Quotes in Photo Books: Telling Stories in the Words of Others

Aren’t quotes too cliched?

Even though quotes are considered to be an extremely cliched way of saying something – especially as captions for photos – it’s not necessarily quotes per se that must be avoided. It’s what are considered ‘cliched’ quotes – such as the words of Gandhi, Oscar Wilde, or Einstein – that could ruin the credibility of the photo book.

But regardless of whether a quote you’re considering is cliched or not, the general rule of thumb when it comes to adding extra meaning to photos through text is to remember that it can be virtually anything provided that its tone matches the book’s theme and properly expresses what you want to say. In short, don’t stress too much about adding that quote, just remember that it should be as original as possible and absolutely should explain exactly what you want to say.

How to apply quotes to photo books

What quote to use

There are two approaches that can be used in different situations. The first approach is to use your own quotes or those of people close to you, which is a perfect solution for photo books with more lighthearted themes like travelling, yearbooks, family photo books, and everyday occasions.

But more traditional quotes – i.e. excerpts from literary pieces, famous speeches, song lyrics – are perfect fits for books about love, important events like a wedding or graduation, people who have passed away and, of course, family holidays like Christmas.

And if you cannot think of a suitable quote, there are designated webpages operated by both big photo printing companies like Shutterfly and regular people. Alternatively, simply hitting the internet for sources of inspiration – including photo books created by others – is bound to help.

How quotes should appear

The most important rule surrounding quotes is to make them an integral part of the photo book. This means that they should be treated in exactly the same manner as regular text. Simply put, when placing the quote onto a photo, always make sure that it doesn’t cover important areas of the photo and that it also has a font, color, and size that ensures the quote is visible and legible. Also, remember that quotes can be placed anywhere within close proximity of the corresponding picture, whether that is empty space on the page or even a separate page – which, by the way, is highly recommended for longer quotes.

Tricks to making quotes stand out

If you’re looking for ways to effectively use quotes, consider the fact that shorter quotes can serve as titles to the book or particular sections, especially in cases where it perfectly encompasses what the book is about or you simply cannot figure out the ideal title. Just don’t forget that while titling is an art in itself, the basic rules regarding both what quotes should be used and where also apply to using titles.

Another trick that could spice things up is to replace certain words within the quote with text stickers. In fact, if the right sticker is used – meaning it isn’t too distracting, is suitable for the replaced word, and matches the tone of the photo book – then it can be a simple yet clever way of emphasizing something and even making the quote stick out more.