Quick Reads and Alternative Copy
Why do your 
customers buy
yearbooks?
From the perspective of
The Buffalo High School yearbook
A really cool cover?

Masterful use of modular design?

Mind-blowing font choices?
"The Orange Book"
"The Green Book"
"The White Book"
"The Black Book"
"The Blue Book"
You wouldn't believe the PICAS 
in this book. The internal margins...
they're so.... so... consistent.
They want to see themselves
They want to see their friends
They want their perspective included
They want their activities covered completely
They want to remember their year
They want 
their story 
told
Quick reads:
Tell the 
whole story
Alternative Copy
Secondary Coverage
What is a quick read?
A quick read is an alternative method of storytelling that focuses on a combination of text and graphics.

It can either expand on a central theme of a spread or show a completely new angle.

It should be concise and easy to read.
General Ideas:
Poll/Survey Results
Q&A
Charts and Graphs
Timelines
Interviews / Long Quotes
Personality Profiles
Top 5/Top 10
Factoids "by the numbers"
Favorite Memories
51%
of all copy that's four paragraphs or less is read. Longer stories decrease readability.
The bottom line is that a yearbook is about story-telling. When it comes down to it, those that build and weave the students’ lives into the book in a broader context of the activities of the year are successful.
-NSPA Judges Comments on Pacemaker Finalists
Get your cell phones out.
Let's brainstorm.
http://prezi.com/103387/
http://flash.locamoda.com/wiffiti.com/cloud/cataclysm.swf?id=3461&title=1
Things to keep in mind:
Try to connect your quick read with your theme or mini-theme.
Secondary Coverage cannot be an afterthought. It takes as much time to do one right as it takes to write a good story.
Look for surprising people and connections.
Make them more than text boxes. Give readers somethign to grab their attention.
Design them intentionally. use theme elements and consistent styles.
Showcase something that's designed for your whole audience.

Give your school what they've paid for.

Respect your readers and the people you cover.
Freshman vs. Senior (Two views on homecoming from a single frosh and single senior.)
Jargon (A compilation of theatrical terms used by drama students.)
The Hard Facts (Comparison of hard facts between arch rival schools.)
Tools of the trade (what trainers/coaches/teachers/students use to do their jobs)
Superhero (If students could be a superhero who would it be?)
Fear Not (What is a student’s biggest fear?)
Brushed by Fame (Students relate brushes with famous people.)
Don’t Hide It (Students relate hidden talents they have or wish they had.)
Get Elected (What would be the first thing they would do if elected president?)
Traffic Jam (Interviews and quotes about school parking lots.)
Welcome Back (Teachers return to teach in the same classrooms in which they were students.)
Not Working on the Weekend (Faculty shares what they do in their time off.)
How to Tap (A four part lesson in how to tap dance.)
Anatomy of a Golf Swing (A photo montage that dissects the golf swing of a student golfer.)
Calorie Counting (Sports feature about wrestlers trying to make weight.)
What to eat…the day of the meet (Follow up to the Calorie Counting feature.)
Rivals then Teammates (Students who transfer from arch rival schools.)
A Testing State of Mind (Student reaction to state competency testing.)
Pep Planning (What it takes to plan a pep rally.)
Spotlight On… (Students picked at random from each class are spotlighted with quotes and Q & A throughout the underclass mug sections.)
Learning from Bad Habits (Student study habits they learned from their siblings.)
Way Back When (Comparison in sports section between students who played a sport in grade school and today.)
Partners in Crime (Students share stories about fellow workers.)
Road Trip Thrills (Fun and crazy stuff that happened on athletic or clubrelated road trips.)
Odd Jobs, Odd Stories (Students tell amusing stories about their workplaces and their bosses.)
Ultimate Dream Job (What would be their ultimate dream job?)
Testing 1, 2, 3 (How people cope with tests in different classes.)
Worst Weather (What is the worst weather an athlete has ever played in?)
FOUL (Worst athletic fouls ever called on them or for them.)
Rabbit’s Foot or Smelly Socks (Student athletic rituals and superstitions.)
Required Reading (Student views on the most important novels in their lives.)
Who’s New Here? (Teachers in their first year of teaching.)
Senioritis (What is it and do they have it?)
In the Fast Lane (Sophomores getting their first cars.)
Don’t forget the #2s (Taking standardized tests with #2 pencils.)
http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTQ4OTIyNzY0MA