Ready to create a lookbook for your brand? From fashion brands, photographers, interior designers and beauty companies to any business that sells through images rather than description, our guide will help you create the best lookbook. From photography and design to print and marketing here’s how to start your lookbook at PrintingCenterUSA today!

What is a Lookbook?

Firstly, it’s important we define what a lookbook actually is. According to Wikipedia:

A lookbook is a collection of photographs compiled to show off a model, photographer, style, stylist, or clothing line. Usually, bloggers or vloggers will “model” fashionable looks for that month or season. This gives viewers ideas on how to style outfits, or to show what the latest fashions are.  

A lookbook is like a catalog but instead of text heavy descriptions, products are sold through pictures. With a collection of images from your product line, branding and creative vision takes center stage. Lookbooks are artistic and precise with their marketing intent.  

Lookbooks started in the fashion industry for seasonal changes in style and fashion but now they are being used across all industries to elevate products to a designer level. Photographers use them for portfolios and interior designers use them to present concepts. Anyone can use them for their industry but the main feature of a lookbook is the large format images with minimal text or pricing.

3 Easy Tips to Get the Lookbook “Look”: Learn More

Is Lookbook One Word or Two?

Lookbook is one word, not two. The correct spelling is lookbook. The standard spelling in the fashion, design, and marketing industries is lookbook as a single word. Both spellings (look-book, lookbook, and look book) are widely understood and commonly searched, which is why you will see both used interchangeably in conversation and online.

Lookbook vs Catalog: What Is the Difference?

These are two very different assistants to your brand and serve very different purposes. Here is the difference.

A lookbook uses large, full-page or full-bleed photographs with minimal text. It does not show pricing. The imagery is styled, themed, and artistic. The goal is to show off the brand and create desire. Featuring only the most compelling pieces from a collection, not the full collection.

A catalog uses a mix of large and small product images alongside product descriptions, specifications, and pricing. It is comprehensive rather than curated. It has tons of helpful buying info and product descriptions tend to be lengthy.

Most brands need both. A lookbook starts the interest of a buyer or consumer and creates desire. A catalog closes the deal by providing the practical information needed to buy. For a seasonal collection launch, the lookbook comes first.

Lookbook vs Line Sheet: What Is the Difference?

A line sheet is a wholesale trade document, not a consumer-facing marketing piece. It lists products with style numbers, available colors, sizes, wholesale pricing, and minimum order quantities. It is functional, not aspirational. It is shared with buyers and retailers to facilitate orders, not with consumers to generate desire. This cookie sales, those large format sheets with highlights and excel like graphs that kids bring around to sell items during the holidays. It’s perfect for the brand to use but not idea for the customer to find or fill out. That’s where lookbooks come in!

A lookbook is the aspirational counterpart to the line sheet. It presents the same products in a styled way that influences the purchase. It’s good to use both side by side to produce sales. At conventions and shows brands use the lookbook to create excitement and establish the collection’s identity. Then they use the line sheet to facilitate the actual ordering process.

What Size Is a Lookbook?

Lookbook size is one of the biggest decisions in creation. It all depends on your images and how your lookbook will be used.  

8.5 x 11 inches portrait is the most popular lookbook size at PrintingCenterUSA. It is an overall common book size that clients can anticipate browsing though. Its good for portrait photos and model shots with standing poses. It creates a good flip through experience.

11 x 8.5 inches landscape works well when most of your imagery is horizontal, including interior design spaces, flat lays, product arrangements, and wide environmental shots. These can be fun with cross spreads on saddle stitch books and really stand out from other lookbooks just for their shape.

8 x 8 inches square is a distinctive format that works well for beauty, home decor, and lifestyle lookbooks where the square composition suits the aesthetic. This shape is irresistible and tiny. They are fun to carry along but still pack a punch when it comes to marketing and showing off your brand.

12 x 12 inches square is the large format option for lookbooks where maximum visual impact is the priority. It commands attention and gives photography the most room to breathe. This is the best lookbook format. Large enough for high quality images and if you choose perfect binding you can also add a printable spine!

Lookbook dimensions in centimeters: 8.5 x 11 inches is approximately 21.6 x 27.9 cm. 11 x 8.5 inches is approximately 27.9 x 21.6 cm. 8 x 8 inches is approximately 20.3 x 20.3 cm.

How to Make a Lookbook: Step by Step

Step 1: Define your concept and audience

What season is this for? What is the emotional mood of the collection? Who is the customer and what do they aspire to? Find your creative direction and let it influence your lookbook. It should feel like a coherent world, not a collection of unrelated images.

Step 2: Plan your photography

Professional photography is non-negotiable for a lookbook. You want your brand identity to reflect this lookbook. Always use a nice camera, phone images are lower quality and rarely good for printing. All final images must be at least 300 DPI for professional print quality. Images at 72 DPI, which is standard for web and social media, will print blurry regardless of how sharp they look on screen. Use original high-resolution files from your camera.

Find a photographer with a portfolio that matches your brand and style.

Shooting on a budget? Natural light on an overcast day produces diffused light, perfect for lookbooks. If you are using models, find someone who embodies the energy of the collection. The model is part of the brand message.

Don’t forget your final layout! Vertical images for portrait formats. Horizontal images for landscape. Leave enough negative space in key shots for text placement if captions or brand messaging will appear on those pages.

Architecture & Design Lookbook

Beauty Lookbook

Home Decor Lookbook

Step 3: Edit and select your images

Set your images up for a coherent story when browsed. Start with a strong image and move through the collection with full looks, detail shots, lifestyle moments, and close-ups that show texture and quality. End with images that leave the viewer wanting more.

Step 4: Design your layout

The layout of a lookbook should always prioritize the product photography. Images should take up most of each page. Text is minimal, small, and positioned so it supports rather than competes with the visuals. White space is used intentionally to give imagery room to breathe.

There are many templates out there with a grid structure and we find the most successful lookbooks are ones with gridded outlines. A full-page image on one side, a close-up detail or secondary image on the other. Alternating full-bleed spreads with single-image pages creates rhythm for the customer and makes your lookbook fun. Your brand logo should appear prominently at the beginning or end of the book, subtly on interior pages.

Keep your font choices clean and minimal. The photography is doing the work and the typography should not distract from it. We like to share the rule of keeping one main image with title, brand, and logo. This paired with a branded font will be helpful to your customers in recognizing your lookbook.

Use our free online design tool, free Adobe templates, Canva, or our find a designer program to jumpstart your lookbook today!

Step 5: Prepare your print file

Set your bleed to 0.125 inches on all sides. Any background or image intended to run to the edge of the page must extend 0.125 inches beyond the trim line to prevent white edges after cutting. Keep all important text and logos at least 0.125 inches inside the trim line in the safe zone. Set your color mode to CMYK before designing. All images at 300 DPI minimum. Export as a print-ready PDF with pages in single-page consecutive order, not spreads.

PrintingCenterUSA offers a free 43-point file inspection on site from your desktop!

Lookbook Design Tips

Let the photography lead. The images are more important than product info, let the pictures speak for themselves.

Keep text minimal. A lookbook is not a catalog. Product names and very short captions are enough.

Use branding with restraint. Your logo should establish the brand at the opening pages and appear subtly on interior pages. It should never overpower the imagery. Your pictures should already share your brand.

Consider the spread as a unit. When designing your lookbook, think in two-page spreads rather than individual pages.

Match your paper to your aesthetic. Gloss paper gives color a richer look and images explode off the page. Matte paper is softer and more elegant. Soft touch lamination on the cover gives the lookbook a premium tactile quality that communicates high-end positioning the moment someone picks it up. Gloss coating gives the classic editorial magazine look many find enticing.

Explore our PCUSA Print Guides and Whitepapers here!

Print Specifications for Lookbooks at PrintingCenterUSA

Binding: Perfect binding is the recommended option for most lookbooks. It has a flat square spine you can print things on. Its great for the shelf and easy to pick out. Perfect binding gives your lookbook that book-store style that shows professionalism. Minimum page count is 28 pages.

For shorter lookbooks under 92 pages where a spine is not needed, saddle stitch is a cost-effective alternative that still produces a clean, professional result.

Size: 8.5 x 11 portrait is the most popular. Also available in 11 x 8.5 landscape, 8 x 8 square, and 12 x 12 square. See the size section above for more in depth information.

Ink: Full color on both inside pages and cover for the best first impressions.

Inside paper: 100 lb gloss text for maximum color vibrancy and a polished, magazine-quality feel. 100 lb matte text for a softer, more refined editorial aesthetic. Select between gloss and matte selectively, base it on your brands look or values.

Cover paper: 100 lb cover stock with UV high gloss coating for maximum impact and protection or soft touch lamination for a premium velvety feel that elevates the perceived quality of the entire piece.

Every file submitted to PrintingCenterUSA goes through the automated 43-point inspection before production begins. Orders ship in three to four business days after proof approval.

Lookbook: Key Facts for Reference

What is a lookbook? A lookbook is a curated collection of photographs that presents a product line, brand identity, or creative vision from a business. They use large format images with limited text so emote a mood and create desire. Fashion, interior design, photography, beauty, and lifestyle industries all use lookbooks to boost their sales and increase conversions.

Is lookbook one word or two: Lookbook is one word. Look book (two words) and look-book (hyphenated) appear in informal use but lookbook is the standard industry spelling.

Lookbook vs catalog: A lookbook is selective and artistic with minimal text and no pricing. A catalog is comprehensive with product descriptions and pricing. A lookbook creates desire. A catalog facilitates purchase.

Lookbook vs line sheet: A line sheet is a wholesale trade document with style numbers, pricing, and order minimums. A lookbook is the aspirational marketing counterpart that presents the same products in a styled editorial context.

Most popular lookbook size: 8.5 x 11 inches portrait (approximately 21.6 x 27.9 cm)
Lookbook sizes at PrintingCenterUSA: 8.5 x 11 portrait, 11 x 8.5 landscape, 8 x 8 square, 12 x 12 square
Recommended binding: Perfect binding for a printable spine and professional appearance. Minimum 28 pages.
Recommended inside paper: 100 lb gloss text for vibrant color photography, 100 lb matte text for refined editorial aesthetics.
Recommended cover finish: UV high gloss coating or soft touch lamination.
Required image resolution: 300 DPI minimum.
Bleed setting: 0.125 inches on all sides.
File format: Print-ready PDF with single pages in consecutive order.
Turnaround at PrintingCenterUSA: 3 to 4 business days after proof approval.
File review: Automated 43-point inspection checks every file before it goes to press.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a lookbook?
A lookbook is a curated collection of styled photographs that showcases a product line, brand identity, or creative direction. It uses large images with minimal text to communicate mood and desire rather than product specifications and pricing. Lookbooks are used in fashion, interior design, photography, beauty, and lifestyle industries.

What is a look book?
A look book and a lookbook are the same thing. Both spellings refer to the same format: a curated visual publication that presents products or a brand through styled photography. Lookbook (one word) is the standard industry spelling.

Is lookbook one word or two?
Lookbook is one word. The standard industry spelling is lookbook. Look book (two words) is also widely used and understood but lookbook is the preferred and more common form.

What size is a lookbook?
The most popular lookbook size is 8.5 x 11 inches portrait, which suits vertical model shots and creates an engaging flip-through experience. Also common are 11 x 8.5 landscape for horizontal imagery, and 8 x 8 or 12 x 12 square formats for more distinctive presentations. In centimeters, 8.5 x 11 inches is approximately 21.6 x 27.9 cm.

What is the difference between a lookbook and a catalog?
A lookbook uses large artistic images with minimal text and no pricing to communicate brand identity and desire. A catalog uses a combination of product images with descriptions, specifications, and pricing to inform purchase decisions. Most brands use both: a lookbook to create emotional connection and a catalog to facilitate orders.

What is the difference between a lookbook and a line sheet?
A line sheet is a wholesale trade document listing style numbers, available colors and sizes, wholesale pricing, and order minimums. It is functional rather than aspirational. A lookbook presents the same products in a styled editorial context to communicate brand vision. Both are often distributed together at trade shows and wholesale presentations.

What paper is best for a lookbook?
100 lb gloss text makes colors appear richer and more vibrant, which suits bold color palettes and high-contrast photography. 100 lb matte text gives a softer, more refined quality that suits luxury aesthetics, editorial photography, and muted color palettes. The cover should always use heavier cover stock with UV high gloss or soft touch lamination for a premium finish.

What binding is best for a lookbook?
Perfect binding is the standard for lookbooks because it produces a flat square spine that can be printed with the collection name and season. It gives lookbooks a bookstore-quality professional appearance. For shorter lookbooks under 92 pages, saddle stitch is a cost-effective alternative.

What resolution do lookbook images need to be?
All images must be at least 300 DPI for professional print quality. Images at 72 DPI, which is standard for web and social media, will print blurry regardless of how sharp they appear on screen. Always use original high-resolution files from your camera.

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