Many different people work together to create an amazing yearbook that everyone can enjoy. It takes patience, persistence and passion, but the outcome is a wonderful printed book that will be cherished for years to come, not to mention the experience of working with a team that won’t soon be forgotten.
Below are some of the main roles of the yearbook staff. Depending on the size of the school and yearbook, roles may be customized and there may be other staffers beyond this list. To learn more, contact Lifetouch for guidance today.
Yearbook adviser: This is the director of the yearbook and is typically a teacher or other school staff member. The adviser provides direction but does not do the specific work. Typically, the design, photos and copy are produced by the students. A yearbook adviser oversees selecting and training students for their roles, provides guidance and encouragement, develops a style guide and theme, manages deadlines, completes final reviews, works with Lifetouch for publishing and signs off before printing.
Managing editor: This role is responsible for the development of the content. Serving as a leader, this person will supervise the content coverage and story features while sometimes stepping in to do the work themselves, if need be. The managing editor should be comfortable taking charge and coordinating assignments, yet motivational enough to inspire staff to complete jobs well and on time. This person provides a final check of pages before submitting to the adviser.
Layout editor: This person is the leader of the design team and assists the editor in the overall yearbook plan, including design of the layout portions. The layout editor uses the layout tools provided by Lifetouch to simplify the process and trains others as necessary. This person coaches and suggests thoughtful changes to improve the overall flow and appearance of the yearbook, including verifying pages for consistency and style.
Designer: Works under the layout editor to complete assigned spreads. This person submits photo and copy requests as needed and adds them to the layout by selecting the appropriate cropping and labeling. They also check pages for errors before submitting for editorial review.
Copy editor: This person assists the managing editor and trains writers and reporters in developing factual, interesting copy for the yearbook. Once stories are submitted, the copy editor will read them for spelling, grammar and style alignment. Some schools with larger yearbooks will have section editors where one copy editor is in charge of guiding the development of each yearbook section.
Writer/reporter: Provides ideas for coverage of events or copy to enhance photos and layouts. A yearbook writer uses journalistic standards to develop stories, including research and interviewing. They also help develop headlines and captions as requested following the style guide. Checking for spelling, grammar and correctness is a must before submitting content to editors by the deadline.
Photo editor: This role is in charge of yearbook photography. This person will train student photographers and track school events that need coverage, passing out assignments as necessary. This person also makes sure every student’s photo is included in the yearbook and there isn’t favoritism toward one group of students over others. They also are in charge of organizing and tagging images appropriately.
Photographer: Gets assignments from the photo editor to cover events. A photographer may carry a camera throughout the school day to get candid and unexpected shots. This person can take traditional pictures and experiment with more creative shots, including different angles and unique perspectives.
Index editor: This position requires a detail-oriented person to maintain an accurate list of all people at the school, including students and staff. This information is used to develop the index that references all photos and photo captions correctly.
Business manager: The business manager develops the budget and supervises the yearbook sales campaign. This person also manages any fundraising activities and ensures bills are paid on time. They work closely with the advertising manager to maintain updated budget and funding information.
Advertising manager: Organizes ad sales by contacting prospective advertisers and setting up sales contracts. This person also trains other members of the sales team and manages all advertising revenue. They work with the photo editor when imagery is needed for an advertiser and verify all ad copy and photos for accuracy.