Interesting Book Design Ideas
May 18, 2015 10:21 AM Subscribe
I want to create a short chapbook of some of my science fiction short stories to sell at an upcoming convention. What are some interesting, eye-catching design ideas that will make the book stand out?
It will be a very small run (maybe 50 copies). The book will have about 30 pages and include illustrations.
I'm fine with losing some money on these books, so the ideas don't have to make economic sense. I'm happy to do some assembly (although I have no bookbinding experience). I'm friendly with a local printing business and have access to a laser cutter/etcher.
Here are a few of my current ideas, just to give you a sense of the sort of thing I'm after:
It will be a very small run (maybe 50 copies). The book will have about 30 pages and include illustrations.
I'm fine with losing some money on these books, so the ideas don't have to make economic sense. I'm happy to do some assembly (although I have no bookbinding experience). I'm friendly with a local printing business and have access to a laser cutter/etcher.
Here are a few of my current ideas, just to give you a sense of the sort of thing I'm after:
- Printing some pages on acetate instead of paper
- Pop-up pages
- Including laser-cut "feelies" related to the stories
- Making the cover out of an unusual material
I love the look of Japanese accordion-bound books, which you could fan out on your display, showing all the stories at once.
posted by xingcat at 10:43 AM on May 18, 2015
posted by xingcat at 10:43 AM on May 18, 2015
Best answer: There are lots of fun ways to bind books (yourself), and lots of MeFites who have experience (as they mention in that thread), if you'd like to chat with someone about what it takes to do any of that yourself.
Pop-up books are all hand-made, so there's no short-cut there, but there are some more simple folds and pop-up mechanisms to build. Note that by adding a pop-up element, you're adding a good bit of bulk, as the pop-up paper needs to be durable for repeat popping.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:13 AM on May 18, 2015
Pop-up books are all hand-made, so there's no short-cut there, but there are some more simple folds and pop-up mechanisms to build. Note that by adding a pop-up element, you're adding a good bit of bulk, as the pop-up paper needs to be durable for repeat popping.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:13 AM on May 18, 2015
for a unique cover, check out holographic vinyl
there isn't anything else like it... very striking. I have it all over my loft where it creates rainbows.
posted by bobdow at 10:52 AM on May 19, 2015
there isn't anything else like it... very striking. I have it all over my loft where it creates rainbows.
posted by bobdow at 10:52 AM on May 19, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Juliet Banana at 10:42 AM on May 18, 2015