Book Layout & Design Ideas │ Layout 7

This blog series is designed to provide some basic book design ideas for your books, magazines, or ebooks. The spreads you see here, and the added notes, are not meant to be reflections of perfect book design or book layout, only a baseline from which to begin your own book journey. 

Layout 7.1

This image is high-key imagery with very little tonal range. I wanted to reflect that same look and feel with the design. With an image that is all black and white, I mimic the same feel with my copy.

I’ve also added a band of black down the middle of the page with a reversed-out story title in white. This stripe could reflect the road, but it also works as a balance to the black on the left-hand page.

The image was prepped to accentuate the contrast, so there is no detail in the sky.

Layout 7.2

Of the three spreads, this is the only one with any tonal range. The main image has elements of contrast, but still offers a wide range of gray. The title is small and at the same level of the rider, so it appears as if the rider is riding toward the title.

There is a simply copy block on the left, in balance with the image at the top. Credits are dividing the two main elements. I originally had the left-hand column reversed out in black, but ultimately, it felt too heavy.

Layout 7.3

This is my favorite spread of the three. It’s simple, clean, and graphic. I started with a copy block on the right-hand page, but couldn’t find a good balance. The main image was captured in square format, so I had to manipulate the file to work it into a landscape spread. Consequently, I couldn’t move the rider as far left as I wanted. So, to provide balance, and to keep the readers eye near the center of the page, I kept the title small and in proportion to the rider. This way, when the reader turns the page, their eye will take in the main subject and the title in the same motion. I would then keep the copy separate and on another spread.

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