Coffee table books and book design
Coffee table books and book design.
Coffee table books are by far, our favorite type to design. Photography, art books and large-format books usually fall into this category. Because they may be presenting the work of an artist or photographer, the designer should keep the design very minimal to showcase the artwork or photography.
What you need to know …
The coffee table book is a book type in which a book designer can add more sparkle and design elements. They are usually large-format books. Like a photography book, it has large images, smaller text size, and uses white space judiciously. This style should have some sort of striking typography or other elements to make it extra special.
Creating simple design takes work!
While coffee table books should have something special, so be sure create a simple design. Don’t over design. After you think you are done with a style, walk away and come back later. Is there anything that you can remove from the style. Simplicity is the key. If adding additional design elements is in the author’s vision, remember that it is their vision that counts. Coffee table books can also be quite a bit more work than simpler photography or art books.
The final decision maker is always the author or the person or company paying for the book design. While designers may offer a book layout or design alternative, the surest way to lose the job is to insist that your design is best, whether it is or not. But book designers can always make suggestions!
Printing the book
Noticed that I use the term “print.” This kind of book, photography and art books, should always print on offset press, in signatures using quality ink. They should never print on a web press, or “output” on-demand, digitally outputting a page at a time with toner that smears. Service providers like to cal that “print” om-demand, but it is seldom printing on offset press. star Print Brokers is known for their high-quality. Get a quote at their site today or learn more about coffee table book printing.
