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If you’re seeing sprayed edges on books everywhere you look, there’s a good reason behind the uptick in this book embellishment trend. As authors compete in a publishing landscape that is being threatened by the digital world, books are fast becoming not only something to read, but also an object to cherish and display. This is where sprayed edges (also known as edging and spredges) come in. This special edition book printing technique turns an ordinary read into a forever keepsake, something that bookworms are proud to display in their collections.
For self-published authors, applying sprayed edges to your own indie work can be just what it needs to have it stand out from the crowd - or, at least, stand out from the other books on the shelf. Sprayed edges come in all colours, patterns and designs, and you can customise them to fit the story at hand. Don’t know where to start when it comes to creating your own sprayed edge design? Discover some ideas below to inspire you to bring your special edition self-published book to life with the help of sprayed edges and us here at FolioFox.
Incorporate Repeating Motifs Into Your Sprayed Edge Pattern
One of the most common ways you’ll see self-published authors using sprayed edges in the design of their books is by taking an important motif or image from the story or title and turning that into a pattern along the book’s edges.
This could be as simple as illustrating a sprayed edge design full of dragon silhouettes against a plain-coloured background for a fantasy novel, like Olivia Newman’s Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm books.
Another way to experiment with this style of the sprayed edge technique is by using colour and illustration to signal to a particular motif, image or Easter Egg in the story. Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series does this perfectly, with different repeating images sprayed onto the edges of the books in the series that are in line with the book’s title, while also remaining consistent in the fluidity of their design from book to book. For example, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store features repeating imagery of cinnamon buns and iced drinks, just as The Christmas Tree Farm features candy canes and ribbons in repetition.
We recently sat down with C. R. Bradshaw to chat about her debut self-published romantasy novel, Creation of Shadows - a locally printed book by us here at FolioFox that features a wonderful sprayed edge design. Using the flowering vine imagery that encases the title on the book’s cover, the author utilises that inspiration as the foundation for the sprayed edge design, tying in all three edges of the pages with the beautiful motifs found across the cover.
This style of sprayed edge is especially suitable for self-published authors publishing books within a series. By adding complementing but varied designs to the sprayed edges of the books within a storyworld, your readers are encouraged to collect all of these special editions and complete the series so that they can display the books altogether as one finished set.
Create A World Within The Sprayed Edge Design
For self-published authors wanting to keep the design of their sprayed edges simple but captivating, a repeating motif or pattern is a great option. However, for indie authors that want the edges of their book to contain as much magic and story as the text itself, there’s another way to design your sprayed edges that allow them to contain whole worlds of their own.
Plenty of books with sprayed edges use this extra creative space as a way to explore the storyworld of their book. This might mean that the sprayed edge design contains a simple scene, character or moment from the story, like Andrea Eames’ Harvest of Hearts and Lucy Jane Wood’s Uncharmed, both featuring delicate illustrations of kittens resting under falling leaves.
Don’t be afraid to get even more detailed with your sprayed edge illustrations. Many successful books containing sprayed edges are also some of the most creative experiments with this kind of printing style. Sarah A. Parker’s internationally bestselling book When the Moon Hatched employs the sprayed edge technique on special editions of the novel. This one in particular manages to illustrate a significant moment from the book in just the small amount of space along the pages’ edges. Plus, by using bright colours that pop off the edge, this isn’t just a book you’ll want to reach for - it’s also one you’ll want to proudly display.
Extend The Cover Design Across The Edges
One of the most effective ways for indie authors to design their sprayed edges is by thinking outside of the box - and also the edge. Don’t just consider the edges as an art piece by themselves, but instead think about the ways that you can make the entirety of your self-published book into one cohesive work of art that bursts from the front covers and spills out over and onto the edges of the book.
What we’re talking about here is having a holistic approach to the crafting of your sprayed edges by using the cover art as the source of the design and then extending that to the edges. There are plenty of ways to do this, and one of the most impressive ways to experiment with the design of sprayed edges is by allowing the border of your front cover design to inform the design of the edges to create an entirely new image in and of itself. You can see this style of sprayed edges at work in another special edition of When the Moon Hatched - this time with a detailed illustration on the edges that is being informed by the design of the front cover of the book.
Alternatively, another way to do this is instead of creating a whole image out of the cover, use the repeating motif pattern we explored earlier to extend the pattern or design of the front cover over onto, down and around the edges. This style is great for a book in a series of sprayed edge editions, creating a coherent design that matches both the books’ front covers and accompanying series book designs.
No matter what style of sprayed edge design you decide to go for when crafting your self-published book, the captivating imagery and show-stopping colours of this print embellishment technique will be sure to grab the attention of your reader and have them proudly displaying it on their bookshelf.
To learn more about our book printing and sprayed edge printing services for self-published authors and get started on your printing journey, get in touch with our team today. We're here to help you navigate the evolving world of printing with confidence.
