Selecting the perfect photo book format: tips for showcasing your memories

Creating a photo book is a wonderful way to preserve and showcase your cherished memories. It’s also an enjoyable and creative project, with options to customize every element of your photo book’s design. One of those first key design decisions is selecting a photo book format that perfectly fits your treasured photo collection.

Mixbook offers three photo book formats: square, portrait, and landscape. Each of these formats is available in a range of sizes, covers, and paper types. Launching a new project in Mixbook Studio™ starts with picking a format, and while you can easily switch formats later, it’s helpful to work with your favorite format from the start.

So, how do you select the perfect photo book format? We have some handy tips and insights below, including factors to consider when selecting a photo book layout.

About photo book formats and layouts

Photo book formats and layouts are both important considerations in your photo book design. Format simply refers to the shape of your printed photo book—square, portrait, or landscape. Layouts describe the arrangements of photos on the pages inside that book. These range from a single full-page photo to multi-photo collages.

Within any book format, layouts are available to accommodate individual photos with a square, landscape, or portrait orientation. For example, a portrait-format book can feature landscape photos inside, and a square-format book might include collages of varied photo orientations. Plus, some themes offer layouts with circular or irregular-shaped photo frames, and some have full two-page spread layouts for panoramic pics.

Photo book formats: landscape, portrait, and square

Here is an overview of the three Mixbook photo book formats, plus advantages and disadvantages of each:

Landscape format

Landscape format photo books have a horizontal orientation, where the width of the book is greater than the height. This format is ideal for showcasing panoramic landscapes, travel photos, and group shots. The wide layout allows for expansive spreads and captures the beauty of wide-angle shots. However, it’s important to consider storage and display options, as landscape photo books may not fit well on standard bookshelves.

Advantages:

• Ideal for showcasing panoramic shots and wide-angle views of landscapes.
• Allows for expansive spreads and capturing the beauty of wide compositions.

Disadvantages:

• May not fit well on standard bookshelves.

Portrait format

Portrait format photo books have a vertical orientation, where the height of the book is greater than the width. This format is perfect for highlighting close-up portraits, vertical compositions, and portrait-oriented shots. It offers a traditional and timeless aesthetic, making it a popular choice for wedding albums, family photo books, and personal portfolios.

Advantages:

• Suitable for highlighting close-up portraits and vertical compositions.
• Offers a traditional and timeless aesthetic.

Disadvantages:

• May limit the display of horizontal or panoramic photos.

Square format

Square format photo books have equal width and height dimensions. This versatile format can accommodate both landscape and portrait orientations at close to full-page scale, making it a flexible choice for all different types of photos. Square photo books are great for creative layouts, showcasing a mix of photo orientations and achieving a balanced and cohesive design.

Advantages:

• Accommodates square, landscape and portrait orientations, providing flexibility.
• Allows for creative layouts and offers a balanced look.

Disadvantages:

• Depending on the size, square formats may not showcase certain photos at their optimal size.

Selecting the right layouts for each format

For the best photo book design, your chosen formats and layouts should complement each other. The main considerations will be the purpose of your photo book, the orientation of your photos, and your personal preferences.

Here are some tips to help you select the right layout:

1. Purpose: Determine the main focus of your photo book. If it’s a travel album, a landscape format can beautifully capture sweeping vistas. For a family photo book, your purpose might be to present a varied mix of photo sizes and compositions, making a square format ideal. A graduation book full of professional portrait shots is suited to the portrait format.
2. Photo orientation: Pay attention to the orientation of your photos. If you have predominantly vertical or horizontal shots, choose a format that matches the majority of your photos. This ensures that your images are displayed optimally without unnecessary cropping or empty space. Are there any stand-out images that you know you want to feature on the cover or in a full-page showcase? Match the format to the orientation of these particular pics.
3. Design style: Consider the overall design style you want to achieve. Some layouts work better with specific themes or aesthetics. Some emphasize white space, while others are busier. Experiment with different templates and layouts to find the one that enhances the visual impact of your photos and matches your creative vision.

Tip: Mixbook offers three photo book formats, but countless layout options. The Auto-Layout tool can help you find the best ones for your photos—you’ll find it in Mixbook Studio™’s “Layouts” panel. For more on layouts, check out Mixbook Studio Deep Dive: Layouts.

Recommended photo book formats

When it comes to selecting the right photo book format, exploring examples can give you some valuable inspiration. Here are some examples to help ignite your creativity:

1. Travel photo books: For capturing your travel adventures, a landscape format is often an ideal choice. It allows you to showcase panoramic shots and wide-angle views, immersing the viewer in the stunning landscapes you encountered. Consider a larger format, such as 12x12, to highlight the intricate details and transport yourself back to those memorable destinations.
2. Wedding photo books: Wedding photo books filled with a diverse collection of photos benefit from the versatility of a square format. This format enables creative layouts and offers a balanced canvas for showcasing both portrait and landscape orientation photos.
3. Family photo books: Whether you opt for a landscape or portrait format depends on the orientation of your cherished family photos. For a mix of photo sizes and layouts, consider a medium-sized book like 8.5x11 or 11x8.5. It provides flexibility to showcase a combination of landscape and portrait orientations, beautifully capturing the love and togetherness of your family.
4. Baby photo books: Baby photo books are equally suited to a square format or portrait orientation. These options elegantly highlight close-up shots and intricate details of your little one’s precious moments. A small size such as 6x6 is great for gifts, but you might choose a larger size for a baby book intended as a cherished keepsake.
5. Graduation photo books: Celebrate academic achievements with a graduation photo book. Showcase a mix of formal portraits, candid moments, and memorable milestones from your educational journey. Choose a classic portrait format in a larger size to create a timeless keepsake of this special milestone.
6. Pet photo books: Create a dedicated photo book for your furry friends in a square or portrait format. These formats provide ample space to feature adorable pet portraits, playful moments, and heartwarming stories that capture the unique bond you share with your pets.
7. Year-in-review photo books: Summarize a year's worth of memories and milestones with a landscape format photo book. This format is great for year-in-review themes that feature a horizontal timeline spread. Show off a curated selection of photos that highlight significant events, special occasions, and personal achievements of a year you won't soon forget.

Explore Mixbook’s photo books today

Our final tip for choosing the best format for a photo book is to just start creating one in Mixbook Studio™!

While working on your custom photo book, you get to experiment with every element of its design–including the format. Try out all three formats and as many layouts as you like, and simply see which ones work best for you.

Head to Mixbook Studio™ today, and discover how easy it is to transform your photo collection into a tangible treasure.