Cover Design Assignment
A yearbook cover design is made up of two major components: “the copy” (the written information) and “artwork” (the compositional design and images used).
You will use Adobe Photoshop to design your own original yearbook front and back cover along with a spine. Emphasis of this project will be on the following subjects:
• Composition and Layout design
• Typography
• Creativity & Originality
• Adherence to a particular theme and colour scheme
Remember our theme is 2020 Vision so please try and design a cover that exemplifies our theme.
Your Front Cover must contain the following criteria:
1. Name of the school
2. School Year
3. A suitable and effective image that sells our theme to our audience
3. Try to think of a catchy headline that matches the theme of the book
Your Spine must contain the following criteria:
1. Name of the school
2. School Year
Your Back Cover must contain the following information
1. Name of the school (does not need to be as dominant)
2. An image that exemplifies the theme of the yearbook.
You will use Adobe Photoshop to design your own original yearbook front and back cover along with a spine. Emphasis of this project will be on the following subjects:
• Composition and Layout design
• Typography
• Creativity & Originality
• Adherence to a particular theme and colour scheme
Remember our theme is 2020 Vision so please try and design a cover that exemplifies our theme.
Your Front Cover must contain the following criteria:
1. Name of the school
2. School Year
3. A suitable and effective image that sells our theme to our audience
3. Try to think of a catchy headline that matches the theme of the book
Your Spine must contain the following criteria:
1. Name of the school
2. School Year
Your Back Cover must contain the following information
1. Name of the school (does not need to be as dominant)
2. An image that exemplifies the theme of the yearbook.
STEP ONE: Look at previous yearbook designs
STEP TWO: Brainstorming possible imagery and subject matter for your cover using the Brainstorming Sheet Below. - - CONSIDER: school colours: blue, green, and white.
STEP THREE: Draw 2 conceptual sketches of possible themes using the Sketches Sheet below. Consider layout imagery and typographic elements.
STEP FOUR: Get approval from the teacher on one of your designs and then CREATE your own cover in Adobe Photoshop. You will export this as a JPEG or a TIFF file and submit to the Website for marks. DO NOT Delete this Assignment as we will be voting on this as a class and choosing the cover we decide to use together.
STEP FIVE: Reflect on your finished work by answering the following questions:
Please reference the rubric located below as well as the provided Photoshop template which you may use when designing your yearbook cover.
STEP TWO: Brainstorming possible imagery and subject matter for your cover using the Brainstorming Sheet Below. - - CONSIDER: school colours: blue, green, and white.
STEP THREE: Draw 2 conceptual sketches of possible themes using the Sketches Sheet below. Consider layout imagery and typographic elements.
STEP FOUR: Get approval from the teacher on one of your designs and then CREATE your own cover in Adobe Photoshop. You will export this as a JPEG or a TIFF file and submit to the Website for marks. DO NOT Delete this Assignment as we will be voting on this as a class and choosing the cover we decide to use together.
STEP FIVE: Reflect on your finished work by answering the following questions:
- What aspect of your work do you find most successful and why?
- What aspect of your work do you find least successful and why?
- If you could do this project again, what changes would you make to improve it?
Please reference the rubric located below as well as the provided Photoshop template which you may use when designing your yearbook cover.
Some Key Points:
- DO NOT place text within the bleed lines of your document as they may be trimmed during printing - you still need to add colour or continue with a gradient or pattern, but do not place important information in this space.
- Try to keep text within the "Safe Title" areas to ensure we can read the information.
- Try to keep all of the images and styles within the "Safe Action" area to ensure nothing will be cut off.
- Remember to use CMYK colours - not RGB!
School Colour Codes:
BLUE - C: 100 M: 18 Y: 0 K: 65
GREEN -C: 87 M: 47 Y: 58 K: 35
WHITE - C: 0 M:0 Y:0 K:0
BLACK - C: 0 M: 0 Y:0 K:100
- DO NOT place text within the bleed lines of your document as they may be trimmed during printing - you still need to add colour or continue with a gradient or pattern, but do not place important information in this space.
- Try to keep text within the "Safe Title" areas to ensure we can read the information.
- Try to keep all of the images and styles within the "Safe Action" area to ensure nothing will be cut off.
- Remember to use CMYK colours - not RGB!
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=37&v=TolrOGUJISg (This link will show you how to switch if you make a mistake)
School Colour Codes:
BLUE - C: 100 M: 18 Y: 0 K: 65
GREEN -C: 87 M: 47 Y: 58 K: 35
WHITE - C: 0 M:0 Y:0 K:0
BLACK - C: 0 M: 0 Y:0 K:100
| brainstorming and sketching sheets.docx |
| yearbook_cover_design_project with rubric.docx |
| 8.5x11_hc_.4375_spine.psd |
Template Layout
When you open the template provided - you will not see these colours - rather a checkerboard pattern with the cyan-coloured ruler markers. I have placed these colours here to demonstrate where you should be including your information during your design.
RED means BLEED LINES. We need to ensure we continue with our colours and patterns into this space but we should NOT be placing text or photos in this space as it may be cut off during printing.
BLUE means SAFE ACTION. This area can contain images or repeating patterns if desired. We can place our images in this space but we should still be careful about placing text here.
GREEN means SAFE TITLE. This area is where the majority of your design will be placed. It is safe to place all text here along with images and patterns and gradients and etc.
Examples:
Here are some examples that I found interesting. You can design your cover to look like these or just use them as inspiration!
Class Voting Section
Please vote anonymously for your favourite cover in the voting section below. Choose carefully and take into account the theme (Old School Spirit) as well as the ability to modify the existing design you are voting for (if necessary at all).