Booklet design covers the layout and pagination of a multi-page document — a manual, event programme, report or small publication — so it reads clearly and holds together as a whole rather than a set of separate pages.

Because a booklet is read in sequence rather than dipped into at random, pacing matters more here than in most print design. Content is mapped out page by page before detailed design begins, so information builds logically and important sections are not accidentally buried in the middle where they are easy to skip past.

Consistent typography, spacing and imagery style are maintained throughout, since even small inconsistencies become noticeable across a longer document in a way they wouldn’t on a single sheet. Headers, page numbers and any recurring design elements are set up once and applied uniformly, keeping the reading experience steady from the first page to the last.

The finished binding also shapes the layout — saddle stitched booklets behave differently at the centre pages compared with wire bound ones, so page counts and pagination are planned around the intended binding from the outset. For printing and binding once artwork is ready, see our booklet printing page.