(Please note that I am assuming you have at least an intermediate knowledge of design, and that you are mostly familiar with the terms. If something is unclear, please send me a message or leave a comment and I will do my best to answer your questions.)
Picking up where I left off, the next items to consider will be the details of document set up, headers (or footers) and, text alignment, etc.
We'll start with expanding the basic document set up from the previous post. First, let me recommend purchasing the best software package you or your boss can afford. If you are serious about designing complex print projects like books, you're going to need more than one kind of software and currently, Adobe is the industry standard for print whether you like it or not. I highly, highly recommend purchasing at least InDesign, Acrobat (professional) and PhotoShop, but for the cost of these programs individually, you can purchase the entire Creative Suite Standard edition which includes InDesign, PhotoShop, Acrobat professional, Illustrator plus a few others. If you were spoon fed Quark, then I still recommend switching to InDesign. It's simply better and I've used both for many years on both Mac and PC. Make the switch. You'll be glad you did. Okay- no more free advertising for Adobe. Lets get into the set up.
When you create your new document, you will want to set the document up as a multi-page document using "spreads". Spreads are two pages that face each other. The first page of a document will be a single, right hand page, and then beginning on the second page, even numbers will be on the left with odd numbers on the right and you will see them on the screen this way which is very helpful for book layout. Also, you will want to preemptively set up the bleeds, gutters and margins right out of the gate. Using the guidelines from the previous post, you'll want to get into the "Master Pages" to set up your headers, footers and page numbering. I like to center the headers about .5" from the top and centered using the title on the even (left hand) pages and the chapter name or author's name on the odd (right hand) pages. I generally remove the headers where new chapters start as I find them to be visually distracting when on the same page as an attractive chapter start. Ultimately, this is up to you on how to set up your book. There really are no hard fast rules. Aesthetics and audience are the real deciding factors and should always be at the top of the priority list when begining your design work. Form with function, always interconnected, inseperable and always under consideration.
A header is a relatively uniform object (text or graphic) that runs along the tops of the pages. Headers are used both as an informative design element as well as an aesthetic element and can be used implemented through text, graphics or a combination of the two. Depending on the kind of book, how well the author is known or how the book is organized, headers can serve many functions. Be sure to give more than just a glancing thought to how you want them to look. Consider the font sets and graphics styles, and how they will draw the reader into the book or possibly distract the reader.
Footers are what they seem, the same as a header except at the bottom of the page. I usually use page numbering for the footers and rarely bring in graphical content, though it can be done tastefully and should be used in certain projects. Don't be afraid of using graphics for footers, but be mindful that you don't distract the reader from actually reading. A really good book design should go virtually unnoticed, but should leave the reader feeling like it was effortless to read the book (even if it was a boring or poorly written book). You don’t write the books, but you can certainly make them easy on the eyes with a modest amount of attention to the smaller details. Too much stuff on a page is distracting. Sometimes you will be forced to design something that is cluttered, and you will just have to submit. It is not always worth it to argue with a client that pays your bills.
Moving on to text alignment. This may seem like a no brainer, but you should pay close attention to how your text flows. A ragged right edge has it's place, but again, depending on the kind of book, a cleaner justified alignment may be in order. Choose your fonts wisely and obtain as many fonts as possible that are post script compatible (OpenType, some True Type and Adobe Fonts). Stay away from fonts that only provide a screen version, as they won't print. Make sure you keep your Mac fonts separate from your PC fonts. The PC will destroy Mac fonts. When choosing a font, decide early on what the feel is to be. Don't use a heavily seriffed font if you want a clean and simple feel. Whatever you do, please, I beg you, don't use Times New Roman. Times should only be used in college term papers and is not a good font for serious book design. It's just too tired and worn out, and of course you're creative, so don't take the easy road.
In addition to choosing the alignment style (ragged right, left justified, fully justified etc.), you will also need to decide how many, if any hyphenated words you will allow. I tend to allow them, but on limited basis only, and will manually change a specific paragraph to eliminate the hyphens if it breaks over a page or jumps the gutter. Drop caps should also be considered. They can be a nice and easy design element to bring into an otherwise uninteresting text design. Drop caps are single or double letters that are enlarged at the begining of a paragraph (usually at the start of a chapter or sub-chapter). They can take up as many as 2-3 line heights and may be ornamental, screened back or in color to add interest to the page. Be careful with them and only use them if they can bring something to the table other than the display of your skill. All elements in a book should serve some purpose and should not be used purely at random or on whim. Remember Form and Function live together in books. One does not follow or trump the other.
As a last word of caution, be careful to limit the number of fonts you use within a text. You may be tempted to use one font for the chapter titles, another for the headers and footers, another for the page numbers and so on, but the truth is that too much of anything can be well... just too much. Start with one really great font set that has attractive italics, glyphs and bolds all within the same font set and then go from there. Keep it simple and clean and you will be pleased every time.
This is a lot to consider and absorb for an initial document set up, but if you give all of these elements real consideration before setting mouse to screen click, you'll be happier. Your clients will be pleased and you will be prepared and more apt to make better decisions about your design.
Happy designing!
