Four Red Flags I Found in a “Finished” Book Layout

Before printing, professional book design can uncover problems that affect readability, photos, and production quality.

The email message simply said: “A voice from the past.”

My former corporate client, Annie, had switched departments in her company, and it had been more than a year since I heard from her. She now needed help with an unfinished design assignment.

Annie said the project was a community-involvement book for investors.

“Did anyone from the Marketing Department reach out to you about a project that I’m am working on?” she asked. “I requested you, because I know that you will get me to the finish line.”

She continued, “I am about at my wits’ end. I don’t think we have a complicated project; it’s about 90 percent complete. I want to move forward and wrap this up.”

I replied that I was available to help. Although Annie had sent me a book project, she didn’t know that book design was one of my specialties.

I explained, “I’ve had lots of experience with books. Send me a PDF so I can see the project.”

Four Red Flags in the Book Layout

Examination of the PDF revealed several red-flag problems. I relied on my book-design experience to determine the following:

After examining the PDF, I immediately noticed several issues. My experience with book design helped me identify problems that might not be obvious to someone designing a brochure or marketing piece.

Red Flag #1: Margins Too Close to the Edge

The folios (page numbers) and footers were positioned too close to the trim mark—less than ¼ inch.

This is risky. During printing and trimming, important elements can be cut off or appear uneven on the page. Most book printers recommend generous margins to allow for production tolerances.

Red Flag #2: Captions That Were Difficult to Read

The photo captions were light gray and set in a small type size, making them extremely difficult to read.

I recommended increasing both the point size and the contrast. Readers should not have to strain their eyes to read captions, especially in a photo-heavy book.

Red Flag #3: A Back Cover That Was Too Light

The back cover included an unnecessary page number, and the text was also printed in light gray.

The back cover is valuable real estate. Text needs enough contrast to be readable and inviting.

Red Flag #4: A Photo Lost in the Gutter

The biggest problem was a photo of the CEO placed directly in the gutter of the book.

When a book is bound, the center area disappears into the binding. Unfortunately, that meant the CEO’s face would be difficult—or impossible—to see.

Many other photos also needed adjustment.

Book Design Is More Than Placing Text and Photos

Book design is not the same as designing a corporate brochure.

Perhaps the first designer was rushing through the project, or perhaps they simply did not have book-production experience. Either way, these problems were easy to fix.

Annie sent me a list of changes, including more than twenty additional pages of content. Everything made sense, and once I received the InDesign files, photos, and fonts, I began making revisions.

The Importance of Production Experience

I quickly discovered that many of the 102 photos in this picture book needed attention.

Some required retouching. Others needed brightening. Several needed to be converted to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) for proper printing.

Then, toward the end of the project, I discovered another problem.

The InDesign layout I received did not match the PDF.

Apparently, I had been given an earlier version—the wrong file.

Four hours of work were lost, except for the photo retouching. It was time to start over with the correct file.

Taking a Good Book to a Higher Level

After I submitted the revised layout, Annie shared her reaction:

“In thumbing through a hard-copy print out of the book, I can see that you have taken this project to another, higher level of design. Just looks cleaner. Flows better.”

What a wonderful compliment.

It was rewarding to help Annie complete this project and bring it to a professional level. Sometimes a “voice from the past” is exactly the person who reminds you why your experience matters.

Need help bringing your book project across the finish line?

Whether you are starting from scratch or have a nearly completed book that needs a professional review, I can help identify design and production issues before they become expensive printing problems.

Contact me for a free one-hour consultation to discuss your book project.