How to Make a Coffee Table Book for Beginners

The popularity of coffee table books has even been studied by psychologists. Among their conclusions, coffee table books:

• showcase our identities
• are great conversation starters
• and they evoke positive emotions, including awe, curiosity, and nostalgia

The popularity and enjoyment of coffee table books might inspire you to make your own. Creating a personalized coffee table book puts you in the role of photographer, editor, designer, and publisher. You have total control over your coffee table book’s unique content ideas and style.

Finding inspiration for your coffee table book

Coffee table books primarily feature photos or illustrations, plus captions or blocks of text. Together, these elements offer a visual journey or overview of a theme. Nature photography continues to be a very popular theme for coffee table books. So are art, travel, architecture, fashion, portraiture, and other visually focused subjects.

Today, it’s hard to imagine a topic that hasn’t been featured in a coffee table book. This list of 25 best coffee table books includes such wide-ranging topics as palace interiors, wine, sneakers, “colorstrology,” and Japanese gardens. Browse the countless options available at your local (or online) bookstore for inspiration for your own coffee table book.

Getting started on a custom coffee table book

The process for creating a custom coffee table book is very straightforward. You simply choose your photos, pick a theme or start with a blank canvas, and use the intuitive editor tool to configure the layout. Add captions, quotes, or other text of your choice. Consider embellishments like custom backgrounds and stickers.

Pay special attention to cover design, materials, and finishes. These factors will make your coffee table book as stunning as any you could buy – except yours is totally unique!

Selecting content

Coffee table books must have a cohesive theme. That theme is entirely up to you, but always keep it in mind when selecting the photos for your book. Consider the types of books you would love to keep out on your coffee table.

You have virtually infinite choices for themes and designs, from personal mementos such as year-in-review albums to photo books showcasing a business or hobby. Coffee table books with a travel theme are also a nice touch for vacation rentals and guest rooms. Coffee table books with family themes, such as family history books, make perfect gifts for relatives.

Consider your book a showcase of the best images that fit your theme, and be very selective with your choices. Just a few examples include:

• Family history book
• Special occasions e.g. a milestone birthday or anniversary party
• Artwork portfolio
• Celebration of a hobby
• Travel photo books
• Career retrospective for a retirement gift

Brainstorm ideas for your own creations and use the Mixbook Studio™ to bring them to life.

Take the time to edit photos for maximum appeal, whether in a program like Photoshop or using the tools built into the Mixbook editor. Aim for consistent aesthetics, for example, using the same filters or making all the photos black and white.

Text elements

Be thoughtful about the text throughout your coffee table book. What would anyone browsing your coffee table books want to know about each image? You might want brief captions with details of the time and place that each photo was taken or perhaps accompanying poetry or quotations. Sometimes it’s appropriate to give credit to a photographer or artist.

Keep your text formatting consistent from page to page, for example, using the same text size, font, and placement. Stick with one font family, or two at the most. This will ensure your coffee table book looks cohesive and professional.

Layout and design

Coffee table books are typically large in scale, so choose a bigger photo book size. Decide at the beginning of the project if you want a square, landscape, or portrait configuration. Common sizes for coffee table books include 10x10, 12x12, and 14x11 inches.

Browse theme options that suit your style, or start with a blank book for total customization. Minimalist themes are always a good choice for coffee table books, as they let the photos alone capture the reader’s focus.

Here are a few top choices for minimalist coffee table book themes:

• White Minimalist Portfolio
• Full Photo
• Bold Year in Review Coffee Table Book
• Film Camera Album
• Simple Summer Illustrated Coffee Table Book

Large, page-filling images are typical of professional coffee table books because they’re an excellent showcase for stunning images. However, smaller-scale photos and multi-photo spreads can be effective as well. For the latter, ensure the photos that share a page have a unifying element and make sense together.

Cover design

Considering its function as a decor piece, a coffee table book’s cover design is important. Whether you opt for a photo-and-text cover design or text-only, it should be eye-catching, stylish, and hint at the contents within.

There are many ways to design a stylish cover, but you might want to look at best-selling coffee table books for inspiration. “Wonderland” by Annie Leibovitz, for example, has a minimalist cover. It’s simply the book title and photographer’s name on a textured taupe hardcover.

You could play around with typography or feature a favorite, most eye-catching image from inside the book. A good example is the coffee table book “Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak.” The charming book has one of Sendak’s most iconic illustrations on its cover.

Another option is a grid or collage of small photos from inside the book, as featured on the cover of “200 Women.” All these cover design choices are excellent representations of the book’s overall contents and design.

Materials and finishes

Choosing the highest quality cover types and paper choices (within your budget) is the best way to enhance the look and feel of your coffee table book. Hardcover finishes are a must for coffee table books – softcovers just don’t fit the genre. Mixbookers usually prefer glossy covers for the most eye-catching finish, although some prefer a matte cover due to lighting and fingerprint concerns. Opt for premium-lustre paper for a superior coffee table book.

Order your book

The pricing for coffee table books varies with size, materials, and finish. You can make changes to suit your budget and design preferences before adding the book to your cart. Order one copy or multiple, and know that you can order additional copies later — the project will be saved to your account. Choose a shipping option to suit your timeframe.

Ready to make a coffee table book?

It’s time to get that idea for a coffee table book out of your head and onto the printed page! Go to Mixbook.com to get started today.