Finding the Perfect Design

How We Work with Clients to Discover
the Perfect Design for Your Project

Concord Editorial works closely with each client in the design process to arrive at a book design that has the perfect look, tone, and feel for your project. We guarantee your total satisfaction — and will keep providing you with page designs by e-mail in Adobe Acrobat format until you are absolutely delighted with the results.


The Typical Design Sequence

For typical trade titles, the design process consists of the following phases:

Stage 1: Font selection and text design. Using your desired target length of the finished book, Concord Editorial will provide initial page designs and font samples appropriate for the project. These initial page samples indicate the font, font size, leading, characters per page, and projected length of the finished book. The important thing at this point is to identify the right font, feel, and character density for your project.

Stage 2: Design page heads and folios. Once a font and basic page design is selected by the client, Concord Editorial provides refined page designs with sample heads and folios (page numbers). Again, we will provide multiple samples to choose from, using appropriate fonts that complement the text design.

Stage 3: Design chapter headings. Once a final, complete page design has been selected, Concord Editorial provides the client with multiple designs of chapter headings to choose from. Once the design for the opening chapter page is arrived at, the client signs off on the book design by faxing a provided approval form back to Concord Editorial. Upon receipt of the design approval, the actual production of your project begins.

Stage 4: Design front matter and back matter. Front matter (title pages, contents, etc.) and back matter are usually designed last — or after a substantial amount of the main production has been completed. At this point the entire book has come together with an overall tone and feel, and we draw upon the project’s overall feel to put the final, defining elements in place. Again, the client is provided with multiple design samples to choose from until they are fully satisfied.


Finding the Perfect Design: A Case in Point

The examples that follow are opening chapter page designs from an actual project — an adventure novel for young adults set in the late 1800s.

Before reaching this point (stage 3), Concord Editorial had provided the client with multiple page designs that were appropriate for the project, using fonts with a somewhat antique feel. After the client selected a final page design, we moved on to the opening chapter page design.

Concord Editorial provided the client with the eight sample “chapter head” designs shown below. After printing out the designs and studying them side-by-side, the client selected sample 6 as the design choice to use for the novel. After considering the possibilities, the publisher felt this design most closely conveyed the feeling for the time period in which the story was set.

Chapter Opening Page Samples Provided to Client

DESIGN SAMPLE 1

DESIGN SAMPLE 2

DESIGN SAMPLE 3

DESIGN SAMPLE 4

DESIGN SAMPLE 5

DESIGN SAMPLE 6 (Selected by Client)

DESIGN SAMPLE 7

DESIGN SAMPLE 8