Illustration ideas to brighten the graduation yearbook: a collection of memorable designs

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I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Have you ever found yourself unsure about what kind of illustration to draw on the cover when making a graduation anthology? Not only the writing inside, but the cover illustration is also an important element of a graduation book.

There are plenty of motifs you might want to draw—classroom scenes, memories with friends, and more—but when it’s time to actually draw, many people end up wondering how to go about it.

In this article, we’ll introduce illustration ideas that are perfect for graduation anthologies.

We’ve gathered ideas that work well not only for the cover but also for interior spot illustrations.

Whether you’re confident in your drawing skills or not, you’re sure to find helpful tips.

Let’s decorate your graduation anthology—something you’ll treasure for a lifetime—with wonderful illustrations!

Illustration ideas to brighten up a graduation yearbook: A memorable design collection (1–10)

Anime and manga characters

If you want a cover with impact, how about using anime or manga characters as a motif? Well-known characters that everyone across generations recognizes are great, but if you use characters from anime that were hits or manga that were trending while you were in school, it might spark lively conversations when you look at it after graduation—like, “Oh yeah, that character was huge back then!” Combine them cleverly with student-life-related motifs—such as “Character × School Uniform” or “Character × Classroom”—to create a fun, eye-catching cover.

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yuri

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steps

You can imbue many different messages into the way students walk.

You could have friends walk down the hallway or across the schoolyard and sketch them, or deliberately ask members of the soccer or baseball team to walk in their spikes.

If you have a band student walk while carrying an instrument, even the simple act of walking starts to suggest a story.

For the background, rather than just depicting a straightforward school scene, try incorporating stationery motifs, or use perspective to render light and flowers that symbolize a shining future to come.

With these choices, a single picture can convey a powerful sense of dynamism.

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Masuda Bunka

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hawk

With its sharp gaze and large wings, the eagle is a highly recommended motif when you want to give your graduation yearbook a cool design.

It may be a bit harder to draw an eagle cleanly compared to illustrations of the school building or classroom scenes, but if you take your time and use videos on YouTube and the like as references, you’re sure to be satisfied with the result.

If you have the time, try adding motion—like depicting an eagle spreading its wings and taking flight—to make the design even cooler.

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Yuuki

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Illustration ideas to brighten up your graduation yearbook: a collection of memorable designs (11–20)

Classroom scene

Rows of desks crammed close together, a slightly smudged blackboard, teachers with unique personalities—classroom scenes from our student days can feel nostalgic even after we become adults.

How about turning those classroom scenes, symbols of our youth, into illustrations for your graduation yearbook? If you’re unsure how to draw them, try taking photos of actual classes and using them as a basis for your design.

Using real photos also makes it nice to look back as an adult and fondly remember your classmates.

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Yuuki

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small bird

A design featuring cute little birds that evoke the image of taking wing after graduation is easy for anyone to try and makes a great motif for a graduation yearbook.

Another advantage of using birds is how versatile the motif is—from simple monochrome designs done in pencil to colorful designs drawn with colored pencils.

If you have the time, adding other animals alongside the birds will give it a more polished, professional finish.

It might be fun for everyone to split up the work and draw a variety of animals together!

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Yuuki

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growth

By the time we graduate, we’ve grown so much, both in body and mind, compared to when we first entered school.

So how about expressing that growth—and your gratitude for it—through an illustration in the graduation yearbook? For example, you could line up versions of yourself from enrollment to graduation like an evolution chart.

It’s also important to think about what you depict beyond that point of growth.

Adding a message of thanks to your illustration is another recommended approach.

Try creating a heartwarming illustration!

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yamamoto