Is your grandfather's birthday coming up, or a club or company anniversary? Then a commemorative publication is an ideal way to mark the occasion. Writing a commemorative publication and presenting it to the target group requires some effort and should be carefully planned - in the end, however, a valuable memento is created that can also be used for marketing, depending on the occasion. Find out how to write a commemorative publication and what to consider in our blog post.

Definition: What is a commemorative publication?

The first known commemorative publication was published in Leipzig in 1640, the 200th anniversary of the printing press. Since then, commemorative publications have traditionally continued to this day and are given as gifts to mark major celebrations and anniversaries.

A commemorative publication is a special type of publication that is compiled from various individual contributions for festive occasions. Depending on the occasion for which the commemorative publication is produced, its content differs greatly from other commemorative publications. In general, however, two groups can be distinguished:

The academic commemorative publication

The academic commemorative publication is written in honour of a scholar, scientist, professor or doctor. As a rule, these are essays written by colleagues, students or friends which deal with a specific question or problem in the subject area treated by the scholar. The recipient preferably receives the commemorative publication for a milestone birthday, along with a laudatory speech and bibliography. A personal dedication can be written at the end of the commemorative publication in special recognition of the scholar. In addition to the written discussions of the individual contributors, the commemorative publication also includes a complete list of the writings of the scientist, scholar or doctor. For this reason, a commemorative publication is also an important source of the recipient's scientific history. Academic commemorative publications can be purchased after publication.

Private commemorative publications for companies and associations

In addition to academic commemorative publications, there are also those for company or association anniversaries. These contain informative brochures aimed at a wide audience. Private commemorative publications also contain a wide range of information on current events and developments in the association or company. In addition, there is a large number of graphics, pictures and a record of the history of the association or company. Private commemorative publications can also be produced for friends or family members. The occasion is usually round birthdays, with friends and family members writing stories about the recipient or personal experiences with them. This type of commemorative publication usually remains private and is not publicly accessible or available for purchase.

Creating a commemorative publication - this is how you should proceed

As a general rule, you should bear in mind that the publication of a commemorative publication involves a great deal of time and possibly financial effort. Therefore, depending on the occasion, it is important to ensure that the production of a commemorative publication is really worthwhile, because if the end result is an inadequate brochure that will hardly be viewed in the future, the effort is hardly worthwhile.

The aim of a commemorative publication is to present an interesting publication that can also function as a figurehead for a company or an association. Commemorative publications can cultivate the image, increase awareness enormously and also strengthen customer or member relations. The first step in creating a professional commemorative publication is precise planning.

Step 1 in creating a commemorative publication: Planning

If this is the first time you have had to produce a commemorative publication, you should start with initial ideas and thoughts up to a year before the publication date, depending on the occasion. It is advisable to compare previous commemorative publications so that the existing structure can be used.

In addition, it is important to consider various questions. How much money can be used to produce the commemorative publication? What format and what type of design (bound, stitched, square, portrait format, book, brochure) should be produced in the end? It is also important to determine the target group: Which audience will be addressed? Who exactly coordinates and participates in the commemorative publication and what working time is scheduled for its production is also part of the preliminary planning. In addition to answering these questions, it is important to determine the content that will be integrated into the publication. Furthermore, you should ask yourself whether guest authors will also be involved or whether all texts will be written by yourself. Last but not least, the way the commemorative publication is distributed will influence its production.

Draw up a time and production plan. The date of distribution is the starting point from which to work backwards. Accordingly, the schedule from the beginning is generally structured as follows:

• More than a year ago: Ask for guest authors, if needed.
• Before one year: Determine the content and design of the commemorative publication, assign tasks to designated persons who will collect data, procure images, design the layout, etc.
• Two to three months before: start editing the texts, warn of possible missed deadlines, proofread the texts and check the layouts; if a flexible online printing company is not used, then submit the PDFs for printing.
• Four weeks before: submit the commemorative publication to the online printing company, so that they have enough time and errors can be corrected and reprinted.

A layout and production plan is also advisable. In the former case, it is noted which contents are to go on which pages and the production plan shows the corresponding progress. In this way, you can get a good overview of the progress of the production of the commemorative publication.

Tip: If guest contributions are to be included in the commemorative publication, set a deadline that is at least one week earlier than the correct deadline. Firstly, it is not uncommon for authors to fail to deliver by the specified date, and you will still have enough time to correct the guest contributions.

Step 2 in writing a commemorative publication: Structure

A commemorative publication, like other publications, has a logical structure and you should follow this. There are also elements in a commemorative publication that should or are expected to be integrated.

First of all, the logical structure: A commemorative publication has a title on the cover page "U1", which is also the title page. The title is the business card of the commemorative publication and the reader should immediately know what the commemorative publication is about. It is also recommended if the publication arouses interest. This is followed by a greeting or words of welcome. Particularly in associations, board members, patrons or mayors have their say, as well as dignitaries. In companies, on the other hand, it is the management or the boss who addresses the audience. For both parties, it is important that they address the target group directly and involve them in the event. It is also possible to hint at some contents or to give short reviews of past years.

Depending on how detailed the commemorative publication is, a table of contents is recommended after the greeting. In this way, a suitable overview can be established. Academic commemorative publications require a table of contents, as the contributions of the academics are also listed there. The commemorative publication then starts with a chronicle, beginning with the founding of the association or company and including any milestones. The occasion for the publication should also be included. If the publication mentions a founding legend, then excerpts from their vita can also be included.

The chronicle is followed by tributes and awards to either long-standing members of associations or honours as well as highlights of the company. This is followed by the current situation and outlook for the future. Here you have a lot of room for content. Either you use this for a generous self-portrayal (informative, but also entertaining) as well as a forward-looking view of future projects. If the commemorative publication serves as an accompaniment to the celebration, then the corresponding approximate programme of the event should also be listed. However, this should be placed at the back, as it is no longer of great importance after the celebrations. Accordingly, relevant content should be listed before the programme in the commemorative script.

Step 3 in creating a commemorative publication: the various contents

Basically, the content of a commemorative publication must have a connection to the given occasion. In addition, it must present the company or association in a suitable way and appeal to the target group. In the middle section, the current status as well as an outlook into the future of the company or association should be presented. While clubs present their departments and activities at this point, companies present the impression selected for the target group. The aim is to convey to the reader of the commemorative publication what the company stands for, what it does and what visions or goals it is pursuing. Social commitments can also be stated. Care should be taken to ensure that the content is consistent with possible other publications.

When creating the content, the sections should be connected in a meaningful way by a red thread. It is advisable to include personal comments from your own staff members describing their views on the company or association. This makes the commemorative publication look more authentic. However, if several authors have their say, care should be taken to use a uniform style of writing.

Step 4: Design of the commemorative publication

A commemorative publication should not only be published in black and white with texts. The design is an important point to arouse and keep the interest of the readers and should therefore be done by a professional.

Depending on the budget, the occasion and the print run available for the production of the commemorative publication, it can be produced as a brochure or as a book. If it is more of a programme booklet for the anniversary celebration, a brochure is already profitable. If, on the other hand, the history of a century-old company or association is to be presented, a book is the more suitable format. Brochures can be glued, staple-bound or spiral-bound. Books are usually produced with adhesive binding, but if the commemorative publication is to be more exclusive, thread binding is recommended. Festschrift books with adhesive binding are, however, less expensive.

DIN A4 as the format of the commemorative publication is probably the first thing you think of. However, since a commemorative publication is a special form of publication and should lie loosely in the hand, you can also opt for other formats such as landscape, square or other special shapes. The paper used for the commemorative publication should be of a high and heavy quality in order to have an appealing feel and to reproduce the different colours brilliantly.

In addition to these design options, the corporate design of the association/company should be used or, alternatively, already published fonts should be used as an orientation. However, due to the special nature of the publication, design elements such as surface finishes or stylised numbers can be used. In the layout, free spaces can ensure a noble appearance and clarity. Pages that are completely covered with text and images look too heavy and viewers have little motivation to read them. In this case, it is better to expand the scope of the commemorative publication. Infoboxes or notches also help to increase attention. Pictures are of course a must in a commemorative publication. These should be chosen in outstanding quality, including those in large format or double-page pictures. Black-and-white photos in low quality should also not be large. If motifs are used, then these can preferably illustrate the texts in an appealing way. Pictures with people are also recommended; these should be authentic and, if possible, not from an agency.

Summary: How a commemorative publication should be prepared

The task of writing a commemorative publication involves a lot of work and time. Therefore, try to start planning as early as possible, because even if everything is fixed and defined with deadlines, there will usually always be restructuring, subsequent adjustments or delays.

Planning/preliminary work:

• Determine responsibilities: Who will create what content, appoint project manager who will keep track of it all
• Define appearance, format and scope
• Determine contents and division of the individual topics
• Plan the printing of the commemorative publication
• Procure meaningful visual material

During the production of the commemorative publication

• Write the texts or have them written, taking care to maintain a consistent style so that the wording of the various contributions does not differ too much from one another.
• Continuously complete the layout with texts and pictures.
• Have the texts corrected by several people
• Convert the commemorative publication into PDF files and prepare them for printing.
• Distribute the finished commemorative publication by the specified date, taking into account delays due to postal delivery.

At Infowerk, you have the option of having a wide variety of brochures or books printed. No matter what the occasion, such as a wedding, birthday or silver/gold wedding anniversary - we will print your desired format!