Picture Book - Front and back covers and using InDesign

Front and Back Covers

I want the front and back covers to be simple and subtle, using colours and simple imagery used throughout the book.

Experimenting with original ink drawing (top left) and addition of a title. I didn't want the title to give away the underlying theme of the book which may sound strange but I want people to start reading this as if it is a typical book about how people love drinking tea and then they begin to realise the reality behind it. 

 I think the back cover can be more factual. I was very wary of including text because I know this is meant to be a picture book so the images are meant to do the talking. However, by this point the reader will have already seen the images inside the book and if there is any confusion over what they have just seen, the back page clarifies this for them as a final punch of information. 

I am not very good with choosing typefaces so I chose one which I felt was appropriate for factual information and would get the point across effectively with no nonsense decoration.

InDesign

All of my Photoshop files were made to the correct size including the bleed which made arranging everything on InDesign very simple. All of my pages required a bleed so I made them 203mm wide and 146mm high to accommodate a 3mm bleed on the top and bottom and a 3mm on one side edge. 

Problem: I wanted the cover of my book to be printed on thicker paper than all the inner pages as I felt this would make the book look and feel more professional. 

Problem Solving: After speaking to some of my peers who had already been to print their book, I realised I needed to separate my book onto two different InDesign files so that they could be printed on different paper. I had to create a four page document with facing pages which is where i placed my cover designs and my end pages - these would be printed on one A3 sheet. The other 12 pages of my book will be printed from another document. 

Binding 

I had never bound a book before but after watching the demonstration using three holes, I went online to search how to bind with more holes. Now I have learned the basics of this I understand that this will work with any odd number of holes. I used embroidery thread for my bind and matched the colour to the off white tea pot on the cover. Unfortunately, where I have folded the cover, the ink has parted and you can see the white paper showing through but I think the binding disguises this quite well.