The cover of your thesis is the first thing the reader sees. It gives a positive first impression. Or not… It is important to think carefully about the look and feel of your cover. Choose an image or text that provides a good first impression. Make the cover count! But how do you make a great cover for your thesis?
If you have no experience or knowledge of designing a cover, it can be very difficult to design one. In this blog you will find tips for the layout of the cover of your thesis. Among other information, we provide tips on the following subjects:
- Content;
- Cover of the thesis;
- Fonts and sizes;
- Software to use.
Planning to print your PhD thesis and would you like to receive more information about it?
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Content
On the cover of a thesis you usually will find the title, the subtitle and the name of the author. The title and name of the author usually also appear on the spine of a thesis. You can also choose to place a small introduction of the subject on the back of the cover. On the back you can add a logo and/or an image as well. The possibilities for your cover are endless. You can combine all sorts of elements. Just make it into something that fits you and your subject.
Thesis cover
As said before: the cover of the thesis provides an important first impression. You can decide to keep it modest but you can also stand out and make it something special. It depends on the impression you want to create. The cover always contains the title of your thesis. In addition, you can add image(s) to attract attention. Can’t find a suitable image? Then use an image that’s made by a designer according to your wishes or use your own photos. Another option is to download a stockphoto from the internet. A royalty-free photo that you download for free or one you have to pay for.
Some websites that offer royalty-free (stockphotos) are:
– Unsplash
– Pexels
– Pixabay
Fonts and sizes
When choosing a font, it is important that is legible. Nowadays the use of fonts without serifs is popular. These fonts are easier to read for the brain. This also applies to the size of tehe font.
It is possible to choose a large font when you write a thesis for visually impaired people. But otherwise the most common font size is 10pt for the base text in a book or for the text on the back of the book.
There are no usual rules for the size of the title. Feel free to rely on your gut ?! Make sure that you take into account the image on the cover when you consider the title. As it must still be clearly visible.
Software to work with
One of the most used programs to process text is Word. You probably use this program a lot yourself. The disadvantage of this program is that the text sometimes shifts by itself. To prevent this, you can use the layout program InDesign.
InDesign is a professional layout program that is often used by graphic designers or professionals in the graphic industry. This program is very visual due to the extensive functionalities. But in the beginning it is not very easy to use this program.
When you are going to design the cover yourself, you have to take the spine thickness into account. You need to calculate the thickness of the spine. By entering the number of pages, paper type and binding methoud, our spine thickness calculator calculates the spine thickness for you. You can find the calculator on the page about thesis layout.
Need help designing your cover?
We are happy to help you out! We can do this in several ways:
1. You create the cover of your thesis yourself.
In this case, you have to take several specifications and margins into account. These are described in our information booklet. Do you still have questions after reading the book? Feel free to contact us and we will discuss it together.
2. Gildeprint takes care of the layout of the cover.
In this case, you provide us with an image for the cover. You inform us about the further additions to the cover and we will get to work for you. According to your wishes we provide a cover.
3. We start a creative design process for a stunning cover.
If you have a special wish and want your cover to be a real eye-catcher, we will start a creative process. We will connect you with one of our experienced designers who will shape your wishes into a fantastic cover.
Our common goal is a dissertation to be proud of! Would you like to know more about the possibilities we offer? Feel free to contact us or request a quote without obligation.