Success Stories
We picked a handful of yearbooks that showcase our unique features and innovative customization options, as well as how we transformed advisers’ ideas into reality through collaboration. Each yearbook has a unique story that we’d like to share with you. United Yearbook excels in creating the yearbook of your dreams at a price you can afford!
Impact of pandemic holographic mask
This unique yearbook features a lenticular holographic mask. The mask symbolizes the events that took place during the pandemic. There are two images embedded within the holographic mask. The students can tilt the book to see the different images. One side shows the school logo, while the other displays the faces of the senior class. This printing technique (only available at United Yearbook) allows students to empathize with the range of events and emotions felt during the pandemic.
The school year and the title of the yearbook both feature a light blue drop shadow with embossed letters. The embossing makes the text bold to exemplify the students’ courage and perseverance during this season. The back of the book displays some of the school year’s events. We highlighted these events using gloss lamination on the back cover case. We wanted to ensure that the students who persevered through such difficult times were able to commemorate their memories!
150 years encapsulating the LAPD’s history
A yearbook is meant to commemorate, and it was our honor to help commemorate 150 years of LAPD’s history. This yearbook represents a sense of unity within the LAPD department. The logo is heavily laminated, creating a gloss that shines under light. It also has an embossed signet—the police badge. It was vital to highlight the badge because every officer feels a deep pride in wearing their badge. On the spine, there are embossed silver-edged letters with the LAPD’s service time. This is a unique way to mark the years that have passed and the strength of the service. A navy blue ribbon bookmark is attached inside the book, and the pages are tipped with silver. On the back, their seal is debossed. Different designs encapsulate the meaning of the badge within the seal—authority and the rays of a setting West Coast sun.
Because this yearbook is such a historical piece, retired officers, officers from other countries and states, and many more sought out a copy. It was a significant way to preserve the stories and hard work of many generations. 30 LAPD officers volunteered to work on these pride-filled pages, and United Yearbook used precise techniques to make this timeless piece come to life. The precision, care, courage, and skill we used for each page is only a fraction of the work they put in the past 150 years.
Xavier College Preparatory 2019-2022
This yearbook by Xavier College Preparatory is an example of a journal-style yearbook. There are 10 innovative treatments performed to this yearbook. The cover is matte black and has a spot UV mandala shape. Gold foil is embedded into the bottom of the book and cascades onto the back. Upon opening the magnetic journal flap, orange and gold flowers drape across the front two pages and into the back two end pages. Gold foil flowers throughout the book add bright pops of color. The mandala figures vary across the yearbook, representing the theme of “gracefully working with purpose.” Each one is skillfully crafted so that the layers are not hidden but emphasized.
United Yearbook helped create this yearbook to honor the exceptional uniqueness of each student. We took the time and attentive care necessary to bring these students the yearbook they had always dreamed of. Undeniable joy marked the team of students whose hard work and dedication produced such a treasured piece.
Mesa Grande Academy 2020
The student in the video shares our excitement as they feel their yearbook vision come to life. This airplane pop-up is significant because it attracted Grande Mesa Academy to United Yearbook. When the yearbook staff asked about including the airplane pop-up, the first and only yearbook company that yearbook adviser Lynn Delinger thought of was United Yearbook. One of her staff members asked us about the pop-up, and we were eager to help their vision come to life. One of our yearbook representatives attended their class to listen to the students’ ideas. United Yearbook helped them find solutions and made their vision a reality.
The journal-style sky-blue matte yearbook exudes a sense of adventure and travel. Upon opening up the magnetic journal flap, it reveals a quote from Jack Kerouac about travel, adventure, and living life to the fullest. There are two globes spread over the cover. The words “Adventure Awaits” are embossed in glossy, elegant lettering. The inside front cover features stamps of different passport destinations and travel-themed pages. The final yearbook emanates pure wanderlust that is evident from cover to cover.
Mesa Grande Academy 2022
​This yearbook cover features a lovely watercolor painting created by the staff. Minimalistic silver butterflies are embossed on the cover to create an elegant accent. The title, “A Year in Color,” is printed on the front. The word “Color” is embossed; each letter exhibits its own unique shade of the rainbow.
This special effect resulted from a visit in December 2021, when one of our yearbook representatives met the yearbook adviser at Mesa Grande Academy. During the visit, the student manager showed the representative a roll of rainbow wrapping paper she purchased from a craft store. She asked our representative if there was a way to incorporate rainbow foil into the yearbook. We immediately told her that we would! We go beyond the typical gold, silver, or blue color foil that other yearbook companies provide. We offer rainbow, pantone colors, or metallic colors.
The staff was extremely excited that we were going to add rainbow elements to the yearbook. On the spine, the school, the year, and the volume are printed in silver letters for a consistent, refined feel. On the back, there are more silver butterflies and one silver caterpillar crawling across the yearbook. The yearbook adviser, Lynn Delinger, used the yearbook treatments as a learning opportunity. She walked through the treatments that we included in the yearbook with her staff. One of our yearbook representatives was present to help train the staff in yearbook terminology such as matte lamination, spot UV, embossing, and rainbow foil.
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At United Yearbook, we encourage students to think big and bring their ideas and inspiration to us. We encourage students to be open and find inspiration wherever they go.
St. Anne School 2020-2021
The yearbook adviser, Eric Hartman, wanted to make the yearbook a piece that moved past the difficulties of the 2020-2021 school year. He knew that students struggled both in and out of school and wanted to incorporate a message of peace, relaxation, and progress. United Yearbook took this project to another level by getting our R&D team involved in this innovative yearbook. The team traced the shape of the surfboard prototype that Eric Hartman had created in our computer program. They created custom molds to extrude and cut the shape of the surfboard and fin for mass production and spent hours stacking and curving individual names of 80 eighth graders. The graduating eighth graders' names were placed inside the wave shape on the back cover.
The involvement and the amount of preparation work required to bring this piece to life and to function exceeded our expectations. The spine contains the school’s name and year in white letters. On the back are two magnetic gradient flaps that resemble a surfboard when pulled out. Surfboard fin cutouts can be inserted on the back end of the surfboard. Within the yearbook, a three-panel gatefold showcases the entire eighth-grade class. The gatefold keeps the students together amid the rolling waves they endured throughout their year. We ensured that the intention and symbolism of the yearbook were present from cover to cover to provide even the smallest bit of excitement to each student.
Check out the YouTube video linked to see Eric Hartman speak firsthand about his heart for the yearbook and the process that went into it!
Garden Grove High School 2019-2020
​​This yearbook has a simplistic cover that allows creativity to flourish from page spread to page spread. By keeping the design of this yearbook simple, we achieved a sleek look. The staff wanted to incorporate a binding called three-quarter binding, but they requested this binding late in the school year. We didn’t have time to order a separate cover case material. Typically, we have to place this kind of order in advance for the special fabric. United Yearbook came up with a solution for this staff by suggesting that they use a different color around the area where the three-quarter binding effect would be placed. We applied a white color and a thick layer of UV coding done with litho printing. It achieves the effect they wanted while respecting the yearbook’s deadline.
The staff also made a last-minute decision to add a senior sunset portrait to the yearbook. They wanted to feature a panoramic shot of the complete graduating senior class. It is a larger school, yet we were able to accommodate the students who showed up to the senior sunset event within the gatefold. The gatefold is an extended page on the left and right. When opened on both sides, it reveals a wide picture of the graduating class. That senior sunset panoramic shot was a huge success for the students, especially the graduating class! We loved being able to come up with solutions for the school to make sure that despite tight deadlines, they still achieved their yearbook dreams
Dolores Huerta Middle School​
The theme “change” is significant because it represents students’ feelings during the first year returning to school after the pandemic. Each student endured radical change during and after the pandemic. The staff and adviser wanted to recognize that radical change while looking toward the new beginnings of the next school year. The vibrant colors throughout the book symbolize the happiness found in reconnecting with one another and the excitement of new adventures.
The yearbook adviser asked United Yearbook to add something to make the yearbook stand out even more. We decided to raise the typography to make the title and yearbook pop. We applied embossing to the word “change.” To achieve this effect, we created a piece of metal die using the shape of the word. (This can be done with any word selected.) After we printed the cover, we ran the press sheet over the metal die to raise the title. The result is a vibrant yearbook that carries excitement and joy on each page.
Saint Anne School 2021-2022
The yearbook staff from Saint Anne brought a "straight out of Hollywood" yearbook to life. They worked diligently to make sure that the theme was evident in all parts of the yearbook, even the sleeve! They designed a movable director's clapper that is attached to the sleeve. As you can see in the video, they passed around the freshly printed copy and tested out the clapper by moving it back and forth. The last student who was handed the copy gently slid the yearbook out from the sleeve and showed it to his fellow staff members.
The book is wrapped in a royal blue fabric and received illustrious gold-foil stamping applied to the school logo, which is positioned on the front, the spine, and a star on the back cover. The sleeve is divided into four different sections. On the front of the sleeve, the word “production” is placed at the very top in small letters, followed by the words, “behind the scenes.” Resting below it in a separate section is the word “scene.” The third space is given to the word “director,'' followed by the name of the school. In the final space is the word “take'' in small letters followed by the number 29, which represents 29 years since the school started. We loved helping create such a unique and interactive yearbook.
Saint Anne School 2022-2023​
This is St. Anne’s 30th-anniversary celebratory yearbook! The school wanted to encapsulate the era of 30 years ago and carry it on into the present. The cassette tape is a perfect symbol to both remember the past and connect with current students. Times may change and the way we listen to music has changed, but the core of music is always there. Similarly, St. Anne may have had many changes in students and time, but the core of the school still rings true.
After the adviser provided United Yearbook with the idea of a cassette tape design, we studied a cassette tape to review the details and indents that a real tape has. We then helped the school come up with printing treatments to mimic a real cassette tape as much as possible. We used die-cut to assimilate the real effect of a cassette tape as well as the indents used to fast forward or go backward. We incorporated embossing and debossing where a real cassette tape would be raised up or not. The adviser provided original artwork with masking tape on it. We incorporated a spot matte finish around the “masking tape” to assimilate the touch and feel of real tape. It’s as if we really did stick tape on the cover of the yearbook!
We also provided blue foil stamping. We decided on blue because it is the school's brand color. United Yearbook provided these treatments for no extra charge to help St. Anne celebrate this milestone.
Saint Anne School Pre-School 2022-2023
The peek-a-flap yearbook was produced for St. Anne’s preschool. It was created to be fun and interactive for all of the preschoolers. The assistant director, Leslie Gibson, wanted something extraordinary as part of their 30th-year anniversary. Ms. Gibson wanted to incorporate a scavenger hunt for the preschoolers to make it extra interactive. Her concept included having the kids open a part of the book to find the school mascot, the St. Anne scuba diver warrior. Ms. Gibson is a mother and brought her young children’s books as an example for our team to review. She showed us different examples and asked if we could do something similar. We said yes!
The process of creating a peak-a-flap was intricate, involving several layers. First, we created a layer with the hidden image. In this case, it was the page with the school mascot. We printed it through litho printing on our offset press. There are 16 mascots throughout the book. The second layer we created was the image on the flap. We created a die cut around the original image (which is on top of the hidden image), and then we created an outline. We used the outline to create a metal die mold, almost like a cutter, and cut out the area where the flap would be. On the flap, there was an extra piece of tape that was part of the printing piece. We applied glue to that printing piece on the additional attachment and glued it to the book. We glued each flap manually. We used a premade guide so that the flap was placed in the same position throughout the book.
This yearbook will be treasured for years to come. Even though it was a paperback publication, we still incorporated innovative treatments. United Yearbook is one of the very few yearbook companies that takes the extra time and care to create the layers required for the peak-a-flap effect. We were happy to make this yearbook adviser's dreams come true!
Mesa Grande Academy 2022-2023​
This book is a rich example of how a unique theme can transform a yearbook completely. The theme and concept of this book is beautiful. It shows deep roots, life, and growth, symbolized by the tree on the cover. A tree makes us think of growth as time passes. This school has a religious background, and branches symbolize connection with the source which (in this case) is the tree.
The staff specifically asked for cross-grain embossing throughout the book. This was the fourth yearbook we did with Mesa Grande, and they had grown accustomed to the many innovative yearbooks we have helped bring to life. The staff remembered seeing one of Garden Grove High School’s yearbook samples with cross-grain embossing. They decided to incorporate cross-grain embossing for the first time in four years. We were happy to bring their vision to life. We felt proud that our yearbook family found inspiration in another yearbook we published.
The title “Taking Root'' was originally placed too close to the spine and ended up on the hinge. (The hinge is the area where the spine and cover case connect.) Given that United Yearbook is very precise, we notified the staff of the error and helped them to move it away from the hinge by 0.25 inches. After printing and applying embossing, the title stood properly. If the title were still on the hinge, the embossing effect would be diminished. This is the type of precision that United Yearbook ensures and the small details we help our advisers and staff members work through. We want each yearbook to be a product of excellence because we understand that each one is a collectible that will be treasured for many years.
Xavier College Preparatory High School 2022-2023
This yearbook is a wonderful example of how an adviser’s care and precision will go a long way for the staff members and the final product. When we received the files for this yearbook, one of our yearbook representatives called the yearbook adviser, Chris Botello, and let him know how impressed we were by the yearbook’s professionalism. Chris expressed that he wanted to keep the yearbook very simple without a clutter of pictures. Throughout the school year, he educated and trained his yearbook staff with the philosophy “less is better.” He taught them to pick key photos that were professionally done. Chris is a graphic designer and an Adobe expert, so it is no wonder he wanted to hold his staff to such a high standard.
Although there were only two treatments done to the yearbook (matte lamination and Spot UV), the yearbook is exceptional. United Yearbook admired the sleek white cover, but we were concerned that it would get scuffed or dirty. We researched the problem and suggested they add matte lamination to preserve the white color and stay scuff-free. We thought beyond merely the yearbook printing and into the user experience and how we could help best protect the yearbook.
The image on the front is a continuation of the image on the title page. Chris wanted the effect to be as if the image was expanding when the yearbook was opened. We made sure that it stayed at the same exact location on the cover as on the title page. To achieve that effect, we aligned that image to the exact position of the front cover case. This required precision and tests to make sure it came out as close as possible.
Not only will we help you transform your ideas into reality, but we will also help you create a product of excellence that lasts for a lifetime. The care we put into the yearbook made all the difference for Chris Botello. He expressed, “At all times, I felt that the people at United knew me, they knew my school, they knew what we are about, and they knew my yearbook. I felt throughout the process that they were as committed as I was to our producing a great book for our kids. We were in it together.”
Geffen Academy yearbook: Retrospect Case study​
We dedicated our first meeting (with Geffen Academy’s Yearbook team) to teach them about our online design software. We went over vital features to get the students started on the program. The staff was able to start uploading photos, organizing them, tagging them, and plugging them into the page layout. We also helped them troubleshoot how to autoflow student portraits by grade level. The adviser needed help combining the portrait area between grade levels so that there was minimal blank space, and we were able to assist in this process. They were the first school to ever request this. We love it when advisers come to us with a unique request so that we can help troubleshoot with them. (We have included an example of the portrait area that combines different grade levels.)
When it comes to student publications, it’s imperative to have a color palette, otherwise, the final product will look disorganized. Geffen Academy’s yearbook adviser, Kate Page-Lippsmeyer, and the student leaders had a keen eye for consistency. After choosing their theme, they decided on the colors to use throughout the book. They came up with a set of four colors that cleverly represented the idea of being “retro” very well. The staff then decided on a collection of fonts to keep that consistency in mind. You will notice that there are specific fonts for headings, subheadings, and the main body text. Repeating the same fonts throughout the page layouts is easy on the eye and provides a stable continuity.
The United Yearbook team strives for excellence. We realized that the staff had not included bleed on the final cover file. When it comes to a hardcover book, there should be ¾ in. of bleed on all four sides of the cover. After printing, we have to wrap the cover sheet over the case board and need the bleed to do so successfully. We notified the adviser that we would have to fix the file. We then used Photoshop to add room for the bleed. We repeated the background color in the area where the bleed was supposed to be. After the adviser approved, we used it for printing.
After looking at the cover, we wanted to see if there was anything else we could do to enhance its presentation. We wanted the word retro to pop without adding anything that would interfere with the design. We used a subtle treatment called embossing to raise the title. It’s a simple change, but it makes a difference when looking at the physical copy. This treatment was free. We included it because we wanted the school’s cover to make a statement.
Baldwin Park High School Yearbook 2018-2019: Heat Sensitive Cover
This yearbook was published the first year that we worked with Baldwin Park High School (BPHS). Heather Malone was the yearbook adviser at the time. The school was struggling with many different issues before signing with us. One of the significant issues they faced was the yearbook’s unpopularity. Students weren’t willing to buy the yearbook because they did not see the value in having one. For many years prior to our partnership, BPHS had been stuck with unsold leftover yearbooks. United Yearbook needed to address the reality that yearbooks were unimportant to students and BPHS was losing money as a result! The yearbook team could not make a profit off of the yearbook until they paid off their debt from previous years. United Yearbook set out to bring the tradition of yearbook back to campus! We also made it a priority to help BPHS pay off the yearbook bill from the year before and build a profit.
One of our yearbook representatives visited campus during senior portrait days to investigate why yearbooks were unpopular. The representative realized that many of the students’ parents were immigrants who were unaware of the yearbook's significance. Our representative took the time to speak to those parents about the yearbook’s meaning, and the parents were very receptive. Parents of senior students were informed that they would see their child’s senior portrait in the yearbook; they were sold! Almost every parent who visited our table bought a yearbook. Even if students had no interest in the yearbook at this point, parents wanted to purchase a yearbook because it was part of their legacy. Parents will always feel pride in a yearbook that shows off their students! This was a huge deal to Mrs. Malone as we helped come up with a solution for one of the crucial problems she faced.
We wanted to draw in not only the parents, but also the students. Our representative came up with the idea of creating a unique heat-sensitive cover to make students realize the value and fun of a yearbook.On a heat-sensitive cover, a portion of the cover is layered with black ink; when the ink is exposed to heat or light, the image beneath it is revealed! Check out the video featured here to watch how the heat-sensitive effect works. This cover idea added an element of mystery to the yearbook. Students were drawn to the yearbook and began to see its value once again. Part of our mission at United Yearbook is to make sure each yearbook represents the student body and their school year. Each yearbook is a piece of work that comes from students’ original ideas and creativity. One of our representatives went to campus to host a watercolor painting workshop to get the yearbook staff involved in creating the cover. Six volunteers were asked to create a cloud watercolor painting, which would be added to the background of the main image on the cover case. The class then took a vote on the winning watercolor painting, and the winner received a gift card. We used that winning watercolor piece as the background on the cover case. It was the perfect way to implement the staff's unique creativity and get them engaged.
While BPHS was deciding on their yearbook provider, another company matched our quote. BPHS decided against signing with this company because they would not allow the yearbook adviser to be part of the yearbook marketing process. They wanted the yearbook adviser to go with their set marketing approach rather than being flexible. United Yearbook is big on collaboration and adapting to the needs of each school. We believe that there are many ways to market a yearbook! It is vital to take the advice of the adviser and staff members because they know their school. They are in the best position to market and sell their yearbooks. We don’t push our ideas onto the school or adviser; we work with them to find solutions to fit their specific needs. We saw BPHS’s specific needs and knew that we had to mold our marketing efforts to those needs. We see the advisers and staff as the creative masterminds behind the yearbook, and we are merely the tool that helps bring them to life.
Sure enough, after addressing the different problems that BPHS was facing with parents, loss of money, and a lack of interest in the yearbook, the yearbook sold out three times that year. Two years later, students still ask to purchase this yearbook. We sold all the overrun and even damaged copies because students were so eager to get their hands on the book. By the time Mrs. Malone stepped down from advising the yearbook, she had profit in the yearbook account for the next yearbook advisers to use. The school has been consistently selling out the yearbook since our first year working with them. This was one of our greatest accomplishments! We are so glad we could help bring the yearbook tradition back to campus.
St. Anne School Yearbook 2019-2020: Double-Sequin
We published this unique yearbook the first year we worked with St. Anne School. Eric Hartman, the former yearbook adviser, was proactive in contacting us to ask for a yearbook proposal. He had wanted to do a double-sequin yearbook cover for years, but his yearbook publisher (at the time) had told him that it would be impossible. He was very discouraged by this news, and it pushed him to seek out a new yearbook publisher. He contacted a few companies expressing a desire to work with a new yearbook provider. United Yearbook was the only company to respond to his inquiry. We visited him on campus to show him yearbook samples as well as a double-sequin sample we created for him; he was immediately sold by our creativity.
Eric was truly the mastermind behind the design of this yearbook. His vision was to put the school logo on one side of the circular double-sequin piece and the school mascot on the other. When someone passed their hands back and forth through the sequins, the image would change from the school logo to the mascot. We offered to create a prototype for him using the two images he had in mind. We contacted St. Anne’s marketing coordinator to review the school’s style guide and ensure we had the correct pantone colors and images for the school logo and mascot.
Eric wanted to incorporate a design above the double-sequin circle by flowing some text along the top of the arch. (Refer to the image to view the text that sits atop the arch of the double-sequin circle.) Eric did not have the software needed to place the text along the arch. We were happy to help him with this design idea. He provided us with the text that needed to be placed on the curve, and we used Photoshop to perform the special effect. Eric also envisioned a Superman image in the background of the cover. The idea was for the double-sequin circle to replace the Superman logo in the center of his iconic shirt. We gave Eric different options to choose from, and he chose one for the cover. We enjoyed taking these small yet significant steps to ensure that Eric’s dreams for his yearbook came true.
When we create a prototype, we give advisers a cover template. A cover template is a guide that shows how the graphic elements and text fit on the cover case. This part of the process is very important because it can show where all the images will fall and whether any of the images will be stuck on the hinge (the area where there is a dip between the spine and both cover cases) after the yearbook is printed and bound. If the images fall outside the folding line, they will be cut off; if they fall on the hinge, they will be hidden. For this yearbook, we placed the graphic elements for the front cover, spine, and back cover within the cover case template (one single printing piece). All the graphics and text were within the margin of the print-ready files. We helped the staff ensure that the final print-ready files were properly prepared the way they expected before we put the job on press for mass production. United Yearbook is eager to help advisers prepare print-ready files for the cover case when we are needed.
After the double-sequin design was approved, we went through the process of making the final yearbook. The process required us to attach an adhesive to the back of the double-sequin piece in order to secure it to the back cover. These steps required double the manufacturing line. Once both components were completed, we assembled them by placing the double-sequin piece on the cover.
On yearbook distribution day, Mr. Hartman told us that many people loved the yearbook— students, parents, and even faculty members played with the double-sequin feature. Since our first year working with St. Anne, they have continued to produce innovative and completely new yearbook ideas that have never been done before. St. Anne has broken new ground in the yearbook industry. The school administration is very supportive of the yearbook team’s unique yearbook endeavors, which has made a huge difference in their ability to push the boundaries. We still have a good working relationship with former yearbook adviser Eric Hartman. He contacted us last year to express that the yearbook we produced for the school was outstanding (though he didn’t work on it). These are the kinds of collaborative relationships and lifelong friendships we love to build at United Yearbook.