Designer of the Year
Mishal Charania - Editor-in-Chief of The Enthymion yearbook
Introduction to journalism was nothing like I expected it to be. Then again, when I was put into the class as a freshman, I think I just expected it to be boring. As it turned out, the class was actually thrilling. The most thrilling (and slightly terrifying) part was the dreaded InDesign unit -- the unit that the entire class struggled through, with lots and lots of mistakes and blunders. It took a while for me to realize how to adjust color settings, create columns, and even import text. This unit made me fear design slightly, and I did everything I could to avoid it. That is until I joined my school’s newspaper staff as a junior and was subsequently made to open my assigned pages. With practice came progress and I am now the person who teaches the yearbook and newspaper staff how to open their own InDesign pages.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being a yearbook editor-in-chief this school year, not only because I furthered my design skills and interest, but also because this yearbook gave me a unique opportunity. How many other school yearbook staffs are going to create a yearbook almost completely socially distanced, with most photos given to us by our student body? It was an overwhelming experience to teach a staff of 75 students how to log into our shared yearbook drive and place text onto a page over Zoom, while also managing to design the majority of the book. Walking to my adviser's house to pick up proofs first thing in the morning, sitting outside with my staff members to work collaboratively while staying distanced, and sending texts at the end of the night marking that a page was finally complete took a lot of tenacity and patience that I only developed through these experiences. I am excited to join the yearbook staff at the University of Michigan as a designer, a position that I would not have been ready for or remotely interested in without my high school yearbook.
WHEN IN ITALY
This summer spread is the first chronological spread that I designed for this yearbook. All of the photos on this page were given to us by students because we had started the school year completely virtually. With this, I learned the importance of designing based off of the content that I have, as well as how to manage white space. I learned the harsh realities of keeping a perfect eye line, but this will forever be my favorite chronological spread because we were still able to feature 29 students in diverse ways. When we were unable to obtain photos from students, we had to consider other ways to create balance in a mod. For example, in the “Singing summer away” module, I used Spotify codes so that students could scan and listen to the songs mentioned in the body text. Note: this spread won fifth place for yearbook spread in the Fall Clips & Clicks contest.
CHANGING LANES
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When Covid cases rose rapidly in Michigan, a pause in the fall sports season stopped the women’s swim and dive team from competing in the state championship for two months, I knew how important this story would be. Additionally, the winter sports season was postponed, which affected hundreds of student athletes. When I decided to make the page focus on the dominant that is symbolic of the team being out of the water, I made sure to include enough blank space to allow the page to breathe. The main swimmer being in color is not only eye-catching and directs the viwere to the text, but also demonstrates the sense of isolation Fall and Winter sport athletes felt during the pause. This photo was taken by a newspaper staffer who was also on the swim team. There were times when we were unable to send additional staffers/collect photos from parents because there would be no opportunity due to Covid guidelines.
STUDENT ADS
This is the first year that my school’s yearbook has individually designed each senior advertisement. I knew most of the students that I was designing advertisements for, so I considered our theme fonts and palettes and used them to reflect the individual’s personality. For example, my friend Charlotte (on the left page) is super outgoing and bubbly which is why I chose a dark background color and a bold font for her name. All of the layouts were reviewed by the individual sponsors of the advertisement which gave me a chance to get feedback on my designs from the community while also providing them with a product they will love to look back on in a few decades.
TRENDS OF 2020
For a generation that spends a lot of time on social media, we all know the current trends. Whether it be handmade sweater vests, layered jewelry, or throwback fashion, we love to explore and create. For this spread, we took color inspiration from popular winter/spring palettes but kept the page cohesive with the book by using our 2021 style guide fonts. I utilized the blank space in this dominant picture to include various modules relating to fashion trends. I also included fashion tips and tricks to create a playful, conversational theme. Additionally, I used the dominant model’s outfit to include information. For example, near the model’s hand I included information about how to style pearls because of the pearl jewelry. These tactics created a clear link between the photo and the content.
YO, DROP YOUR PLAYLIST
Many students were not comfortable with submitting a picture and so we became creative with our designs. This page features 23 students without any pictures. When I design, I consider the way in which students will look back on this book in the future. Having content that focuses on trends and favorites of the time will not only be nostalgic, but it will be a reminder of what it was like during that year. Additionally, I utilized Spotify codes to make the yearbook interactive and relevant to students.