Blurberati Blog

Using text over a photo or illustration can add real impact to your book. The BookSmart designers have provided several layouts that make it easy to add this design element — the hardest part may be finding the perfect image to go with that quote from your favorite 80’s movie.

Chapter titles and section pages are great places to use text over photos — repetition of this technique at the beginning of each section will provide a nice rhythm for your reader. A text overlay also works well with blurry photos, textures, or patterns that may not be that strong alone … but that really pop when married to a famous quotation, pull quote, or chapter title.

Here’s how to create text-over-photo pages like those pictured above:

1. First, add a new “Quotation” page using the Add Page button (or look for the “Quotation Page” category in the Change Page Layout pull-down menu to see a few layout options to choose from).

2. Next, select your image and drag it to the page. Your image should now show up underneath the text area. Images that don’t have much contrast, or that contain large, solid hits of color (such as the blue water above) tend to work best.

3. Add your text and play around a bit. If you’re laying type over a dark image you may want to “punch” it out by making it white or a subtle gray. Consider increasing your font size to really make the type pop off of the image background. This also usually serves to increase legibility — and adds a dynamic component to your design. Position your type within the text area using the text alignment buttons, or add a few returns to push your type down the page.

4. Finally, give yourself a gut check on legibility. Some text and image combos, especially those with high contrast or multi-colored photos, just won’t work. Give yourself a bit of time for trial and error.

If you have a book, or you run across someone else’s in the Blurb Bookstore, that has a great example of using text over an image, please share by adding a comment to this post … and, as always, happy bookmaking.

P.S. Did I mention our free Design Tips webinar is tomorrow?