I lucked out with our 2022-2023 yearbook class! The class of four 7th Graders and twenty-six 8th Graders is extremely talented, including a student named Lauren who saw SlidesCarnival Colorful Waves and saw a potential yearbook theme for our school.
Student Design
With the last two yearbook templates I created, I started from a copy of the SlidesCarnival original presentation. However, Lauren's design was so good, that I copied one of her slides and then made modifications in the alignment. Her design was that good!
When school starts again in January, I expect her to take my modifications and keep what she likes while making changes that make the design even better.
Alignment
Alignment starts with guides. Guides can be used to identify the margins and to a design grid. Use this Guide lines calculator to determine the margins for your Google Slides yearbook.
Professional graphic designers use programs like Adobe Photoshop with more options for alignment. When this project began in 2016, Adobe Photoshop on Chromebooks was not even possible. A cloud option does exit in 2022; however, our goal with SlidesYearbook is to keep yearbook costs low. Thus, alignment tricks in Google Slides are beneficial.
One of the many lessons my yearbook students completed in the Fall included Design Tools in Google Slides. Students learned from professionals via YouTube and practiced applying those graphic design rules to Google Slides. I did, however, forget to update and share the Guides lesson. Until today.
Setup Guides
- Go to Slide -> Edit theme.
- Add Horizontal guides to the THEME.
- Add Vertical guides for EVEN margins to Layout 1.
- Add different Vertical lines ODD margins to Layout 2.
- OPTIONAL: Add layouts with 2 or 3 columns. Use the Guides line calculator for the exact measurements.
Once you have completed one EVEN page and one ODD page with the guides, save time creating guides, duplicate the Layouts 1 and 2. Don't forget to insert and place the page numbers!
Use the Arrange Menu to Align
- Select 2 or more objects by pressing the Shift key as you click on the object.
- Go to File -> Arrange.
- Select an option such as Top.
If you mess up, click CTRL + Z to undo. Failing is learning.
Use Guides to Align Placeholders
- Insert image and text placeholders.
- Use the Arrange menu to align placeholders.
- OPTIONAL: Insert temporary straight lines on the right and left margins. Then use Arrange -> Distribute -> Horizontally to evening space the objects.
Remove the temporary lines when you are done.
Font Pairs
The original SlidesCarnival Color Waves template used a style of Catamaran for both the Title and Body. Lauren changed the title font to Anton, and I liked the change.
While I write Body text on the Font Pairs style guide slide, I use the Subtitle text placeholder in Edit theme because it makes adding captions easier.
Color Palette
The color palette, which is vibrant and energetic, includes custom gradient colors that can be used as backgrounds or on objects.
If you would prefer a more subtle color for the waves and captions, a second option is available in the layouts.
- In the top left corner, look for the + icon.
- Click on the arrow next to the +.
- Use the slider to view more layout options.
To add your changes to the template, go to Slide -> Edit theme.
Image Placeholders
What makes the Color Waves design intriguing are Lauren's circle image placeholders. Even if our class does not choose this template for our 2022-2023 yearbook, we can reuse the circle placeholder idea.
The circles on slide 12 of the original template included a circle diagram. Lauren took this idea, which included semi-transparent background circles, into the Edit theme.
Lauren's vision is to use the two-page layout for our five student body officers. The two image placeholder in the bottom corner of each layout connects to form one picture.
Slides Create (beta)
For the past few years, I have coded a solution for gathering and organizing individual portraits. No one wants to hand insert 630 student portraits onto a Google Slides.
Color Waves Yearbook Template has 48 portraits across a two-page spread. You may choose a white background or a blue gradient background. The benefit of a light color is allowing students to handwrite messages and make notes during the last week of school.
I am conducting the 2022-2023 beta test with my school district. If you would like to beta test, contact me.
Feel free to use this yearbook template under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International.