Trend Alert! This Yearbook’s Got Ink-tentions!
If the school yearbook world had a runway, the 2025–2026 yearbook season would be strutting bold prints, nostalgic styles, and futuristic fonts. Whether you're a seasoned yearbook adviser or a staff just starting out, these fresh yearbook trends will help you design a book that’s stylish, intentional, and totally your school.
From bold color blocking to AI-inspired fonts, here’s what’s hot—and how to make these trends work for your school’s unique yearbook.
1️⃣ Bold Color Blocking Is Back (and Louder Than Ever)
Big, unapologetic color blocks are one of the top 2025 school yearbook design trends. Say goodbye to soft gradients—this year is all about contrast.
Trending color palettes:
Electric Neons + Neutrals (think neon pink, matte black, and chrome gray)
Desert Earth Tones (terracotta, goldenrod, sage green)
Monochrome with a Pop (grayscale with a burst of royal blue or hot coral)
💡 Yearbook Design Tip: Use bold color blocks to highlight quotes, create clear section dividers, and guide the reader’s eye across your yearbook spreads. Want color palette inspiration? Check out tools like Coolors.co.
2️⃣ AI-Inspired & Futuristic Fonts
Fonts are going digital. One of the fastest-growing high school yearbook trends is the use of futuristic typography inspired by AI and tech aesthetics.
Top font styles for your yearbook:
Rounded, minimalist sans-serifs (Roboto Family, Josefin Sans, Chivo)
Decorative fonts (Creepster, Emily’s Candy, Press Start 2P)
Handwritten overlay fonts (Amatic SC, Schoolbell)
📎 Pro Tip: Pair bold, digital-style fonts with a soft script to create contrast and personality. Not sure what pairs well? Download our latest Yearbook Font Poster for easy inspiration!
3️⃣ Collage Layouts & Layering for a Scrapbook Feel
The modern school yearbook is more creative and personal than ever. This year, layouts are ditching rigid grids for collage-style spreads that feel like a Pinterest board exploded—in the best way.
What’s trending:
Overlapping images and floating photo elements
Polaroid frames layered over bold backgrounds
Torn-paper effects and digital “tape” accents
Stickers, doodles, and 3D shadows
📷 Photo Hack: Cut out candid student photos with transparent backgrounds and layer them collage-style for a personal, dynamic look.
4️⃣ Highlighted Text & Retro Underlines
Inspired by TikTok slideshows and Gen Z journals, highlighted text effects are a super simple trend that instantly modernizes your school yearbook spreads.
Where to use:
Pull quotes and student shoutouts
Names and titles in student life sections
“Did you know?” or sidebar facts
Try neon swipes, digital highlight effects, or even classic highlighter yellow.
5️⃣ Nostalgia Meets Minimalism
One of 2025’s biggest yearbook themes? Mixing Y2K throwback designs with clean, minimalist layouts. Smiley faces, checkerboards, and pixel icons meet crisp negative space and simple fonts.
How to design this style:
Use lo-fi icons, stickers, and emojis sparingly
Keep layouts clean and structured
Balance retro elements with modern typefaces and spacing
🎯 Creative Theme Idea: Use a retro-inspired yearbook theme like “CTRL+ALT+ME” or “Insert Memory Here” to playfully merge nostalgia with the digital age.
🎉 Ready to Design Your Trendiest Yearbook Yet?
From futuristic fonts to collage layouts, these 2025–2026 trends will help your school’s yearbook staff create a book that feels fresh, bold, and student-centered.
Need more yearbook inspiration? Visit PicabooYearbooks.com for:
Free yearbook templates
Personalized yearbook support from real experts (that’s us!)