Pooja Kulkarni
08 · Editorial & Print

Book design · Cover · Typography

Butterfly

A nature photo book. Type frames the wing, then steps aside.

Final front cover: BUTTERFLY in deep green capitals above a river of butterflies
Final cover10 × 12 in

Role

Research, grid, type, cover, layout

Format

10 × 12 in pages, 20 × 12 in spreads

Tools

InDesign, Photoshop

Photography

Thomas Marent

Title spread: a carpet of pale green and orange butterflies above the title
i

Research

Three moods before one layout.

Each board began with keywords, then met the photography.

Mood board one: neutral, minimal covers
Board 01Neutral, minimal, quiet
Mood board two: earthy, luxurious covers
Board 02Earthy, solid, luxurious
Mood board three: sophisticated grid of texture and colour
Board 03Sophisticated. Chosen.

Luxury interiors books and museum catalogues share one habit: room for images, discipline for type.

ii

Structure

The grid underneath.

Spread with grid overlay: columns, baseline grid and a photo snapped to columns
Fig 1Grid and baseline overlay
  1. Margins0.5 in on every side.
  2. ColumnsThree per page, ~0.2 in gutter.
  3. Baseline12.5 pt. Every line shares one rhythm.
  4. PhotosSnap to 1, 2 or 3 columns, or bleed.
Full-bleed blue butterfly spread with grid visible
Fig 2A bleed that still respects the grid
  1. The ruleConstraint makes the bleed an event.
  2. The foldFalls in space, never through a wing.
iii

Typography

Three families. Three jobs.

Fonts checked against the book files. Names as set in InDesign.

Humanist sans for voice. Book serif for reading. Neutral sans for facts.

WHAT IS A BUTTERFLY heading, byline and red stand-first
Fig 3Chapter head detail
DisplayOptima ExtraBlack
45 pt · #174E37Flared strokes taper like wing veins. Cover and openers only.
BodyLora Regular
8.5 / 12.5 pt · #221F1FCalligraphic serif, generous leading. A book you linger in.
CaptionsRoboto Bold
8 pt · pale tintFacts, not voice. Number and tint tie caption to photo.
AccentRoboto Bold
8 pt · #ED2023The only red text. One flash, borrowed from the wings.
Canopy#174E37
New leaf#6BBD46
Wing red#ED2023
Morpho#3952A4
Soil rust#732C18
Ink#221F1F

Every colour eyedropped from the photographs.

iv

Cover

Seven covers to find one.

Cover option: blue butterfly on a gradient
AGradient. Too commercial.
Cover option: monarch on dark foliage
BMoody. Title shouts.
Cover option: fritillary on mono foliage
CStriking. Less calm.
Cover option: paper kite with vertical title
DElegant. Hard to read on a shelf.
Cover option: forest green and bark
EForest and bark
Cover option: field of monarchs
FPattern as cover
Cover option: title on a white band
GTitle on a quiet band. Chosen.
Final cover wrap with back, black spine and front
FinalFull wrap
  1. Pale bandKeeps the photo unbroken.
  2. Black spineCream title reads across a room.
  3. Back coverQuiet, one image.
v

Interior

Spreads that breathe.

Opener spread with one small photo and one text column
OpenerEmptiness as an inhale
Contents spread
ContentsFour chapters, two columns
What is a Butterfly spread
Chapter openerDisplay top left, photos hang from the grid
Swallowtail filling a page beside a text page
ScaleOne big wing, three small images
Wing structure spread with macro scale photos
MacroA tight grid echoes the scales
Full-bleed spread of two glasswing butterflies
A breathNo text. The fold falls between wings.
vi

Explorations

When type becomes the image.

A louder direction: slab titles, cut-outs, type that locks into the photo.

BUTTERFLY SCALES spread with cut-out wings
ScalesWings frame the title
BUTTERFLY title beside a field of monarchs
FieldSlab type against pattern
The Lifespan of Butterflies title around a chrysalis
LifespanTitle wraps the chrysalis
Masters of Disguise spread
DisguiseSilhouette on white
Butterfly Feeding spread with eyespot cut-out
FeedingMixed-weight title

Design principle

The photos carry the beauty. Type disappears in the right places.

vii

Pacing

The book’s rhythm.

Spread 1Spread 2Spread 3Spread 4Spread 5Spread 6Spread 7Spread 8Spread 9Spread 10Spread 11

End to endQuiet, dense, image, dense, image, breath

For a second edition

  • CaptionsLock to one style. A few drifted to Palatino and Minion.
  • BodyKeep Wing Structure in Lora.
  • ProofOne more pass on heads and folios.
IndexContact© 2026 Pooja Kulkarni