The Fall Design Clinic: A Long Meeting

As a yearbook veteran, I’ve attended three fall design clinics. These workshops are for editors and the more dedicated staffers, and basically give yearbook staffs a chance to show off the progress they’ve made with their respective books. The IPoly books usually fare relatively well at these clinics. 

Setting up before the clinic, with Malorie and J-Wu.

However, the main purpose of the fall design clinics are to receive feedback from industry professionals, such as Paul Ender, Pete LeBlanc, and Mimi Orth (they’re big yearbook people, I don’t expect you to know them). We’ve always gotten great advice on how to improve the spreads and our opening copy, and the same goes for this year. Overall, the gurus (as we call them) loved our "Misfit Right In" theme, and how well the design team tied it into each spread. They also complimented the voice, rhythm, and the fun feel of our opening copy. So all in all it was a productive clinic, and quite possibly the best I've been to. There is much promise in the yearbook staff this year.

Mimi Orth, our Herff Jones representative and savior.

Why the title? This year’s clinic ran from 9 am to 4 pm, and I had been there since 8 am to help set things up and make sure everything was in place. My breakfast of approximately 7 donuts (provided at the workshop) sustained me throughout the day.

I can just feel my teeth rotting away... worth it for the sugar rush

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

•  How best can one manage an editorial staff, so as to promote efficiency and inspiration?

2.  Possible Answers:

•  An editor-in-chief should promote the concept of employee engagement among his or her staff.

•  Clear, concise expectations for the staff and the editors should be set, so everyone knows their role.

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

•  Answer 1: The most important source I found supporting this is “What Is Employee Engagement”, an article from the renowned business magazine Forbes.

•  Answer 2: “YEARBOOK EDITORS: Effective Strategies” was extremely useful in finding this answer.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you doing mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

•  I’ve previously listed Yearbook adviser Rebecca Chai as my mentor, but I may have to change this. Since Ms. Chai is a Yearbook teacher at a different high school, I can’t exactly work under her. I don’t know who I can talk to for other mentorship options, and would like some help figuring this out. I believe last year’s Editor-in-Chief was able to do her mentorship in the yearbook elective when our Herff Jones representative, Mimi Orth, would visit. However, this would not be an option for me as Mimi has opted out of mentoring this year.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• I shall be overseeing and helping in the completion of the first deadline for yearbook, which consists of 16 spreads (or 32 pages). I will be managing the yearbook staff during elective and outside of class, by assigning stories, creating lessons, setting up progress meetings, and organizing a ladder (document that shows the sequence of spreads). I’ll especially help in the designing of these spreads, and guiding the staff in accomplishing their tasks.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• As proof of my independent component, I will document work times and elective times through photographs and screenshots, which I shall link to on the blog. I’ll also post a link to view the finished deadline.

3. Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• What I will be doing will help me apply everything I’ve learned through research to an actual editorial staff. As editor-in-chief, not only am I in charge of keeping the vision of the book consistent, but I have to maintain the efficiency and morale of my yearbook staff as well. I’ll be exposed to every aspect of publishing a yearbook, from an editor’s perspective, and all the challenges one must overcome to ensure the success of said publication.

4. Update your Senior Project Hours log.

• Senior Project Hours log has been updated.