By Dena Renyolds
Christmas Annuals. As a child of the 80s, I loved reading these shiny hardback books, based on my favourite toy brands and TV action shows: Charlie's Angels, Knightrider, The A-Team, Buck Rogers. Featuring photo montage adventures, illustrated storylines and some tenuously-linked activity articles and games, these books were a yearly treat - welcomed every Christmas, alongside the Cadbury's Selection Boxes and gold chocolate coin bags.
For me, these Annuals were also an early introduction to graphic design and branding. It started with the powerful appeal of the show's logo, emblazoned across the top of the cover. Contingent on the show, a specific colour palette and/or font was used throughout the pages, immediately conveying a reassuring familiarity to this new book (although the colour spread pages were sadly in the minority, compared to all the cheaper-to-produce black and white content). Beloved character names and catchphrases, combined with intriguing story titles, formed a call to action that I couldn't refuse. Colourful images from official photoshoots, along with stills from the show, were cleverly repurposed and captioned to fit random quizzes, craft project ideas and puzzles. This strategic use of visual assets was a glimpse of my own future skills!
It was safe to say that the creative aspects of branding had lodged in my youthful mind. During the Christmas holidays, at 8 years of age, I rebranded Barbie as 'Fern' Doll, repackaging her in a discarded slipper box with a roughly cut-out window, enthusiastically decorated with felt-tip pens. The thrill of creating my own box design actually outweighed the joy of the original unboxing! It would be 15 more years until I discovered Photoshop, and my design skills became a wee bit more sophisticated.
I still like to noodle around, creating my own versions of retro shows and tropes. So...what if Youbee Media had their own yesteryear-style TV show, spawning an old school Christmas Annual?
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Stanley was excited to receive his Youbee Media: Life in the Hive 2021 Annual! He loved reading about his favourite trio of Digital Marketeers. They provided multi-media marketing solutions by day, and worked as crime-busting Private Investigators by night, operating from their high-tech Hive hideout. Team Youbee had the best adventures.
The cover showcased individual photos of the team. Stanley recognised the first two images from the exciting Season Two episode, where Team Youbee had attended the Yorkshire Businesswoman Christmas Lunch.
First up was Emma, the youngest member of the gang. Hardworking and glamorous, Emma rotates and updates social media accounts with laser perception and lightning-fast speed, adding original content. She understands things about TikTok that confound her colleagues.
Next up is Rebecca, sparkling in prime networking mode - while simultaneously scanning the locale for the best photo locations and harvesting information for future content creation. That brain is always buzzing on multiple levels; it's why she's Queen Bee of the Hive.
Finally, Stanley saw Dena, the team's new recruit. In her photo, she's celebrating her new role with a cheeky pint. Oh, Dena! Her ubiquitous notepad is out of sight, doubling up as a drinks coaster, but Stanley knows it's there. Dena is always sketching and scribbling design notes. Plenty more ideas in that book! Whatever will the intrepid trio get up to next year? Stay tuned to find out!
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Did you have any favourite annuals? Something that was always on your childhood Christmas list? We would love to hear from you. Dena is ready to compare notes, so drop her a message on social media.
Need support with social media management? Youbee Media can help, and Becky’s workshops offer hands-on consultancy advice to go further.
