Creating any kind of book involves roughly the same steps:
- researching and writing the book’s content;
- designing and laying out the book and preparing it for print;
- printing the book.
In Part 1 we discussed research and writing; the next step is designing the book’s layout.
Designing the Layout of Your Corporate Biography
Designing the layout a book is a process with two objectives: creating an attractive and readable book, and preparing a manuscript to meet technical requirements for printing.
Starting here (link) we discuss and describe the traditional parts of books, some of which you may not use:
- Covers
- Title page
- Edition Notice
- Frontispiece
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Forward
- Table of Contents
In addition you may or may not include an endnote, index, author’s blurb, etc.
Prior to prepping the manuscript to be technically ready for printing your main considerations are likely to be:
- typography choices, including ink color;
- page layout;
- images;
- cover, including the spine.
Typography
Your primary concern is readability. Serif fonts are easier to read in physical print than sans-serif fonts. Best size for page text is likely to be between 10 and 12 pts, depending on the font. Your printer can recommend font choices for you to consider.
You will also need to decide on ink colors. While most books use black ink for the interior page text, colored inks may be used on covers, especially dust jackets.
Page Layout
Here decisions must be made about margins (link), indents, justification, chapter heading styling and the like. Some of these decisions can be made in the design phase — they will be implemented in the technical preparation phase.
Images
Depending on the number of photos/images you want to include in your corporate biography you may choose to scatter them through the flow of text as they are referenced. Or, you may choose to group them in a few sections.
Your images will need to be digitized if they aren’t already digital — they will need to be scanned at high resolution after which they can be sized as needed to fit.
Cover and Spine
Designing book covers is a sub-specialty in graphic design. Fictional books in particular benefit from the touch of a professional designer because sales are greatly impacted by the creativity and quality of the cover. A corporate biography does not have those same pressures; a simple layout can be sufficient.
Book designs are deceptively simple in that a well-designed book is easy-to-read. But achieving simplicity is often the result of effectively managing many complexities. If you don’t employ graphic design professionals you may want to consider hiring a professional to design the layout of your book.
In Part 3 we’ll discuss preparing your manuscript to meet technical requirements for printing.
If you have any questions about book design, give us a call at 330-597-8560. We’re happy to help you get the most out of your printing project.
