I know I’ve talked a lot about the design and aesthetic appeal of hardcovers this month, but we haven’t talked about the edges of the pages yet. I know that’s a weirdly specific thing to discuss, but it’s another design element that I find interesting.
It used to be that the edges were the edges. Once in a while you’d find a book with gold foiled edges. How fancy. Now, edges can come in all different colors. I only have a couple books with sprayed edges, it’s not particularly common, nor do I think it should be, but it is a cool option for a book to have a little extra something on the outside. I’m glad this isn’t a huge trend, because I feel like it could get really tacky really fast if it caught on.
The other thing I think is really cool, and not very common, is deckled edges. These are the rough cut pages that some books have. They look more homemade and rustic, although the tops and bottoms are generally still cut evenly. I’ve seen people mistake this look as a printing mistake, I’ve heard people complain that the pages are hard to turn when they’re cut this way. I think it adds an interesting design to the book, if it fits the vibe of the story. I also have no problem turning my deckled pages as the tops and bottom are cut evenly. This is another design element I love, but am glad it’s not everywhere because I think it could easily be overdone where it’s not necessary.
Do you like your edges to be interesting or simply practical?
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LessthanThreeD 