Introduction

After the writer is finished writing, and the editor and proofreader are finished editing and proofreading, there is usually a design and production phase to publishing a book. This final phase may involve a team of people, or may be sufficiently automated by a publishing platform. Either way, the end result will be how the book looks and feels, and how it functions for the reader.

Book Design

Designing a book thoughtfully includes careful attention to the subject and audience. Design often includes decisions about the following elements:

Front and back cover design
Spine design
Page layout and hierarchy
Typography
Color
How recurring elements will be styled

Designers usually use Adobe InDesign when designing a book for print. Many publishing platforms feature PDF generators which can create a PDF document using formatting created by built-in styles.

Production

How the design elements of a book are rendered will depend on the format of the book. For example, producing a book for print involves different processes than producing a book for an e-book reader. The reading experience will not be the same. A book read on a Kindle isn't going to display the same design features as a book in print, because there are different technologies involved.

Some publishing platforms can produce multiple files types (PDF, MOBI, EPUB) with the click of a button, which is very convenient! However, just as there are budgetary and time tradeoffs for working with a team of people on a book, there are tradeoffs when creating different file types automatically. The tradeoff usually involves imperfect formatting that needs to be cleaned up with the help of a human eye.

Design Process

If you are working with a designer to design a textbook, it should definitely be the last phase of development. In other words, you do not want to begin the design phase while the author is still making changes to the manuscript. This is because changes in copy can result in significant changes to the design (having to reflow the text to accommodate different page numbering, for example). This can add up to additional fees and frustration.

You may also want to set parameters around the design process. It can be useful to have a design brief for starting the design process, so that the author and designer can have a conversation before the process begins.

Here is a one page design brief (CC0) from George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.

Guiding Questions

Will you work with a professional designer on book production?
How will you manage the communications between author and designer?
Will the cover also be openly licensed?
Are you comfortable with the design brief?
If you're not working with a professional designer, are there visual priorities for the project?

Additional Resources

8 Tips for Designers from Chip Kidd, HOW Design