Cotate High School, Rohnert Park, Calif. Theme: “Home + Away” Inspiration: Construction of a new stadium meant all home games would be away

Anniversary Event-based themes that center on a school’s milestone, focusing on the specific year, rather than the complete history of the school. Tenth anniversary: “X, ” “e. Xcellence, ” Mountain Valley High School, Rumford, Maine Theme: “When 2 Become 1” Inspiration: Celebrating the merging of two schools 20 years ago

Mascot A new perspective on the school mascot. The mascot’s name may not necessarily be a part of theme itself. Hawkeyes: “A Bird’s Eye View” Bulldogs: “Every Dog Has its Day” Mount Zion High School, Jonesboro, Ga. Theme: “Mount Zion Rated MZ” Inspiration: Features the mascot coming out of the cover

School Colors Using school colors provides an easy way for the student body to identify with theme. “It Isn’t Easy Being Green” “Green with Envy”“ “Red Hot and Blue Cool” Greeneville High School, Greeneville, Tenn. Theme: “Bringing Out the Greene” Inspiration: The school color is everywhere

Location The school’s location in the town or the state can provide a theme. “Best in the West“ “In the Center of Things” “Where East Meets Best” Upper Lake Union High School, Upper Lake, Calif. Theme: “Still the Wild West!” Inspiration: Celebrating the western town

Pride Tells the world that the school is proud of its achievements and its people. Make sure a specific success can be highlighted in each section of the book. “Making a Name for Ourselves” “Our Kind of Place”“It Only Gets Better” Kelseyville High School, Kelseyville, Calif. Theme: “We Are. . . ” Inspiration: Looks at all the things that make Kelseyville students special

Double Edged Themes that have multiple meanings can be clever because the staff can play to both sides. “Are We Having Fun Yet? ” “Call it What You Want” “Now What? ” Andrew Jackson High School, Kershaw, S. C. Theme: “Was It Worth It? Inspiration: Time and money spent in high school

School Initials or Names The theme incorporates a portion of the school name or the school initials. “Northside Story” “C Us the Way We Are” “Sometimes We Get It Wright” Oak Canyon Junior High School, Lindon, Utah Theme: “OCJH Unified Diversity”

Steps to Develop a Theme Package 1. Find theme slogan that is right for your school. Brainstorm to determine what makes the school special, then find the words to express it. 2. Create spin-off phrases from the original idea for each section of the book. 3. Write copy that confirms your choice of theme.

Steps to Develop a Theme Package 4. Find a design idea and create a logo that can make theme pages look unique. 5. Develop the design into a cover, endsheets (if the school prints them), a title page, opening/closing sections and dividers. 6. Take photos that represent theme visually.

Theme Development: The Basics • A theme logo – a brand – should be developed • The theme logo should appear on theme pages • • • Cover Endsheets Title page Opening and closing spreads Divider pages • The theme should be reinforced by coverage in the book. The logo should not appear on non-theme pages. The theme slogan is not needed on the content pages.

Basic Theme Development • Theme pages should have a distinct look that separates them from other content pages • This is done with the: • Logo • Graphic design • Typography

Cover Graphic • Provides graphics to introduce and carry theme. • The graphics on this cover include the puzzle pieces and the slogan, Putting it Together. • Provides visuals that are repeated on theme pages. .

Endsheet • The endsheet picks up theme graphic and presents the Table of Contents. • The large puzzle piece from the endsheet shows through the diecut cover. • Additional puzzle pieces are shown.

Title Page • Shows a variation of the cover graphics. • Develops theme as the school being box of puzzle pieces. • The number of puzzle pieces is the same as the number of students in the school. • Identifies the Volumes number and school’s information

Opening • Reinforces theme with the puzzle piece graphic. • Folio artwork of the puzzle piece is carried throughout the spreads. • The headline refers to the box of puzzle pieces and the first opening football game. • The copy mirrors the overall theme tone.

Closing • Reinforces theme with the puzzle piece graphic. • Folio art work of puzzle piece is carried throughout the spreads. • Headline refers to the puzzle pieces and the first opening Football game. • The copy mirrors the overall theme tone.

The Theme Ties Together

Theme List • Review the slogans listed on the Lifetouch Theme list in the Resource Section and brainstorm your theme.