Publication design

Creating maths books

Nikki M Group is an award-winning studio that specialises in designing and typesetting quality mathematics books for education. We work with publishers, authors, editors and project managers to design publications that are efficient to produce and deliver an engaging experience for their intended audience.

Photographs showing a selection of covers from the Sadler maths series.

Sadler Mathematics was designed and typeset for Cengage Australia. The series consists of 10 textbooks.

Concept development

Nikki M Group develops concepts – the main ideas that shape the format, style and feel of a publication or series. We do this by identifying design objectives and creating a unique visual identity.

Concept development often includes:

  • a design brief or reverse brief
  • annotated concept designs
  • a design rationale.

Developing a concept is an efficient way for stakeholders to review, revise and approve a new design.

Award winning team with proven experience.

Sample design

Nikki M Group prepares sample designs using design and layout software such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. We create sample designs that are ready for production and include the main parts of a publication such as:

  • a chapter
  • chapter openers
  • prelims and endmatter
  • icons and graphical devices.

We usually include:

  • an overlay of paragraph and character styles (annotations)
  • design assets (colour palette, common design elements).

The sample design acts as a style guide for everyone in the publishing team.

Request a quote

Call +61 3 9584 6021

Talk to us about your project

  • Designing a maths series?
  • Creating a new edition?
  • Need maths expertise?

Internal text design

Text design (also known as editorial design) is the art of arranging type and layout. With an eye for detail, Nikki M Group creates sophisticated text designs combining:

  • typography
  • margins, grids and text columns
  • information hierarchies
  • design features
  • navigational aids
  • learning experience
  • paginations and text flow.

Preparing templates

Nikki M Group prepares templates that enable designers and typesetters to work more efficiently. This includes setting up:

  • master pages
  • paragraph and character styles
  • table and cell styles
  • object styles
  • type specifications
  • subscript and superscript sizes
  • alignment of equations
  • positioning of artwork
  • common design elements
  • a colour palette
  • sub-sections
  • library of common assets.

Equations and typography

We have in-depth knowledge of how to prepare and produce maths content for education. This include best practices for typography:

  • knowing what fonts to use and where
  • managing equations from a manuscript to layout
  • mathematics symbols
  • defining sizes and spacing
  • automated workflows
  • print specifications
  • editorial style.

Awards for maths book design

Our maths awards for text design include:

Consultation

Project briefing
and handover

Quality guarantee

Our goal is to set correct,
first time, every time

File management

Structure, organisation
and archiving

Designing maths books

Publishers

Work with an award-winning team with proven maths experience.

Project managers

We offer advice and consultation to ensure that you are informed to make the right decisions.

Authors

Nikki M Group works with authors to understand their objectives to get the best possible outcome.

Common questions

How much does it cost to create a sample design? 

Investing in a sample design that contains all the design elements means time is saved during production. It gives a consistent reference point for designers, editors and typesetters. Our sample designs are annotated with all paragraph and character styles. The cost to create a sample design starts from $2500.

Can you add annotations showing styles in a sample design?

A sample design created by Nikki M Group comes with all paragraph, character, table and object styles annotated on a separate layer in the Indesign file.

What is the best way to develop a concept?

Nikki M Group offers a range of options for developing concepts, from the art direction for a new series or how design elements should look and function.

Talk to us about your project. We will tailor services to your needs.

Do you design new editions or adapt to different curriculums?

Nikki M Group can update an old edition to a new updated design, or we can adapt a current book for a new curriculum. Our concept design process allows us to analyse the current book to evaluate the successful features, and incorporate feedback from current users to deliver a design that is refined, refreshed and reimagined for future learners.

How do I start developing a new mathematics book?

Nikki M Group works with publishers, designers, editors and authors to design and develop maths books. We can evaluate your project and identify what steps need to be taken to get started.

Book a consultation to start the design process.

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