1st Place, Academics Spread
2024-25, Division 3, Yearbook Visual
By Reagan Masek
The Midnight Sun
Ann Arbor Community HS
Y-10. Academics Spread
One spread predominantly featuring coverage of academics. Academics coverage commonly depicts students in a learning situation either in or out of class. Chronological books should select a spread whose dominant story contains coverage of academics. (Middle schools may enter a single page.) Submit a PDF or image file of the page(s). If any element of the entry was not produced by students (including images and/or page design templates) please indicate that clearly on the entry form in the “Non Student Work/Copyright” field. FOR SPREADS (a spread is two facing pages), if possible save your entry as a spread, creating a single horizontal page out of two vertical pages. Otherwise, the judges may not see both pages of your spread together and will not get the full impact of your design.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Designed as two-page visual unit, arrangement of photos, headline, copy, captions and white space invite reader onto spread and show careful planning
- Dominance is established and other elements are arranged in such a way as to lead reader’s eye around spread
- Adequate external margins provide frame for spread contents and are defined by at least one element on each side
- Photos effectively cropped, of varied size, shape and content
- Content concentrates on a variety of action photos of students engaged in learning, not on teachers. Posed photos and photos of students seated at desks are avoided
- Center of interest in photo(s) is not trapped in gutter; action and faces in photos do not face off spread
- Non-rectangular photos, tilted photos and other special treatments are used sparingly and effectively to enhance overall design
- Graphics and typography enhance readability and attractiveness of design
- Primary/secondary headline combinations have contemporary design and establishes a visual/verbal connection between photos and copy
- Type sizes for primary/secondary headline combinations are appropriate for the design; the primary headline should appear in the largest type size on the spread
- Copy and captions are readable size and use readable font
- Captions should touch photos to which they refer. Group or clustered captions are permitted, but attention has been paid to making them easily accessible to reader
- While designs may be innovative, they adhere to journalistic guidelines
- On spreads that include multiple sidebars/mods, a clear hierarchy has been established
- A horizontal eyeline has been established