LumaPix YearbookFusion and Pelican Software Yearbooks! Desktop 2010 are two leading yearbook design and management applications, popular among publishers and schools. Priced below industry flagships such as Adobe InDesign – and often available to schools for free, in exchange for print contract – these programs focus on the tools and techniques specific to yearbook composition and offer highly customizable album creation to the masses.
 


Pelican’s application is the proverbial incumbent. It employs a traditional layout and workspace. The design aesthetic is minimalist, with an emphasis on simplification. It’s the embodiment of standard. LumaPix, conversely, puts forth a complex, contemporized platform in the mode of a true design standard. 


We found LumaPix’s robust application to be a far more complete overall. It took slightly longer to adjust to the workflow and determine the specifics of each control panel; however, it grew increasingly more logical and capable with continued use. Pelican Software’s Yearbooks! Desktop 2010 is an excellent standard for fundimental design that will be welcomed by inexperienced designers and students for its simplicity. Beyond the basics, though, the software lacks the overall depth and texture of LumaPix’s comparative capabilities.

LumaPix’s YearbookFusion appears to be evolving into a standard platform for high-end album creation. Shopping cart integration, tutorial videos, and fluid workspace show promise for growth and continued development. The software is much more than Pelican’s respective offering. If LumaPix were to release a parsed-down, “Elements”-like version of the software, enabling basic functionality while new users learn the layout and grow into the workflow and controls, we could see YearbookFusion becoming a future standard.