Yearbook Print Spec

Here is the print spec for the yearbook, the final spec has altered since, now a proposed 120gsm stock in side and 350gsm cover, to give the book more durability over time.

Yearbook initial designs

Yearbook

Here are recent covers for the Yearbook. The use of a large '2' would be clear varnished over the entire printed cover to add texture and detail to the book. They vertical type follows the layout inside the book, effectively linking the cover with its contents.

Yearbook - Layout

I have been experimenting with the layouts of the yearbook, we (the yearbook team) feel that the book is fine and works as a standard yearbook, but it doesn't stand out enough and the design is somewhat repetitive.
Here are some more experimental designs,

Yearbook - Achievements

For the achievements section of the yearbook we have decided to use some of the outtake shots as they give a more friendly and personal view of the student, but also to avoid repeating the same image and thus making the book repetitive.

Yearbook - Feedback

After yesterdays pitch we received some feedback on the yearbook. The suggestions were very valid and particularly helpful for our cover design, an area which has been almost avoided until now.

The inclusion of the number 2 should be integrated into the cover, this could be the use of the character 2, two shapes or lines etc, or another way to add the two such as the inclusion of a photograph of a set with the number 2 in it, or a particular print finish to make 2 parts of the cover differentiate from the rest.

Looking at the previous yearbook I feel the number 2 could be added more conceptually rather than a big 2 printed. The spine needs to remain the same however, this is a point to allow for when designing the cover. 
Mine and Rhianne's  initial cover designs related more to the layout of the content of the book; repeating the black square where the images lie inside to create a 'blank canvas' which is repeatedly filled inside of the book. We thought of perhaps including a spot colour in the large black block to really make the cover stand out. 

Our proposed use of a narrow cover jacket would be a nice format-based touch to the book but would really blow the budget as it would be a separate print job, and as the budget is already tight as it is, a different approach is required. 

Yearbook - Layouts

Here are updated layout designs for the Yearbook. After group discussions and tests, we have designed a more impressive layout, Rhianne designed the structure of the layout and group input brought the layout up to where it is now.

I have been designing the quote pages with our new, final layout.
Here is my progress:

I have tried to keep in with the same layout as the other spreads, keeping the type on the same horizontal line. The images bleed off and fill the page to give high-impact and really extenuate the quote. The type works best at a medium size, in DIN regular with a 20% black tint, this way the text is not overbearing or brash like it is when in full black, larger, or in a colour. Also the typeface DIN is subtle yet different, a serif face takes away that design element the book needs, being a graphic design yearbook.