{"id":22070,"date":"2019-09-16T03:00:38","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=22070"},"modified":"2019-09-16T08:18:24","modified_gmt":"2019-09-16T15:18:24","slug":"how-to-spot-a-professional-interior-book-designer-interior-book-design-standards-by-mary-neighbour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/16\/how-to-spot-a-professional-interior-book-designer-interior-book-design-standards-by-mary-neighbour\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Spot a Professional Interior Book Designer: Interior Book Design Standards by Mary Neighbour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"How<\/a>Please welcome back guest author\u00a0Mary Neighbour<\/a> as she shares with us \u201cHow to Spot a Professional Interior Book Designer: Interior Book Design Standards.\u201d Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

To a limited degree<\/strong>, each of us who has typed words on a page can be called a <\/span>typesetter<\/span><\/i>: that is, a person who places text on paper or on a computer screen to be read by others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As an author, you likely have also chosen the arrangement of sentences and paragraphs, and you probably have bolded or italicized words for emphasis. But when you bring your manuscript to a professional <\/span>typographer<\/b>, that person is an artist who will style the way <\/span>everything<\/span><\/i> appears on the printed page, and they will possess the education and expertise to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every character, every subhead<\/strong>, every paragraph, every image or squiggle\u2014even the blank space\u2014is an aspect of interior book design.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a veritable swarm of bees, and each bee has a job to do and a function to fulfill. To avoid getting stung, respect these bees!\"Bees<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Such magnitude of detail presents challenges, because a typographer must be knowledgeable as well as be able to give every item the focus it deserves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Happily, the upside of having so much to juggle is that it also offers opportunities for variety and creativity, which explains why these professionals are also called <\/span>interior book designers<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>page layout artists<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, they will design a consistent and comprehensive look for all the interior pages, so that each element participates cohesively in the composition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note<\/b>: <\/span>Layout<\/span><\/i> differ from <\/span>design<\/span><\/i> in that the former refers to the execution of the design (often called <\/span>formatting<\/span><\/i>.) You may not find a professional capable of fulfilling both functions, but for the purposes of this blog, I am combining them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In our <\/span>last blog<\/span><\/a>, we covered some of the terminology of a professional typographer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Review that <\/span>list <\/span><\/a>to get an inkling of how extensive an interior book designer\u2019s knowledge is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, they require creativity and keen attention to detail, so that what the page communicates matches the author\u2019s intentions and the reader\u2019s expectations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To do all this successfully,<\/strong> <\/span>they need to work within the parameters of the publishing industry and the genre of your book.<\/b><\/p>\n

Publishing industry conventions deserve serious consideration, because to flout them is to brand your book as unprofessional. You won\u2019t get thrown in jail for breaking the rules, but your book will be condemned to hard labor for life: obtaining quality reviews, attracting readers, getting into bookstores and libraries, or winning awards will all be unlikely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what are these standards and conventions?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five of the basics:<\/span><\/p>\n

Interior Book Design Standard #1<\/span><\/h2>\n

Professional interior book design rests on a foundation of readability and comprehension.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two ways a designer meets this standard are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(a) understanding what the book intends to communicate and
\n<\/span>(b) establishing a visual hierarchy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tip<\/b>: Ask your professional to provide a sample layout of a chapter from your book.<\/span><\/p>\n