When you think about the appearance or design of your book, the main topic of your consideration is usually the cover. But did you know that the interior design of your book can match or clash with the design of your cover?
When ROCK International asked me to help with the book interior layout for their first chapter book for teens, the cover design was almost finalized already. They shared the cover files with me, so that I could match as many visual elements as possible to the chosen design aesthetic. The final result was a book interior that supported the look and feel of the cover in every day.
Here is the cover design by Kayla Krahn:
Nate’s book has a really black-and-white, powerful message and was written for a youthful audience. I think the designer captured both of these vibes in the cover, with the bold red, black and white look and the handwritten or scribbled feel to the text and design elements. In this post I’d like to show how many of the different interior elements in a book can tie in with the look of the book.
First of all, of course, I used some of the same fonts as on the cover. The brush-script font would be overwhelming if used too often, but so I used it as an accent here and there: for the chapter numbers, drop caps, ampersands, etc.
I also created a simplified, black and white version of the main cover elements to use as an interior title page.
I designed bold, heavy spreads to open each new part of the book. (There’s a big gap down the center so that no words would be lost in the spine of the book.) The dark black pages also clearly divide the book into parts that can be seen even from the outside of the book when the book is closed (because the edges of the pages are dark).
In the question sections at the end of each chapter, and throughout the book, I used the hand-drawn scribble for effect.
As you can see, there are lots of ways in which the interior of your book can match the look of your cover.
If you have not hired a cover designer yet, make sure to tell your cover designer that you want access to the “layered” or “editable” cover design files when the project is completed. This helps any other designers you will work with (for interior layout, or also for book marketing purposes, etc.) to be able to use elements of your cover design in other designs related to your book! Or work with the same designer for both your cover and interior for a seamless design experience (I offer both book cover and book interior design services).
Your interior is where the manuscript you have poured your love into is put on display. A well-designed interior layout will enhance the reader’s experience which begins at the cover, building on the look and feel created by the book designer and not distracting from it.
Looking for book interior design? Learn more about my book interior layout service or go ahead and fill out my Book Interior Layout Questionnaire to quickly get a quote.