Sometimes a great theme can develop naturally. As the planning sessions progress, a theme might make itself known. A theme should be subtle, or at least not overworked or contrived, should be inclusive and be customizable to be specific to your school and time.
A good theme will have potential for spin-off ideas. To help find some, reduce the theme idea to a word or two, then with the help of a thesaurus, re-express it with other synonyms to generate new ideas.

A yearbook’s unifying element does not always have to be a theme. In many circumstances, the theme only serves to direct and motivate the yearbook class but does not even impact on the reader – that being said, a great theme is often noticed and appreciated by the readers! For example, consider using a unifier such as a style: magazine style, brochure style, or newspaper style. Incorporate the look and feel of that publication to unify your book. A graphic unifier can be one of the most effective means to bring a yearbook together. It allows the class to have more freedom in creating the individual spread, particularly when they are so obviously tied to content.

Watch out for these troublesome theme characteristics:
• Soap Box: flogging someone’s editorial opinion
• Rubber Stamp: unimaginative repetitions of a theme element(s)
• Trend Setter: can quickly become “so, yesterday”
• Ignorance is Bliss: a theme no one gets due to it being too subtle or complex
• Designed to Shock: outrageous themes whose only purpose is to be outrageous and upset others
• Too Much of a Good Thing: an overused theme with no changes.

Once you have narrowed down your theme ideas, solidify them with all the yearbook staff. The editors should be prepared to explain the theme in detail, how it will be represented throughout the book and discuss how it fits the school, the year etc. Once this is done, present the final idea to the group* and figure out what further refinements can be made.

Five Steps to a Theme

As you begin developing your theme, have your class conduct a brainstorming session – this will encourage the development of innovative ideas and problem solving through unrestricted and uncensored discussion.

Step 1: Generate Ideas
At this stage, you want to generate as many ideas as possible. Save any criticism and commentary for the discussion phase.

• Do an Internet search using keywords such as “yearbook themes” and visit the blogs, websites, Facebook pages, Pinterest boards and other sites of both yearbook advisors and yearbook companies.
• Consult the theme list in the appendix at the conclusion of this chapter.
• Look at yearbook samples from other schools as well as past yearbooks from your own school.
• Brainstorm words that keep popping up when talking about how different everything is this year (then type them into Google Images to get visual ideas!)
• Use various pop culture publications and websites to come up with ideas.
• The dictionary and a thesaurus make for great resources.
• Tour your school while visualizing various items within it. Think of what makes it special.

Because some popular theme ideas are found through media – and therefore may carry copyright protection – ensure that the class is very familiar with their ethical and legal responsibilities outlined in previous chapters.

Step 2: Record All Ideas
There is no such thing as a bad idea at this stage. Record every idea without censorship or omission. Every class member should keep their own notes during the brainstorming sessions.

Step 3: Development
Breaking the class into small groups, each group should work to develop an idea or two.
By the conclusion of their development time, they should look to have:
• General theme phrase/idea
• Opening and theme explanation
• Design elements such as colour, geometrics, logos, etc.
• Idea for the cover and end sheets
• Outline for a theme package throughout the book
• How will you tell stories, cover content with your theme?

Each team should be prepared to present their idea to the class and be prepared to field questions from different sources.

Step 4: Discussion
When selecting a theme, near unanimous agreement is important to maintaining a high level of enthusiasm. To do so, vigorous discussion is required to narrow down the sometimes-long list of theme proposals.

Generally, each proposal should contain the following items:

1. An overall theme with rough opening copy/explanation. It should sound like something a student would say or text. Make sure to be inclusive, have an obvious connection and that it is customizable and specific to your school and time.
2. Rough logo sketches
3. Unifying design element(s); this can include thematic use of colour, spot colour, graphics, fonts, folio, photo treatments, etc. For additional information on design elements, consult Volume 7 – Design & Layout.
4. A description of how your theme will relate to the various pieces of the book:
   • Cover
   • End sheets
   • Divider pages
   • Portrait pages
   • Sports pages
   • Academics pages
   • Index
   • Representing the theme throughout the content of the book. This can include individual spin-off ideas, coverage ideas, photo/caption relating to the theme, etc.

Step 5: Evaluation & Selection
Once the previous step is complete, it is time to formally evaluate the top themes to select one. This can be done many ways, however ideally the end-goal is to find a consensus for one theme.

Examples
• Hold secret ballot voting with the entire class. This will allow students to vote without fear of reprIsal from others. You may be required to hold a few rounds to reach a “majority” rule winner.
• Enlist the help of your Admin, your Print Consultant and someone else that is not currently familiar with your work to form a panel. They can provide you with an honest assessment that will help select a theme.